Green Pea Diary: Closing Techniques
By Jack Bennett
What is closing? It is simply a question or a statement that demands a response. In the sales situation, your salespeople are or should be closing all the time. Now let's get down to some specific closing techniques, shall we?
The sympathy close. The sympathy close is really nothing more than making sure the salesperson hasn't missed anything. The sympathy close is not begging. A salesperson should never beg to sell a car. "Please Mr. Customer, buy the car. I'll win a TV set in the sales contest if you do!" A customer doesn't care if the salesperson wins a TV or not. And begging is demeaning. A salesperson can, however, beg a manager to sell one. Heaven knows we've all done that. The sympathy close is used when everything else is exhausted. The customer is heading to the door. The salesperson simply says, "Mr. Customer, before you leave I just want to make sure I didn't miss something. I would hate to think that I didn't sell you a car because of some simple oversight on my part. Let me ask you this. Is it our service department? Did you have a bad experience or something there that I could clear up?' Is it the dealership itself? Is it the car? Is it the price? (many times it will be, but salespeople should know this ahead of time.) And the last thing the salesperson always asks is, "Was it me? Is it something I did or didn't do? Because if it is, I'll get my manager to help you and we'll get you into a new car today."
This particular closing technique is really designed to make sure the salesperson covered all the bases-BEFORE they do a T.O. It will give the manager a lot more information if and when they go in on the turn over.
The feel, felt, found close. People like to know that other people have gone through the same thing as them, and have gotten through it without too much aggravation. The customer says, "Well, I don't know if I can handle a big truck like that Excursion. I better go home and think about this, but I'll be back." Now you can't argue with this customer, can you? Some salespeople might. And then there are some salespeople that will go a bit further and try to convince the customer that the truck is not that big, which it is! Or they will try and convince them that they will get used to it, which the customer will! But the operative word here is convince. I think it's difficult to convince customers of anything. What it becomes is the salesperson's opinion. And like noses, everybody has one and they are all different.
What I suggest would be try helping the customer understand that even though it IS a big truck, he is not alone. And it could go something like this. "I understand how you FEEL, Mr. Customer. The Excursion is one of the longest wheel based SUVs on the market. As a matter of fact that is the main reason it's got such a great ride and will probably work well for your real estate business. We have had a lot of customers that have FELT the same way. But what they have FOUND is, that once they drive it for a while, they'll see that it is really quite maneuverable. Let me do this. You and I have already driven the truck and you seem to like it. Let me ask the boss if you can take it out for a few hours (all afternoon-over night) and make sure. I'll be right back."
Now what we have done is put the customer a little more at ease because we agreed, and other people agree. The important thing I did in this example though is to move the sale forward. I made the assumption that I overcame his objection, gave him the opportunity to save face and then asked him for the order (take the vehicle home). It works.
The puppy dog close. One of the most basic of all closes, this technique is also one of most effective. Very simply, if a customer can't make a decision, we send them home in the vehicle. For the afternoon, the evening, even over night (if the boss approves). The problem with most salespeople is they get to this too early. I firmly believe that you better have done everything else first-EVERYTHING. Meeting and greeting, qualifying, top notch presentation, etc. To believe that a salesperson can just look at a customer after 15 minutes or a half an hour and say, "Ya wanna take it home?" It's inconceivable-but they do it all the time. This is a major commitment point with the customer. In some cases, I would even try to get some of the preliminary negotiations done first. Of course you wouldn't let them out with the bottom line or they may end up at ABC Motors down the street and all control is lost.
Good luck and great selling.
Jack Bennett is the author of "You Can and Should Sell Cars." .jbennett@dealeronline.com
