The close sounds so simple. It is important to know what the close is and what it is not. The close is not a high-pressure exchange between seller and buyer. It is not a time when the salesperson resorts to trickery, manipulation, or other unsavory tactics just to get a sale. Providing cost-effective solutions is the driving factor behind making the sale. In this unit, we will learn about the importance of closing, what a trial close is, the types of closes, and lastly, why our job is not finished once we close the sale.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 2 hours.
A trial close is a low-risk opportunity to ask for an opinion or check on how well you handled an objection; it is not asking for a decision from the customer.
Before we do a trial close, we must understand what a close is. We will learn the importance of closing and earning the right to close when you have successfully completed all of the other steps of the selling process.
There are many closing techniques, but this chapter focuses on the author's top five techniques and gives examples. These techniques are the summary close, direct close, alternative choice close, T-account close, and success story close.
The trial close plants the seed that a real close will be happening. Throughout the presentation, the salesperson can feel whether they have earned the right to ask for the order. At the end of this section, take the time to complete the review questions.
There is not a single surefire way to close every sale. You should be prepared with several types of closes and use them appropriately for each situation. Some situations may require a combination of closes.
In this section, you will learn about the different types of closes, from simply asking for the order to complex sales with a longer selling cycle, those with many people involved in the decision-making, and those requiring a modified selling process. Complete the exercises at the end of the section.
This review video is an excellent way to review what you've learned so far and is presented by one of the professors who created the course.
Watch this as you work through the unit and prepare to take the final exam.
You can also download the presentation slides so you can make notes.
We also recommend that you review this Study Guide before taking the Unit 7 Assessment.
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.