Killer Closes
Who would like to be even better at sales? Well here are 2 tips courtesy of Brian Tracy that will increase your effectiveness.
The first technique is known as the Preference or Alternative Close. This approach is based on the fact that people like to have choices. During the sales process you don’t want to present what may sound like an ultimatum to either buy it or not buy it. Instead you want to present choices or alternatives.
To apply this technique, you simply structure your close by saying, “Which of these would you prefer, A or B?”
With this technique, it doesn’t matter which one your prospective customer selects, you would make a sale either way. You should always try to give the customer two choices. Even if you are selling a single product, you can offer choices on payment or delivery, for instance.
For example, “Would you like this delivered to your office or to your home address?” “Will that be MasterCard or Visa?” “Would you like the ABC100 or the ABC101?” And so on.
The second closing technique is appropriately known as the secondary close. This is a very popular approach, it is a way of helping your customer make a big decision by having them make a small decision that assumes the big decision. By focusing on the smaller details, you are assuming the acceptance of the larger sale.
For example, you could ask, “Would you want this shipped in a wooden crate, or would cardboard be all right?” “Would you like us to include the drapes and rods in the offer?” “Did you want to include XYZ or would you like to have ABC instead?”
In each case, if your prospect agrees to or chooses the smaller item, he has indirectly said, “Yes” to the entire offering. People often find it easier to agree to small details than they do to making a larger commitment. That’s why this is sometimes called the Incremental Close, where you obtain commitment bit by bit to the entire offer.
Regardless of what you are selling – closing the sale is critical.
YOUR CHALLENGE: Notice how you structure your close in your sales process, is there an opportunity to use alternatives or secondary closing techniques to improve your effectiveness and help your customers buy.
If you would like to learn more about how this might apply to your business, let’s talk:
