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Quiz: Which Closing Technique Is Best?

Scenario: It's late in the day and you haven't made your personal quota. You're speaking with a prospect about a medium-sized deal but you can tell that the prospect would like to leave for the day. However, you really could use a sale right now and you're pretty sure that the customer wants to buy.

Of the moves below, which is the best?

  • Technique #1: The Assumptive Close. Ask the customer to make a meaningless decision that assumes a decision has been made. Example: "Do you want that in hunter green or hunter orange?"
  • Technique #2: The Flyfish Close. Promise something valuable then take it away if a decision isn't made now. Example: "We have a special offer - a 15 percent discount - but only if you decide to buy now."
  • Technique #3: The Puppy-Dog Close. Let the customer try the product for free in the hopes the customer will fall in love with it. Example: "We'll give you the product free for your evaluation and only charge you if you don't return it."
  • Technique #4: The Reverse Close. Ask a customer who's saying "no" a question intended to elicit a "no" that actually means "yes." Example: "Is there any reason that you wouldn't do business with our company?"
  • Technique #5: The Gambit Close. Simply ask for the business... even though the customer might say "NO" or raise yet another objection. Example: "So, are we ready to move to the next step?"

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The only correct answer is what I've called "The Gambit Close." Actually, it's just a plain old close that I dressed up with a fancy name.

A plain old close is your best move because simply asking for the business shows respect for the customer's intelligence. If you've laid the right groundwork, you'll probably get a positive response.

The other four choices are classic "trick closes." They're bad choices because:

  • They're so tired and weary that only somebody who's been living under a rock for the past century would fall for them.
  • On the rare occasions that they DO work, the fact that manipulated the customer will come back to haunt you.
Here's the truth about closing:

If you need a "trick" to close the deal, the deal isn't ready to be closed.
Sales training superstar Linda Richardson (author of the bestselling book Perfect Selling) recommends that, during the sales conversation, you constantly ask for feedback to confirm that what you have to offer matches what the customer needs.

During that conversation, you ask open-ended, non-leading questions that draw the customer into the conversation, like:

  • "How does that sound to you?"
  • "What do you think about that?"
  • "What timeframe would you need for delivery?"
As the conversation evolves, this constant checking gives you a sense of whether the customer is truly interested.

When you reading all green lights, you summarize the benefits of what you're offering and ask for the next step. The "close" thus evolves from the conversation. No trickery required.

READERS: Is anyone still using those dusty old trick closes? I know they sometimes pop up in retail consumer selling, but I'd think that it would be pretty ridiculous to try them in a B2B environment.

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