Closing is a step, sometimes final but not always, to the logical process of persuasion or selling and is often triggered by a question. There are several categories of such questions and following is a list of standards.
Alternate of Choice: A question that gives the prospect a choice of two answers, both of which leads to a commitment on the prospect’s part.
Hypothetical: Is a question that asks, in an imagined scenario, if I do this for you or if certain conditions exist will you give me the commitment I’m seeking. “If I have it in a size six will you be purchasing that today?”
Tie Down: A question that’s added to beginning, middle or end of a statement to confirm that the prospect agrees, correct?
Involvement: A question which the prospect must ask after he owns your product or service. “Other than you, Steve, who else will use this computer?”
Puppy Dog: A question which proposes that the prospect “try” the commitment temporarily just as one might take a puppy home on a trial basis.
Yes Question: Question that you expect to elicit a “yes” response from prospect, usually asked before a Closing Question. A “no” response would indicate an area of concern which you need to cover. Example, “Have I answered all your questions?”
The Ben Franklin Close:
“As you know, sir, we Americans have long considered Benjamin Franklin one of our wisest men. “
“Whenever old Ben found himself in a situation such as you’re in today, he felt pretty much as you do about it. If it was the right thing, he wanted to be sure and do it. If it was the wrong thing, he wanted to be sure and avoid it. Isn’t that about the way you feel too?”
“Here’s what old Ben used to do. He’d take a sheet of plain paper and draw a line down the middle. On this side he wrote “Yes”, and under that he’d list all the reasons for the decision. On the other side he would write “No” and listed all the reasons against the decision. When he was through, he simply counted items listed in the columns and his decision was made for him. Why don’t we try it and see what happens?”
“Let’s see how many reasons we can think of that favor your decision today.”
Take a piece of paper and start listing all the benefits you’ve discovered that appeal to the prospect, that is, all the selling points that you and the prospect have agreed on. When the two of you have written down all the yeses, here’s what you say: “Now let’s see how many reasons you can think of against it.”
Let the prospect handle this part of it on his own. It is not your purpose to help the prospect list negatives.
When that’s completed, move forward with: “Now let’s count them.” (Do it aloud.) “One, two, three…twenty-four. That’s twenty-four on the yes side. And on the no side we have, one, two, three, four, five. Twenty-four yes’s and five no’s. Well, the wise decision is pretty obvious, isn’t it sir?