Closer's Survival Guide

The Closer's Survival Guide: Over 100 Ways to Ink the Deal (full PDF eBook - page 92 starts the list of 100+ closes)

by Grant Cardone

Your 4 steps are to prepare, probe, propose, and close. The close is that specific moment when you acquire an agreement, all parties take action and things of value are exchanged. If there is no exchange and no action, then there is no close. There must be an agreement to transfer resources, and actions taken between both parties for any real value to occur. Close the prospect on taking ownership of the product or service, so they can actually use what you’ve presented, and you have created value.

No close = no exchange = no real value

The closing skill represents only about 20% of your selling time and 100% of the money! Practice these closes to increase your earnings!

THE CLOSES

Delivery Close - When would you want to take delivery of your new [product]? Right away or on [date X]?

Tip - Assumes ownership and offers options to say yes. This is one of the most powerful and overlooked closes. Never ask, “What do you think?” or open-ended questions. Always assign ownership by using the word “your.”

Check Close - Would there be any other changes or additions you would want made to your new [product or service agreement] before we come to an agreement on the figures?

Tip – Assumes ownership, avoids rejection, creates the opportunity to close based on any changes or additions that your buyer may be interested in.

Scale 1 to 10 Close - On a scale from one to ten, how do you rate your new [product or service]? [wait for answer] What would make it a 10? [wait for answer] Great, let me get that handled. Sign here and here to invest in your new 10 out of 10 [product or service].

Tip – Gives you a sense of what would make the deal perfect for the buyer. Customers may buy products that are 7, 8, 9, or 10 out of 10.

Payment Close - If the payments aren’t agreeable, we wouldn’t expect you to buy the product. I am confident that we can provide you with alternatives that will make your monthly investments agreeable and affordable.

Tip – don’t sell the price when it is going on a credit card – sell the monthly payment

Payments to Figures Close - [What are my payments going to be?] Until you and I come to an agreement on the price, the product, and the terms, you won’t need to concern yourself with payments as there won’t be any. I need you to sign here, here, and here.

Tip – Opposite of the previous Payment Close, avoids closing on payments with a focus on figures

Rate Close - [What are the rates?] We use every lender in the state, including every credit union. Who do you currently use? [Answer] We have access to them as well! There are only a couple of people in town cheaper than your lender. Sign right here and I will look at our options. Worse case, we use your present lender.

Tip – Don’t quote rates because they change. You have to be positive about your ability to get lending in every deal.

Equipment Close - Assuming we can get all the items you told me you wanted and have the product delivered as you requested, I need your OK here, here, and here where I noted the changes

Tip – Switch focus from changes and back onto the close. Ask for agreement on the figures, assuming you can get the other changes handled.

Title and Registration Close - Whose name will we be registering your new sunglasses warranty in? Your name, your partner’s name, or both?

Tip – This is the most powerful Assumption Close of all. Use this on almost every deal. Make eye contact.

Paperwork Close - Whose name will we be doing the paperwork in, your name, the company’s name, or both?

Tip – There is paperwork with every deal regardless of what you sell. You can ask this earlier to confirm who the decision-maker is even if they are not ready to close at an early stage.

Spouse Stall Close 1 - (Need to talk to my spouse) What if your spouse says no? (She won’t) Then I need your OK here and here. ...(Or we won’t buy) Would she say no to the product or the money? (Product) What do you suggest? (Money) What about the money…the down payment, the monthly payment, or the price?

Tip – Check for it to be a valid objection from the spouse is really a concern of the buyer

Spouse Stall Close 2 - (Need to talk to my spouse) I agree and you should, but if your wife is anything like mine will be, she never tells me no when I love something, and I never tell her no. I need your approval here, here, and here.

Tip – This is used with confidence, speed, and strength. You validate and acknowledge, look up, smile, and tell your story! The

Spouse Stall Close 3 - (Need to talk to my spouse) [Smile before the first word] Better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission, so let’s get you going right away. Sign here.

Tip – Try it and you will start to rely on it. This is for Masters. Don’t be weak. Smile before the first word.

Spouse Stall Close 4 - (Need to talk to my spouse) I understand and if you and your spouse talk like me and mine do, then she knows you are here and knows what you are doing. Let’s do this and get it done if you don’t have any other reservations. I need your signature here and here.

