How to Sell Anything to Anyone Pt. 4 - Closing
It is time
Well, how did we get here? To borrow Richard Nixon’s catchphrase, let me be perfectly clear. You…
Asked the customer for the three things they liked about their current product or service
Asked them what didn’t like about their previous product or service
Forgot you ever heard their dislikes
Presented your product or service based entirely on their three likes
Checked with the customer to make sure your product or service conforms with their likes
To close the deal, summarize your product’s/service’s ability to satisfy the customer’s likes and ask for the sale. Boom! Done!
You’ve agreed that the Audi S4 is fast, comfortable and handles well. Would you like to buy the car? You’ve seen that our tax preparation service is accurate, easy and reliable. Would you like us to do your taxes? We’ve established that I’m smart, handsome and rich. Do you want to marry me?
If the customer say yes, you’re welcome. If they say no? No problem! The next installment in this series tells you how to discover and overcome the customer’s objections.
Meanwhile, I want to stress the importance of using the hybrid close “I’ve shown you that X has your three likes, do you want to buy X?” Yes, there are other closes. They all suck. Ladies and gentlemen and non-binary members of the jury, I submit the following analysis into evidence...
The Assumptive Close
“Shall I gift wrap it for you?” The assumptive close assumes the customer has made the decision to buy. I call it The Coward’s Close; the salesman’s scared shitless of hearing the word “no” so he/she/they pretend they heard the word “yes. “
The assumptive close works because customers don’t like confrontation. They’ll agree to buy something just so they don’t piss off the salesman. Or, if the salesman built rapport (a bad idea and the subject of another article), they don’t want to disappoint him/her/them. Or they were set to buy anyway.
A salesman’s short and long-term success depends on customers buying something because they want it, not the salesman. Yes, a salesman can bully customers and/or use emotional blackmail to get them to buy. But doing so makes them an asshole. Besides, once you master the art of objection handling, asking for the sale with a summary to direct close is quick, easy and risk-free.
The Urgency Close
"This is a limited time offer. If you don’t buy right now, you’ll lose out." This close uses a sense of urgency to force customers into a quick decision. I call it the Rash Decision Close.
As customers are motivated by avoiding risk rather than achieving gain, the urgency close exploits their foundational psychology. Yes but – all but the dumbest customers either suspect or know they’re being mislead. They conclude – rightly – that the salesperson is a greedy, manipulative bastard.
As Benjamin Franklin said, “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” Is an urgency close really worth the reputational risk? I think not. Besides, once you master the art of objection handling, asking for the sale with a summary to direct close is quick, easy and risk-free.
The Fear Close
“It’s only a matter of time before your old car breaks down. In this heat? If you’re out somewhere lonely with the kids… I wouldn’t want that to happen to my family.” The fear close convinces the customer that something bad will happen if they don’t buy. I call it The Godfather Close.
Fear of group death to sell a car? True story! A nasty one, but the fear close is a nasty business. Making the customer an offer they can’t refuse.
Customers are no worse than dogs at knowing when they’re being threatened. And like it even less. Besides, once you master the art of objection handling, asking for the sale with a summary to direct close is quick, easy and risk-free.
The False Choice Close
“Do you want regular or peanut butter flavor?” The false choice close offers customers a choice between two or more options – all of which result in a sale. I call it the “Heads I Win Tails You Lose” Close.
You may have noticed that the false choice close above is also an assumptive close. All of these half-assed closes kinda meld into one another. The common theme: they’re all chicken shit. They appeal to salesmen who don’t have the balls (gumption to you ladies) to straight up ask for a sale.
As I may have mentioned, once you master the art of objection handling, asking for the sale with a summary to direct close is quick, easy and risk-free. Less stressful. More effective. Stand by for that.
[Click here for Qualification, here for More Qualification, here for Present and here for Handling Objections. Call 401 835 5054 to book face-to-face or online sales training.]