To close or not to close, that is the question.

Trainer Sean McPheat of MTD Sales Training & MTD Management Training posed the question ‘What’s the best closing line you’ve ever heard?’ in the SalesBlogcast.com group. He says: ‘Personally, I never use the same line on each prospect because you need to be totally flexible and need to approach the situation differently because of all of the variables at play but have you come across any one liners or phrases that made you say: “Hey, that was pretty kool!”.’

Opinion is pretty evenly divided between the school of thought which says that, if you’ve prepared the ground properly, you shouldn’t have to close and those which have their preferred approach depending on the context. The former can be summed up by a contribution from George Polak, who describes himself as accomplished international B2B sales and marketing leader. ‘If you’ve worked through the sales process properly, I find the deals tend to close themselves when they’re ready to close with a simple: “Well, what do you think?”.’

No silver bullet

Indeed, common-sense says that we’re never going to find that killer close that works every time, the proverbial silver bullet, but here are some of the more interesting closing suggestions debated in the thread….

Different closes

An account director at Experian Marketing Services, Chuck McMurray advocates   ‘Haven’t you signed that thing yet’ because ‘then you’ll get the truth, why they haven’t’. He warns: ‘Be ready for the answers, because they will be the truth! It’s always about honesty.’

A very gung-ho-sounding business development manager (hunter not farmer – Ed?), John Feeney recommends: ‘If you want to be sold, I can do that. I thought I was with a decision-maker.’ This suggestion is immediately shot down by training manager Michael Finegold as a ‘nice way to insult someone’ but offers ‘Your place or mine?’ as the ‘best example ever of the “positive assumptive alternative choice” closing technique’.

Another consultant, Brian Jeffrey suggests the ‘negative direct question’ close as the best and easiest choice, recommending using it at the ‘point of the sales process when both you and the prospect know it’s time to make a decision’. According to Jeffrey, you simply say, in a quiet voice: ‘Is there any reason why we shouldn’t move forward with this?’ If the sale is going to plan, the prospect says: ‘No’, which means ‘Yes’, and the sale closes. He adds: ‘If the prospect isn’t ready to buy, they’ll tell you and you simply move back into your sales process and keep moving forward.’

Sales coach Brian Rogers stands by the ‘assumptive close’ (‘when would you like it installed?’) and adds this: ‘In my understanding of sales, the close of the sale is like a handshake, and no customer wants to shake a limp fish. By assuming the close (providing I have properly done the work leading to it) my clients know that I am confident about my product or service and that lends a measure of ease to their agreement to sign the order.’

Ask for the sale

Debbra Sweet, who describes herself as an ‘innovative and visionary leadership & marketing entrepreneur’, makes the valid point that irrespective of whether you need to close in the traditional sense, you are probably missing out if you don’t ask for the sale. She argues: ‘Although we have more educated buyers today than ever before, it is the truly trained sales professional that actually completes the sale with an ask. If you don’t, chances are, you won’t get it!’

This brings to mind the old childhood conundrum: ‘Those that ask, don’t get’ but remember the follow-up line ‘Those that don’t ask, don’t want’ – a no-win situation! The best closes are exactly the opposite – a win-win situation for customer and salesperson.

Don’t talk yourself out of the sale

A trainer whose other half is also in sales, has this to say. ‘My husband used to think he was quite the closer until one day a prospect told him: “Eric when you’ve sold the deal, shut up.”

She warns against salespeople who are ‘full of their own success, who just can’t shut up and offer a “closing line” that kills the deal. She described how one salesperson she encountered ‘was doing pretty well with a prospect until he got a little too full of himself’. The deal looked like it was going to close when he said to a chief financial officer (CFO): ‘Let’s get this contract signed so we can start fixing all your problems.’ Bad decision! Apparently, the CFO replied: ‘So you came here to tell me I have made a lot of bad decisions?’ It then took another year of strenuous effort to get back in the door. 

Silence is golden

The final word is probably best left to the content manager at CanDoGo (an excellent US-oriented video sales tip site – Ed). Paul Simon cites Tom Hopkins whose mantra is: ‘Ask the final closing question and then be quiet…. your silence after the final closing question demands they do one of two things – they either go ahead with you or they will give you the hidden reason they’re not going ahead.’ Simon says: ‘Silence is golden after the final closing question.’

My Question / Comment Is...