The Lost-Sale Close

Every now and then, when a prospect asks you to leave your sales material with him so he can think about it, there is nothing you can do to get him to budge. He has a hidden objection, and he won’t tell you what it is. In this case, instead of arguing or insisting, you gracefully concede and prepare to leave. Say, “Mr. Prospect, thank you very much for your time. I know how busy you are. I’ll get back to you a little bit later, and perhaps we can talk about this some more.”

GET HIM TO RELAX

When you say this, the prospect will always agree. The pressure is off. He is happy that the sales discussion is over and that you are leaving. He is already beginning to think about what he is going to do when you are out of sight.

As he contemplates your departure and his getting back to work, his sales resistance drops, and he relaxes. Like a boxer when the bell rings at the end of the round, he drops his hands and his guard.

Close your briefcase, stand up, shake hands with the prospect, thank him again for his time, and turn to go. But as you reach the door and put your hand on the knob, turn around and say these words: “Mr. Prospect, just before I go, may I ask you one question?” When he agrees, say, “Mr. Prospect, I’ve tried to present my product information the very best way I know how, and I feel like I’ve somehow done something wrong. I’d really appreciate it if you’d just tell me this: What was the real reason you didn’t buy today?” The prospect, who is now relaxed and happy, contemplating what he will do when you leave, may then say, “Well, now that you ask, the real reason I didn’t buy was this.

NOW YOU KNOW

Whatever reason he gives you; this is the final objection, or key reason, that is holding him back from buying. Once you know it, you have an opportunity to answer that objection to his satisfaction and make the sale.

You say, “Mr. Prospect, thank you. That’s my fault. I obviously didn’t explain that to you properly. Let me show you what we can do to handle that for you.”

You take your hand off the doorknob, walk right back, sit down, and say, “This will take just one more second,” and you start closing on that final objection.

For example, if he says, “Well, the reason I didn’t buy today was because I’m not really convinced that your machine will produce the number of copies I require,” you say, “Mr. Prospect, you mean I didn’t explain that properly? Well, we have a warranty that covers exactly that issue. If we could give you a written guarantee of satisfaction,

would you be prepared to go ahead right now?” Once you have the final objection, answer it and ask for the order once more. Only now, there is no more sales resistance. The customer is completely relaxed and will often buy if you give him one more reason.