The close - the last tiny little bit of the call that seems to carry a whole lot of weight.

It’s also the point where the heart rate goes up and the pressure rises.

You’ve gone through the discovery, figured out what they need to see, matched your pitch to everything you’ve found earlier, and now it’s time to see if we can get the “Yes”.

Just for reference, I don’t believe in objection battles post the close.

It’s inefficient and can be easily handled upstream.

My Process

If you were to listen back to all of my calls, you’ll hear the following sequence.

As soon as I have completed the pitch, I transition.

Transition

“Ok, we’ve covered a lot. Let’s go through some questions.”

Notice how I didn’t ask IF they had questions?

They always have questions, and I don’t want them to hang onto them for a moment longer.

If they say ‘None’, I pressure test.

“No questions at all? Everyone always has at least one.”

Aaand there it is, the one that would have bitten us if we hadn’t pushed for it.

We go through the questions, make sure there aren’t any deal breakers, and then I go to a no based trial close.

No Based Trial Close

“Can you think of any reason this wouldn’t work for you?”

Again, I am inviting them to give me reasons and objections before I ask for a sale.

The thing is, 1/50 will say a reason they think it might not work, and this is the best time to find out.

Unpack it and see if it’s a real deal breaker.

If so, no worries. Onto the next.

If not, figure out a way for it not to be a problem.

The Close Line

There’s a book called “The Perfect Close” by James Muir.

It’s 284 pages.

It could have been one page, so I’ll save you a few hours and summarise it here.

The premise of the book rides on one line.

“Would it make sense to (next step)?”

If they say no:

“No worries, that being the case, would it make sense to (secondary option)?”.

OR

“No worries, what’s the main reason it wouldn’t make sense to (next step)?”

It’s such a versatile line.

Easy to use and not harsh like most of the close lines out there.

It’s giving the prospect a clear line to what happens next. (We get you started)

How I Use It

“With all of that in mind, would it make sense to get you started?”

When they say yes:

“Amazing, well, I’m glad to be the first one to say, welcome to (company name). It’s great to have you.”

Wait for them to smile and say thank you.

“Ok, so what happens now..”

Then I grab the payment, details, clearly map out the next steps and then get their buy in again before the call ends.

I’ve tried so many different close sequences along the way, this one just seems to hit best.

Removes all obstacles.

It’s not confusing or salesy.

It just works.

Things To Keep In Mind.

By the time you get to the close line, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they say yes.

You should have removed all of the potential objections and road blocks.

It’s just a formality.