Tip – Acknowledges the fact that people that talk about everything together would have already talked about what this person is doing now. Close this deal. Quit being sold on this objection.

Unavailable Party Close - So you agree to ownership at figures and conditions spelled out. Delivery is subject to so-and-so’s approval. Is that fair?

Tip – Should be used as a last resort for an unavailable party. No shortcuts here.

Unavailable Party Close 2 - Does your spouse approve of your present situation and the cost of it? If nothing changes except for the fact that your situation is improved, certainly she would support you in improving your situation.

Tip – Alternative to the previous close that tests the validity of the objection. Too many deals are lost trying to get the spouse in and time is wasted on an invalid objection.

Second Party Assist Close - At these figures, considering what you know about the product, and knowing your partner (second party) as you do, what advice would you give them about the purchase of the product and the fairness of the figures?

Tip - Never neglect other people who may appear to be involved in the actual buying, but if not involved in the conversation will certainly waste your deal behind your back. Get them involved. The buyer values their opinion more than yours, so use it. Use the second party to assist you in closing the product, or at least find out his considerations, as they will be shared with the buyer and influence his decisions.

Second Baseman Close 1 - Will you be helping with the price, the down payment, the paperwork, or all of the above?

Tip - Similar to the Second Party Assist Close and asks the second baseman to get involved financially

Second Baseman Close 2 - Did you want me to work it out so that it is affordable using the monies that they have alone, or did plan on getting financially involved as well?

Tip - Do this with courtesy and respect and only after involving the second party in the sale and showing that you welcome their involvement.

Immediate Delivery Close - If there aren't any objections or reasons for not moving forward with your new [product or service] immediately, I will you need your OK here and here.

Tip - Look them in the eye, pass the pen, then point to the place where you want them to sign and close.

Agreement Close 1 - I agree it's a lot of money! I need your OK here and here.

Tip - Agreeing first is one of the rules of selling and must be used in the close. This is power selling at its best. What you are doing here is acknowledging the objection, but giving it no value and closing over it as though it is a comment rather than an objection. This is one of my favorites—simple and powerful.

Agreement Close 2 - I agree it's a lot of money, and I expect you knew that before you got here. I need your OK here and here.

Tip - People know the amount or a portion of it before they make the call. No one says, “I love the price.” They all complain right before the close. So agree and close!

Agreement Close 3 - I agree, and everyone that has ever bought this product says exactly the same thing. I need your approval here and here.

Tip - Use agreement and then tell them that everyone else reached the same conclusion, had a similar reaction, and close! This is a discounting of the response as an objection and assumes it is a mere complaint. You will find most objections are not objections at all but just complaints and should be handled as such.

Won't Be the Last Time Close - I agree, and this isn't the first time and won't be the last time you spend more money than you expected to. I need your OK here and here.

Tip - Another example of closing over an objection by treating it as a complaint. Every buyer will relate to this. Smile, present, and close.

Be Grateful Close - I agree with you, be grateful that you can invest this much money. Not everyone can do this. There are people starving on this planet and you are investing in your company. I need your agreement here and here.

Tip - This is a very strong close and it requires self-esteem and confidence. The truth cuts through the resistance in people and too few salespeople use cold, hard facts. Be strong, and mighty forces will come to your aid. This is a Master’s Close! Use it!

Congratulations Close - I know it's a big investment, and you should congratulate yourself for being able to make an investment of this magnitude. Not everyone can even consider investing in this [product or service]. I need your OK here and here.

Tip - This close uses the weight of the objection/complaint as momentum/force necessary to make the close. Use it rather than overcoming it.

Do It Anyway Close - I understand that it's more money than you had budgeted. Do it anyway.

Tip - How do you think people get over budget? They do it even when they know they shouldn’t.

Do It For Me Close - If you can't do it for you, and you can't do it for your wife, do it for me. I need your OK here and here.

Tip - Most people want to help others. If you accumulated goodwill and set them up for reciprocity, you can ask for help and get what you ask for.

