5 Closes in Every Sales Pro's Toolbox

I’m big on the first part of the sales process. To my mind, the biggest ‘make or break’ factor in your sale is going to come from whether you’ve built up the value of your product in accordance with what is important to your customer. That said, you can’t pay your rent with Facebook Friends. It’s all well and good to build a relationship with your customer, but every business in the history of the world is ultimately deemed successful or unsuccessful based on what they actually deliver – so you have to close the deal.

It’s important to build up your toolbox so you have a plethora of closes you can pull out at any given moment. Here are 5 to get you started:

1. The Alternate Close

Also known as the ‘either/or close’ or the ‘which’ close. This one is great for the modern customer because it gives them a level of control and everyone loves to feel in control.

Here, you’re asking the customer to choose from different options, all of which end in a sale. For example:

‘Which of the 3 packages would you like?’
‘Would you like to go ahead with the red or the blue?’
‘Can I put you down for the 3 month or 6 month membership?’

Warning: Try to keep to 2 or 3 alternatives as a maximum, as too many choices can make the process confusing.

2. The Summary Close

As the name implies, here you just sum up everything included (feel free to throw some features in there) and ask them to sign up. For example:

‘So we have the automatic, luxury model in emerald green, a full tank of fuel, registration for 12 months, the three year manufacturer’s warranty plus our complimentary 2 year extended warranty, floor mats and weathershields. Sign here.’

3. The Presumptive Close

With this one you assume the sale, and it can be used in the form of a question or a statement. For example:

‘Great. I’ll start drawing up the paperwork to get it all finalized.’
‘When would you like delivery?’
‘When would you like the membership to start?’
‘Whose name are we putting the order in?’
‘Fantastic, as long as we’re happy to go ahead please sign here.’

4. The If I Could / Would You Close

A classic close, this one seeks commitment out of a hypothetical. E.g.

‘If I could get you a further $100 discount, would you go ahead today?’
‘If I could add in a personal training session free of charge, would you be happy to proceed?’
‘If I could get you delivery by the end of the week, would you sign up today?’

5. The Direct Closing Question

Of course, I couldn’t write an article about closing without paying my dues to the very foundational direct close. Sometimes simple is best:

‘Are you happy to proceed?’
‘Can I have that arranged for you?’
‘Would you like to go ahead with the order?’

At the end of the day, commission is for closers – so the more approaches you have, the more opportunities you give yourself to lock in that deal.

Happy Closing!

Sonia

This blog post was originally posted on my training website, Statusone.com.au, on Nov 24, 2016. I have since been moving some of my favourite blog posts from there over to here, as this is now my ‘content hub’ and I want you to have access to some of the cool stuff I’ve written about before. You can still check out the Status One site if you’re interested in corporate training if you want. Also, don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter below for updates and weekly exclusive content.