3 Killer Secrets for Closing the Sale

FACT: Selling is the only profession wherein your potential earnings are beyond what 95% of the world's population could ever earn -- but only if you know how to close the sale.

Selling is a wonderful profession. But often, because it is difficult to become successful in sales, it is also considered one of the toughest professions in the world.

As a salesperson, you need to be thankful that making the sale is so difficult, because if it were easy, the field would be flooded with amateurs -- and the amount of money you could earn would be greatly reduced. Your job is to find ways to make the sales process easier so that you can become one of the highest paid people in your field -- if not the world.

The Major Challenge in Selling

Closing the sale is perhaps the most stressful and challenging part of the sales process. This is where the rubber meets the proverbial road.

The 3 killer secrets that I'm about to reveal are key excerpts from courses I've taught to salespeople all over the world. Many of the sales professionals who have learned these secrets have gone on to become the biggest money-makers in the sales industry. If you master these lessons, and practice them faithfully, I guarantee that you will be far ahead of the pack.

Killer Closing Secret #1: The Preference Close

The first technique is the Alternative Close -- also called the Preference Close. It is based on the fact that people like to have choices. They don't like to be given what may sound like an ultimatum to either buy it or not buy it.

To apply this technique, you simply structure your close by saying, "Which of these would you prefer, A or B?"

With the alternative close, whichever one your prospect 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 give him two choices with regard to 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 ATM 26 or the ATM 30?" And so on.

Killer Closing Secret #2: The Secondary Close

The second closing technique is the Secondary Close. This is extremely popular. It is a way of helping your customer make a big decision by having him make a small decision that assumes the big decision. Instead of asking the customer to go ahead with the product or service, you ask a question about a peripheral detail, the acceptance of which means that he has decided to buy the larger product.

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 the standard rims or would you like the customized racing rims on your car?"

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.

Killer Closing Secret #3: The Authorization Close

The third closing technique is the Authorization Close, which is often used to conclude multimillion-dollar transactions.

Here's how it works:

At the end of the sales conversation, you simply ask if the prospect has any questions or concerns that haven't been covered. If the prospect has no further questions or concerns, you take out the contract, open it up to the signature page, place a check mark where the prospect has to sign, and push it over to him saying, "Well then, if you will just authorize this, we'll get started on it right away."

The word "authorize" is better than the word "sign" because it is less threatening. A check mark is better than an X. Offering to "get started right away" is better than sitting there hoping for the best.

However you do it, be prepared to ask for the order in whichever way seems appropriate at the moment.

by Brian Tracy