Chapter 15
The Two-Step Close
You never want to get to the end of a well-thought-out call and then blow it at the finish line. This is payday. That is why I also make sure I use a proven script when I close.
To start closing, you are going to use what is known as the trial close. This is a question that isn't as scary as “credit or debit” or “yes or no,” but it does force the lead to visualize that things are proceeding without you having to hard close them. Here is an example of the first step, the trial close, in action.
Step 1: The Trial Close
Remember, we started our close with, “Great! So, here's what happens next … Our company's going to do A, B, and C for you, which accomplishes your goals of X, Y, and Z. The price is X and the terms are Y. Again, we are going to do A, B, and C and the price is X.” Now you are going to trial close by asking something like “Did you want to use your work or personal email address for our records?” When I sold loans, I would say, “Is a weekday or the weekend better for the appraiser to come out?” A real estate agent might say, “Are you going to want to look at houses during the day or early evenings?” At Curaytor I say, “What day of the week would be best for your first coaching call?”
With each of these examples, my goal is to get the lead to visualize that they are moving forward without having to directly ask them for their business. By doing this, they will typically either (a) answer your question, confirming that they are prime to be closed immediately using the next step (the slot close) or (b) ask a buying question or give you an objection before they answer. These are both good outcomes. Even if it is an objection, you are much better off trying to ARC (a technique you will learn in the next chapter) now than you are when you are really closing. If you ask for someone's credit card or commitment to work together and they object, it's awkward no matter how smooth you are. You want to use a trial close to uncover any last objections before you go in for the jugular, using the slot close to finish them off.
Step 2: The Slot Close
The second that they answer your trial close question, you really close by giving them two more choices. This time, though, both answers they can give are actually going to be a “yes” and you are going to be closing them. You literally want to say as soon as they finish their sentence answering your trial close, “Okay, great. And did you want to use a credit or debit card for the payment?” or “Okay, great. Did you want to use a business or personal card for the payment?”
I'm not sure exactly why, but it is much easier for people to make a choice like credit or debit/business or personal in the heat of that moment than it is for them to answer, “So, are you in?” or “So, are we moving forward?”
I often hear salespeople who normally never stutter start to when they ask someone for their credit card number. That shakiness in your voice and tone can be instantly identified by the caller on the other end. Sadly, everything you have done up until this moment can be thrown away by simply lacking the confidence to sound like you have done this over and over before. Remember, the lion doesn't ask the lamb for food. So don't act like a lamb when you ask for payment. If you do, the lead becomes the lion and you become dinner.
Here is how a professional salesperson asks for a credit card number: “Please read me the 16 digits on your card from left to right, 4 at a time.”
Then after each block of four make sure you even add an “okay” so they know you are keeping up and writing it down. Act like an expert and you just might become one. Obsess that your words are coming out confidently and clearly when you close. For some, it helps to record their own calls and listen to them back to see if there is any trepidation in their voice. Personally, I use the TapeACall Pro mobile app, which lets me record both sides of a call from my cell phone with one click. Anytime you do this, I would highly recommend quickly mentioning that “Our call is being recorded for training purposes …” to cover yourself and leave zero ambiguity around what you are doing and why. By recording your sales calls (with permission) and playing them back while you take notes, you aren't doing anything illegal—you're improving.
Sometimes depending on what you sell when you are “closing” you are not actually asking for payment, rather asking to meet in person. If that is the case, you still want to use a slot close after a trial close. The only change to the script would be replacing the previous example with, “So would you like to meet at 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. tomorrow?” or “Can I stop by on Saturday or Sunday to wrap this up?”
No matter how you define a close, using the trial close and slot close techniques back-to-back can boost your confidence and skyrocket your sales. There are a lot of times during this call where you get to go off script and make it your own. When you are closing is not one of those times.
By the way, as soon as they say, “debit” or “personal,” don't be a rookie and lose your cool. It is funny how often the second a salesperson gets a credit card number they immediately “hit and run.” This person just gave you their credit card number or commitment to work with you. Don't hang up the second they do. Especially after having just spent a good amount of time on the phone with them up to this point. In Chapter 17 I will actually teach you what to say when they say yes and how it can increase your retention and show rate dramatically.
The ugly truth is, no matter how good you get at closing Internet leads over the phone you will still hear “no” a lot. When you do, the key is to be prepared for it and do what you will learn in the next chapter, a technique called ARCing.