Closing the Sale

Selling Skills

©2017, ej4 LLC

Closing the Sale
Selling Skills

Course description
Tom Petty sang that “The waiting is the hardest part,” but many of us feel that it’s the
closing. At closing, it can seem that you and your customer are pitted against each other,
coming from opposite corners. But what if you took off the gloves and put on a different
perspective, and role? The one of therapist, coach, or guide? What if you were just simply
guiding them through a path to met needs and benefit realization? And it was almost as if
you were giving them a “gift” in the close? This course shows you the way.

The psychology of the sale

• All sales begin with the customer’s need.
• The key is that our product or service delivers them a benefit.
• They don’t want our solution. They want what the solution does.
• We call that a benefit.
• Circle of the sale
• You need this
• I’ve got this
• Which will do this for you
• Which will satisfy what you need
• This relationship between the benefit and the need is the key.
• If you can get your customer nodding, it’s easier to get a yes at the end.
• You want to create nod momentum.

The process
• Start with a question.
• “Ms. Customer, based on our conversations, this is what I see as your current
situation. You want to get this situation improved…”
• Then add a question:
• “Is that correct?”
• If you’ve got their situation right, they’ll say “Yes,” and nod.
• After you get that nod, then you say:
• “I’ve got a solution which will…”
• Now explain what your solution will do.
• “My product will do this, which means you get this.”
• What they get is the benefit.
• There may be multiple steps to get from your product to the benefit.
• You have to walk them through it:
• “My product will do this which means this will happen, which causes this to happen,
which means, you get this.”
• No matter how many steps you have to walk through, you must get to the benefit.

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Closing the Sale
Selling Skills

The process (cont.)

• Remember to include your P.O.D. (Point of Difference).
• What is it about your product or service that’s different than somebody else’s?
• Attach that P.O.D. to your solution.
• Once you’ve got to the benefit, then ask them:
• “Will that satisfy the need? That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
• Again, we’re looking for a (second) nod to continue that nod momentum.
• When you get that second nod, close!
• You can shortcut it and begin right at the solution.
• That might look like this:
• “If you do this, this good thing will happen, which is what you want, right?” (nod)
“Then, let’s go ahead.”

The close
• Direct close
• It’s a straightforward, clear call for action, and it’s always in the form of a question.
• “This is your situation, isn’t it?” (nod) “Well, if we did this, you’d get this to
happen, which is what you want, isn’t it?” (nod)
• “So, can we go ahead?”
• Choice close
• This gives the customer options, with either option causing them to buy.
• A choice close is always in the form of a question, as well.
• “This is your situation, isn’t it?” (nod) “Well, if we did this, you’d get this to
happen, which is what you want, isn’t it?” (nod)
• “Do you want to begin that this week, or can you afford to wait until next
week?”
• Urgency close
• This creates urgency on the customer’s part.
• You need to be sincere and have a good reason for an urgency close, and you need
to end it in a question.
• “This is your situation, isn’t it?” (nod) “Well, if we did this, you’d get this to
happen, which is what you want, isn’t it?” (nod)
• “If we get the agreement today, I can have the idea implemented by the time
you need it. Can I go ahead?”

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 Application Questions
1
Describe a time that you were the customer and the salesperson closed
you by meeting your unmet need.

2
Which of the three types of close do you typically utilize? Why?