THE CLOSER'S RULES

1. Always be seated when negotiating and closing

   • Present the product, service, or idea on your feet, but always negotiate the terms from your seat

   • Even if your prospect stands up, remain seating suggesting you are not done

2. Always present your proposal in writing

   • Talk is cheap

   • Write down full terms of warranty

3. Always clearly communicate your proposal

   • Practice your delivery

4. Always make eye contact

   • Discipline instilled only through practice

   • Suggests interest in them and confidence in yourself, your product, your proposal

5. Always have a pen available for signing

   • You cannot Always Be Closing with a pen and written proposal

6. Know how to use humor to relieve pressure

   • Life reveals itself through stories and everyone loves a good story

   • Make a list of my stories to tell throughout the closing process

   • Insert joke about Highest Goal or walkaway point or anchoring point

7. Always ask one more time

   • Deep arsenal of techniques to ask, persist, and find new way to circle back to close

8. Always have available an arsenal of closes, so you don’t repeat yourself

   • Correct estimation of effort

9. Always stay with the buyer and reduce the number of times you leave the buyer alone

   • Minimize trip out to the car to get more materials

   • Create and leverage credibility with the customer

   • Each time you leave, it creates doubt or uncertainty in the mind of the buyer

10. Always treat the prospect like a buyer

    • Every attractive person at the bar is treated like your loving spouse

    • Treat them as a buyer and they will turn into a buyer

11. Always know you can come to an agreement

    • Mental attitude to be further developed

12. Always maintain a positive attitudeno matter the response from the buyer or for that matter, from your own management team, advisors, and investors

    • Professional can-do attitude

    • Can’t control what is happening around you, but can control how you respond to it

13. Always smile no matter the outcome, response, objection, or communication

    • Smile – it’s the second-best thing you can do with your mouth

    • Practice smiling at everyone you see in every situation you encounter

    • SMILE BIG AND SMILE ALWAYS

14. Always treat the buyer like they can

    • Treat them like they have the money, means, resources, skills, etc

    • I always treated my wife like she would be my girl and never stopped acting in such a manner regardless of how she treated me, even when It wasn’t so positive

    • Today when she gets mad at me, I treat her as though she loves me and admires me

15. Always acknowledge the buyer for any offer or communication they make

    • Thank you, I appreciate your offer and understand your perspective

16. Always agree with the buyer and never disagree

    • To resolve conflict and disagreement, it only requires one person to agree with the other person’s point of view

    • Disagreement only results in not closing deals

    • Yes, and…

17. Always look for a solution

    • Can-do attitude

    • How can we make this work?

    • What can you do to make this go right?

18. Always care so much you refuse not to close

    • Purpose and mission-driven

    • Communicate how much you care in your words, thoughts, and actions

19. Always use the full arsenal of closes

    • Don’t get too comfortable with 2-3 closes – learn, practice, rehearse, deliver all closes

20. Always know that you don’t truly provide a service until you close

    • Closing allows you and your company to expand

    • Be willing to do whatever it takes to close the deal and know that only until you actually get to that critical survival exchange point do you provide any real value

    • Assign ownership by using the word "your"

Notes from the book

Fill in the blank: The value created for the customer is ______________________________________.

The goal of your presentation is to create desire and urgency for your product.

Winner’s Exchange for WIN-win deals. The person you closed feels like the exchange was a win for them, and would do it again because the perceived value received was greater than the value given. No one wins if you don’t close!

KNOW – to be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information, and to be absolutely certain or sure about something

KNOWLEDGE – Facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education. The theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. Awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation

To the degree that you actually KNOW what you do that creates the situations that close and are able to repeat those actions again and again is the degree to which you will prosper. To the degree that you don’t know, you will never be able to predict what happens. Knowledge comes from the word KNOW. Meaning you know what happened, how it happened, what caused it to happen, what will happen, etc.

You want to KNOW how to close. KNOW exactly what caused the close. KNOW how to create urgency, remove time from the decision, and handle all objections and stalls.

Knowledge

N

O

Wisdom

Proactive Learning - Create an experience and practice, drill, and rehearse possible scenarios.

Reactive Learning - Experience something and learn as a result of that experience and over time start making changes to accommodate what you have experienced over your career.

Do you want to proactively or reactively learn how to close? Your ability determines your stability.

Closing is a service and should be taught as a service, as you are aiding someone in making a decision to exchange something of value with something of value. Close more to support better relationships. Do this deal, then do the next deal together to build the relationship.

To close, the buyer must:

• Be sold on what you are presenting and want it

• Trust you

• Be the decision-maker

• Have the wherewithal to pay for the product