Okay then, how do I confirm the sale? The Sequential Model offers a refreshingly simple approach to confirming. In fact, the apparent simplicity of it usually invites suspicion. "That's it, it's that simple?" Let me give you the five most powerful words you'll ever say when working through your Sequential Model. Look your customer square in the eyes, and with all the confidence you can muster say these five magic words .....
"May I have your business?"
—and don't say another thing until the customer has responded.
That's it! Five words. So simple that I dedicated an entire page to them. These words reflect clarity, sincerity, innocence, and professionalism. Go ahead, put the book down and say them aloud. Say them again. These five words are applicable to all four behavioral styles. Any one of the four styles will appreciate the intent and clarity of your question.
As you can clearly see, your Sequential Model need not rely on clever closing gimmicks to trick people into buying something they don't want. The beauty of this approach is that you know what you are saying, and the customer knows what you are asking. Forget about memorizing 50 different power closes—keep it simple.
What often sabotages this clean, refreshing approach is the confusion generated by the numerous books available on closing skills. Many of them, by title alone, suggest the need to build an inventory of closing techniques. Some books even suggest "The more closes you know, the better you're prepared to face the moment of truth." Nonsense. Consider this passage taken from Dartnell's publication, Close It Right, Right Now!:
Contrary to the popular belief that closing is an "end-game," or a final manipulation that sparks agreement, closing is a constant and continuing activity. I warm to the salesperson who shows interest in me. That helps me decide in his or her favor. I am attracted by a sales presentation that gives me clear information. That helps me favor that product. I appreciate learning about how the product fits my needs and benefits me. That helps me exclude other products I may have considered.
In the absence of all those good things, I am not likely to buy, no matter how clever the salesperson is in trying to button up the sale. In fact, I am driven from closing when I perceive too much cleverness in the procedure.
I have seen numerous books outlining countless closing techniques, all advocating the need to have a ready supply of closes to apply when needed, and all suggesting that an inventory of closes is directly related to your success. One such publication goes so far as to offer: "Twenty-Nine Special Closings That Rock Holdouts and Crack Hardcases." Another publication, The Sales Closing Book, offers "more than 270 powerful sales closes that can skyrocket your sales and income." The ultimate prize for trickery goes to a publication that offers this gem: "35 Tactics for Psychological Manipulation: The Master Closer's Mind Game List." Some typical closes include:
The Whispering Close
The Blitz
The Airplane Close
The Half-Nelson
Lost Sale Close
Extra Incentive Close
Ego/Profit Close
P.O.W. Story
Conditional Close
Puppy Dog Demo
The Silent Close
Callback Close
The Columbo Close
Return Serve Close
The Negative Close
Door Knob Close
The Grind
Emotional Close
Mutt and Jeff
Last Resort Close
Assumption Close
Imagine the mental gymnastics required to sort through all those memorized "closes" to decide which one to use. Unbelievable! I think the only thing that will skyrocket will be your level of stress and anxiety.
Once again, the entrepreneurial sales call should be a dialogue, a conversation between two human beings. Forget about memorized closings, putting cute names on closing techniques, or rehearsed scripts. These memorized closes are often manipulative, guerrilla approaches that compensate for not being good.
Customers like to be asked and they respect the salesperson who asks for their business in an honest, confident, nonmanipulative manner. However, research suggests that in approximately 70% of sales calls, there is never a direct request for the business. It may seem like an unbelievable statistic given that confirming is the final effort of a gold-medal performance (second place is the first loser), but it's true. Many salespeople attempt to confirm the sale but end up skirting the issue with a weak, unconvincing request to do business. A common attempt at confirming sounds like this:
S: Is there anything else I can show you or answer for you today?
C: No, thank you. You've answered all my questions and I have all the information I need.
S: Okay then. Well, let me leave you with our most recent brochure and a copy of my presentation. Mr. Smith, let me ask you, are you available next week?
C: Yes, I expect to be around.
S: Great. Why don't I give you a call early next week and we can discuss my proposal further and see how you feel about it. Is that okay?
C: Sure, that's fine.
S: Great. Thanks for your time.
A classic unsuccessful close. The salesperson has avoided asking a direct question to buy and is leaving with nothing more than hope and a sense of accomplishment. Of course, in the meantime, the salesperson is totally vulnerable to the prey of the competition. As coincidence would have it, the competition shows up the very next day offering the customer the same solution, but the difference is that she exercised the power of asking. She wins the gold, the salesperson wins nothing more than experience. I implore you to safeguard yourself against the competition and reevaluate your confirming tactics. No customer, at least that I'm aware of, will ever reward you for just showing up and making a good sales pitch. Ask yourself: Is my confirmation a direct invitation to purchase? Is it clean, honest, direct, and nonmanipulative? Test it out on fellow sales entrepreneurs, your sales manager, or your mentor.
Confirm the sale with a direct, simple question.
Ask: Did I ask for their business?
Now, before you unceremoniously discount my confirming theory, appreciate that I'm only suggesting this approach (the five words) in the interest of simplicity, honesty, and the power of asking. I recognize that there are other tactics to confirming. In fact, I endorse more than one approach. For example, simply ask your customer, "Since we both appear to be in agreement, what's our next step?" or alternatively ask, "Where do we go from here?" You can preface this confirmation question with a summary statement outlining the accepted benefits.
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