How salespeople work

Here is an example of a classic closing technique used by salesmen, it is called the ‘yes-set close’.

You ask the customer a number of questions where the answer is clearly yes, such as ‘do you want better access to your customers’ information?’

After a series of such questions, the customer is in the habit of saying yes. Now you ask the final question: ‘Shall we deliver next week?’ And the customer blurts out ‘yes.’

Another old classic is the ‘assumptive close’. This is where the salesperson pretends that somebody is ready to buy. They say things such as: ‘I’ll pick up the order tomorrow and we’ll deliver on Tuesday,’ or ‘how would you like to pay?’

‘Closing a deal in the traditional way has many pitfalls,’ says David Freedman, IT sector head at training specialist Huthwaite International.

‘These closes may be effective for low-risk, low-value sales, but are ineffective in high-value, high-risk sales. And they’re of dubious ethics.’

The Huthwaite method is not to be so obvious about the close. Sales staff need to gain incremental commitment from potential customers.

‘You don’t just walk into someone’s office having never met them, and expect to walk out with an order,’ says Freedman. ‘You should try to get to the point where each call or visit advances the process, and to do that you have to ask for some commitment.’

In the first meeting the client might say: ‘Please send me a proposal.’ Someone trained in the Huthwaite method will respond: ‘I will send you a proposal, but I’d like you to convene another meeting where I can go through the key points with your CIO.’ If the buyer commits to this, it is an advancement.

Another key concept of the Huthwaite method is to develop needs. The only way to make a high-value sale is if the salesperson has made a persuasive case to buy their product. ‘If you know how to develop needs properly, you don’t need any tricks to close,’ says Freedman. ‘Closing is just a natural consequence of everything else you’ve discussed in the process of the sales calls.’

A frequent mistake made by novice salespeople is to list product features, as often it is all they know. If they encounter resistance or objection, they shout louder. If that does not work they just start offering discounts. ‘Selling is about building value not selling features,’ says Freedman.

Click here to see a full list of old-school closing techniques

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