I'm going to walk you through three different closing techniques that I train my sales reps on. The Perfect Close, this isn't really a closing technique, but it is a scenario to aim for. The Inoffensive Close, also called the soft close, where you're not asking someone to buy today, but instead getting their commitment to buy in the near future. And the 10-Point Technique. This technique is designed to help the prospect fully weigh the benefits and drawbacks of working with you. So let's dive in. I mentioned earlier that the perfect close isn't a technique but rather a goal to strive for. It's a way for you to determine how well you ran your sales process, which generally includes at least a discovery call, a couple of follow-up calls to address goals and concerns, and a final presentation. If at the end of the process, you don't need to ask, are you ready to purchase? And instead, the prospect asks, okay, how do we get started? That's a sign you ran a great sales process. You get to this point by focusing on each of the stages that precede the closing call. You develop your line of questioning and learn how to get prospects comfortable opening up to you. You get better at pulling in decision-makers and getting their buy-in by addressing all their concerns. Build a strong sales process and be consistent at every stage. Quota will be within your reach month after month. The inoffensive close helps you display your knowledge of the prospect, confirm it with the prospect, and prescribe the next step. It takes place after the discovery stage and right before the final presentation. But first, recap what you know by saying something like this. Based on everything we've discussed, I see three major areas we can help with through a partnership. First, improve your internal marketing. Second, consolidate tools to improve efficiency. And third, expand services to grow your retainer revenue. Those seem to be the three most pressing things we can work on together to get you to the goals we discussed. Have I missed anything? If your prospect says, no, ask the following four questions in this order. At this point, do you feel like I have a good understanding of your business and what you're trying to achieve? Second, do you believe the plan we've laid out will get you to those goals? This next question can't be asked directly but brought up as if it were an afterthought. Sounds something like this. I'm glad you agree this can help you solve your goals. One thing I forgot to ask about was whether or not there's an alternative plan to get to your goals. If they do have an alternative, that automatically reduces your power to negotiate. In an ideal world, they don't have an alternative plan. If they do have an alternative, that's an objection you'll have to address. If they don't have one, continue the questioning. The last question is, assuming the demo or presentation meets your expectations, do you want my help by partnering together? This last question secures the close without coming off as pushy or aggressive. If they say, no, follow up with, tell me more. What else is on your mind that we haven't addressed yet? It's an opportunity to walk through hesitations and address them. This helps because first, you address challenges and get commitment. Or second, you find out that there are unsolvable challenges, so you both decide to save time and end the conversation there. You both win either way. Now lastly, the 10-point technique helps the prospect fully weigh the benefits and the drawbacks of working with you. And allows you to address any remaining concerns. It also takes place after the discovery stage and right before the final presentation. As you approach the conclusion to your discovery process, ask the prospect, so over the past days, weeks, or months, we've covered a lot. Here are the things I think we could help with. Improving your internal marketing, consolidating tools to improve efficiency, and expanding services to grow your retainer revenue. And I'm curious, on a scale of one to ten, with ten being let's get started today, where would you say we are at this point? If your prospect aims at six or lower, something went wrong earlier in the sales process and you need to address any concerns they might have. On the other hand, if they say a number higher than six, follow up with, I'm surprised you chose a number that high. Why did you choose it? By asking the prospect to explain their number, you get them to elaborate on the benefits of working with you. And after the prospect finishes listing the benefits, get them to outline their concerns. So you can address them by then saying, so you shared these three reasons, and those sound like strong reasons to work together. But now I'm even more confused. I'm wondering why your number isn't a 10? And now the prospect will share their objections and concerns. This is when you should take the time to address them thoughtfully and carefully. After all objections and concerns have been addressed, ask, now that we've talked through your concerns, has your number changed at all? Or if we were to address those concerns and they weren't issues, would you be at a 10? If the number is still not a 10, you might say something like, okay, I understand you still have some hesitations. Earlier you shared, insert the benefits of working with you. Then you also shared, insert their objections. In comparing the benefits and risks side by side, do you think the benefits of working together ultimately outweigh the risks? If they say, yes, proceed to final contract terms. If they say, no, the deal is most likely lost. Either way, you brought the process to a close. This technique is effective because humans are resistant to what they hear, but believe what they say. Instead of telling them why they should work with you, you get them to tell you why they should work with you. Your role is to affirm those statements. You get them to open up about hesitations, and you simply address their concerns. [MUSIC]
