SEVENTEEN

Ask the Customer to Take Action

When you have reached the final stage of the sales conversation, and you are clear that the customer wants your product, needs your product, can use your product, and can afford your product, it is time to ask the prospect to take action.

When the prospect has indicated that he or she trusts you and believes in you, and expresses a desire to own or use your product or service, you can complete the transaction by using one of the following closing techniques.

Ask Confirming Questions

Before you close the sale, there are two confirming questions you can ask to be sure that the customer is ready for you to ask the closing question. The first is, “Do you have any questions or concerns that I haven’t covered?” If the prospect says “no,” the prospect is ready to buy.

A second question you can ask is, “Does this make sense to you so far?” If the prospect says “yes,” the prospect is ready to make a buying decision.

Five Closing Questions

There are five key closing techniques that account for most of the high-level sales made by high-earning sales professionals. Here they are:

1. The Preference Close. Give the customer a choice between something and something else. Simply ask, “Which of these—A or B—do you prefer?”

It is much easier for a prospect to choose between a set of options than to give you a simple yes or no answer. Even if you are offering a single product, you can give the prospect a choice of payment terms, methods of delivery, or specific features that your product offers.

For example, you can ask, “Would you like to pay in cash, or would you like to finance it over twelve months?”

2. The Invitational Close. This is considered by many to be the most powerful closing technique of all. At the end of the sales conversation, when it is clear that the prospect likes what you have shown him or her, you simply ask, “Why don’t you give it a try?”

Even if you are selling expensive or large items, you can close the sale by saying, “If you like it, why don’t you give it a try?”

“Would you like to take it with you?”

“Would you like us to get started on this right away?”

“Is this what you had in mind?”

Always issue an invitation at the end of your sales presentation. Ask the person to make a buying decision.

3. The Directive Close. In this close, which is often called “the assumption close,” you simply assume that the person has decided to buy and say, “If you have no further questions, then the next step is . . .”

For example, start off by saying, “Mr. Prospect, do you like what I have shown you so far?”

The prospect says, “Yes, it looks pretty good.”

You say, “Well, then, the next step is . . .”

You then go on to describe the plan of action—what the customer does next to acquire your product and begin using and enjoying it: “Well, then, the next step is that we fill out this paperwork, I get a deposit from you in this particular amount, and we will begin producing this order and get it out to you by Wednesday of the week after next. How does that sound?”

4. The Authorization Close. You have reached the end of the sales conversation. The customer apparently likes the product or service that you have presented. You simply say, “Well, if you will just authorize this order, we’ll get started right away.”

You then take your order form, put a tick mark at the signature line, and pass the order form over to the customer to sign.

You say, “And I’ll take care of all the details.”

You tell the customer, “I will fill in all this information based on our discussion. I’ll get the additional payment from your assistant, and we’ll get this out to you next week.”

5. The Secondary Close. This is very simple and quite powerful. It is often called “the minor point close,” because you close on a minor point rather than a major point.

For example, you may be selling an expensive home. You ask a secondary question, the acceptance of which means that the customer has decided to buy. For example, you could ask, “Would you like to take occupancy on the first or the fifteenth of the month?”

Whichever option they choose, they’ve decided to buy the house. The occupancy date is a secondary issue. The choice or decision to buy the house is the major issue.

By the way, this is not an attempt to manipulate or mislead a prospect. It is a way of lowering the stress of making a large buying decision by giving the prospect something smaller to focus on.

If you were selling an expensive automobile, you could say, “Would you like the Michelin racing tires, or would you be happy with the factory tires?”

When the prospect says, “Well, I would like the Michelin racing tires,” he has decided to buy the car.

The Most Powerful Word in Selling

The most important word in closing the sale is the word ask.

Ask the customer to make a buying decision. Ask the customer if you can proceed to the next stage of the sale. At the very least, ask: “What would you like to do now?”

The most important quality in developing the skill set of closing sales is courage. You develop courage through practice.

At the very least, at the end of your sales conversation, if it is not possible or appropriate for you to close the sale and get the order, agree to the next stage. “What should we do now?” Set a date for the next meeting where you can present more information and speak with additional people to keep the sales conversation moving forward.

ACTION EXERCISES

1. What must you be sure to do before asking the customer to make a buying decision?

2. Design, practice, and perfect one closing question that you can use most of the time in your sales activities.