McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Chapter
13
Closing Begins the
Relationship

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 When Should I Pop the Question?
 Closing is the process of helping people make a
decision that will benefit them
 There are no magic phrases and techniques to use in
closing a sale
 Close when the prospect is in the conviction stage of
the mental buying process

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 Reading Buying Signals
 A buying signal is anything that a prospect says or
does to indicate that he is ready to buy
 Asking questions
 Asking another person’s opinion
 Relaxing and becoming friendly
 Pulling out a purchase order form
 Carefully examining merchandise

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 What Makes a Good Closer?
 A good closer:
 Asks for the order and then remains quiet
 Gets the order and moves on!

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 Exhibit 13.3: The Moving Selling
Process
 A positive response to the
trial close indicates a
move toward the close
 A negative response
means return to your
presentation or determine
the prospect’s objections

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 How Many Times Should You Close?

 You must be able to use multiple closes

 Three closes is a minimum
 You will learn how without being pushy

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 Closing Under Fire
 The first “no” from the prospect isn’t necessarily an
absolute refusal to buy

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 Difficulties With Closing
 Closing is the easiest part of the presentation
 Salespeople may fail to close because:
 They are not confident in their abilities to close
 Prospect does not need the quantity/type of
merchandise
 Improper development of customer profile and
customer benefit plan

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Prepare Several Closing Techniques
 Alternative-choice close
 Which do you prefer?
 Would you prefer X or Y?
 Assumptive close
 Assumes prospect will buy
 Compliment close
 Inflates the ego

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Prepare Several Closing Techniques
 Summary of Benefits close
 FAB’s
 Continuous Yes close
 Develop a series of ?’s that the prospect must answer
 Minor-Points close
 Make a low-risk decision
 T-Account close
 Pros vs. Cons

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 Prepare Several Closing Techniques,
cont…
 Standing Room Only close
 Motivate prospect to act immediately
 State that there is low inventory, not enough supply…
 Probability close
 Get a % confirmation of buying
 Negotiation Close
 Compromise

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 Example: The Alternative-Choice Close
 “Would you prefer the Xerox 6200 or 6400 copier?”
 Study this question – it assumes:
 The customer has a desire to buy one of the copiers
 The customer will buy
 It allows the customer a preference
 It provides a choice between products, not between a product
and nothing
 By presenting a choice, you receive a “yes” decision or
uncover objections

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 “Would you prefer the Xerox 6200 or
6400 copier?”
 “I’m not sure,” says the customer (still in the desire
stage)
 Continue with your FABs

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 “Would you prefer the Xerox 6200 or
6400 copier?”
 If you see the customer likes both 6200 and 6400 and
appears indecisive, you can ask:
 “Is there something you are unsure of?”
 This question probes to find out why your prospect is
not ready to choose

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 Prepare a Multiple-Close Sequence
 Different closing techniques work best for certain
situations
 Multiple closes incorporate techniques for overcoming
objections

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 Prepare a Multiple-Close Sequence,
cont…
 Keeping several closes ready puts you in a better
position to close.
 For Example:
 Begin with a summary close.
 If the buyer says no, rephrase the objection;
then use an alternative-choice close.
 If the buyer says no again and does not give a reason,
you could use the five-question sequence method for
overcoming objections.

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 Research Reinforces These Sales Success
Strategies
 Common salesperson mistakes resulting in unsuccessful
sales calls
 Tells instead of sells, doesn’t ask enough questions
 Over-controls the call, asks too many closed-end questions
 Doesn’t respond to customer needs with benefits
 Doesn’t recognize needs, gives benefits prematurely
 Doesn’t recognize or handle negative attitudes effectively
 Makes weak closing statements, or doesn’t recognize when or
how to close

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 Keys to Improved Selling
 Ask questions to gather information and uncover needs
 Recognize when a customer has a real need
 State how the benefits of the product or service can satisfy the
need
 Recognize and handle negative customer attitudes promptly
and directly
 Use a benefit summary and an action plan requiring
commitment when closing

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 The Business Proposition and the Close

 For some salespeople, the discussion of the business

proposition provides an excellent opportunity to close.
 Use a Visual Aid to Close
 Visual aids work well for both discussing the business
proposition and closing.

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 Closing Begins the Relationship

 When you make a sale for the first time, you change
the person or organization from a prospect to a
customer.

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 There are Eleven Closing Techniques in
This Chapter, Each:
 Is different
 Can be used with other closing techniques
 Helps you be a better communicator
 Helps you better serve others

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Which Closing Technique Should I Use?

 To answer that question you should first:

 Determine your approach
 Create your presentation, then
 Determine how best to close

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 Getting Ready to Close

 Ideally, the salesperson should wait for signs that the

person is in the conviction stage because a buyer in
this stage typically:
 Has a strong conviction that you can be trusted
 Feels the product will fulfill needs or solve problems
 Will reveal real concerns due to trust

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 If You Close and Receive an Objection,
What Should You Do?
 Find out what the objection is

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 After You Find Out What the Objection Is and
Answer It, What Should You Do Next?

 Ask a trial close to determine if you have overcome

the objection

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 If You Have Closed, Had an Objection Arise and Effectively
Handled the Objection, What Should You Do Next?

 Close again!
 This is why you need a multiple-closing
sequence

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 When You Do Not Make the Sale
 Know that you cannot always sell everyone
 Don’t take buyer’s denial personally
 Be courteous and cheerful
 Leave the door open

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