The Pro and Cons Close

Closing should start at the beginning of your sales process.
If you close twenty to thirty times during your sales process, the prospect will amost always create the final close without your help.

If you wait until the end of your sales process to close, you find that you are involved in too many contentious contests.

If you wait until the end of your sales process to close, you find that you are involved in too many contentious contests. - JW

What are some of the immediate signs of being in a contentious contest.

Thank you.

MitchM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MitchM

If you wait until the end of your sales process to close, you will find that you are involved in too many contentious contests. - JW

What are some of the immediate signs of being in a contentious contest.

MitchM

Whether your prospect is unconvinced, reluctant, disinclined or adamant, and not enthusiastically saying "Yes," the next step is usually unnecessarily contentious.

Thanks, Jacques.

by "unnecessarily contentious" I take it you mean - from everything I've read of yours - argumetative and warlike thus stress producing, resistance producing, low self-esteem producing, and hence time wasting if your intention is to make a sale.

Correct?

MitchM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MitchM

Thanks, Jacques.

by "unnecessarily contentious" I take it you mean - from everything I've read of yours - argumetative and warlike thus stress producing, resistance producing, low self-esteem producing, and hence time wasting if your intention is to make a sale.
Correct?

MitchM

That's right!

As has been mentioned previously on this thread, this technique for gaining closure has been called The Ben Frankin Close. Franklin revealed in his Autobiography that he sometimes made decisions in a similar way. The Ben Franklin close is good filler material for sales trainers who run out of things to preach, but I seriously doubt that it is anything to take to heart for a serious sales professional. I think that "closing" consists of a series of incremental affirmations, and that the final "yes" on the dotted line is derived as a result of that process. It's fun to talk about fancy techniques, as if "closing" was something powerful to do at the end, but in my experience, it doesn't happen that way. And---I've done all right so far.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Closer

As has been mentioned previously on this thread, this technique for gaining closure has been called The Ben Frankin Close. Franklin revealed in his Autobiography that he sometimes made decisions in a similar way. The Ben Franklin close is good filler material for sales trainers who run out of things to preach, but I seriously doubt that it is anything to take to heart for a serious sales professional. I think that "closing" consists of a series of incremental affirmations, and that the final "yes" on the dotted line is derived as a result of that process. It's fun to talk about fancy techniques, as if "closing" was something powerful to do at the end, but in my experience, it doesn't happen that way. And---I've done all right so far.

It may or may not be used as a "closing technique". But whenever it's used (near the end of a sales process or earlier) it certainly can be used to great effect to help lead a prospect through an analysis of his/her situation. It's not appropriate for everyone, or for every situation, but it can be a terrific tool with the right prospect in the right situation.

By the way, I've used it with my wife repeatedly over the course of our relationship, and since she's the one that makes the analysis, it helps her to move forward when facing a big decision. She's not naturally analytical, but this tool helps her be analytical when facing a decision.

I don't consider it a "fancy technique." It's really just common sense.

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