Close the sale like your CEO would. This technique is friendly, fun and best of all functional – as in it works – unlike most of the tricks you’ll hear about.
There’s a popular myth about Closing The Sale.
In sales folklore, the ability to close deals is the superstar’s secret sauce. Somehow the superhero isn’t intimidated by the customer, or the competition, or the price. He knows he can drop the right world, put on the right smile, and magic the buyer’s signature onto the order.
Such mystique makes ordinary mortals shiver at the thought of the Close – otherwise known as the dreaded Asking for the Order. Saying the wrong thing, at the wrong time, to the wrong person might lose a deal which is almost won. Maybe it’s better, more polite, less risky, to wait for the customer to decide? Maybe she’ll close herself?
As always the superhero isn’t what he seems and the mere mortal has no need to worry. There is no magic secret, and customers aren’t frightened by you asking for the order. (They might well be irritated by stupid closing techniques, but that’s a separate conversation.
Instead of thinking like a sales droid, mere mortals should think like a CEO. CEOs rarely get sent on those dreadful sales training courses. They don’t often listen to water cooler stories of heroics. They wouldn’t know how to manipulate a buyer with smart questions. But they do know about business, and specifically about making decisions on behalf of the business.
The CEO Close is a simple technique for staying in control while seeming to give it to the prospect. It’s a virtuous circle of three sequential phases – The Open Question, The Trial Balloon, and the Conditional Close.
It can be, in fact should be used on every sales call until the deal is won.
Here’s an example of the sales side of the conversation for your Sales Playbook.
You can add typical customer responses from your market and replace the ?????????s with whatever fits your business.
The Open Question
“What do I have to do to win your business?
The Trial Balloon
“How would it be if I could ?????????????. Would that do it for you?
The Conditional Close
“If I can offer ????????????, will you give me the order?
You’ll notice this is a simple, polite, conversation which gives both sides a chance to explore the rest of the sale, without committing to anything.
