Using
the Alternate Choice Close
This is a very
popular closing technique
that can help you ensure that a customer is focused on the sales
process and does not spend too much time vacillating among different
options. Some customers simply take too long. They need a guiding
hand. The Alternate Choice Close offers that
guiding hand. It requires a customer to choose from your
choices, not other choices (such as competitive products). An
either/or style question
is the best way to use this close.
To use this technique, follow these
three steps:
1. To get the customer used
to dealing with this close, as you work through the
sales process, use alternate choices. This can be done when
trying to set
appointment or when determining how to proceed. When customers
get used to the process of having
an alternate choice, they are more receptive when it is used
as a close.
2. Be sure to be positive after
each response to reinforce the customer’s
willingness to an alternate choice.
3. Once the customer has become
accustomed to alternate choices,
use a final alternate choice close to finalize a sales. The customer
will no longer be a stranger to this technique and will be able
to make an important decision by
choosing from one of two options. They will find the decision to
be easier and less risky.
Here is this technique in action…
Sales Rep: “Would it be easier for
your team to receive the delivery during the February shipment or
the March shipment.”
Customer: “The March shipment would
be better since ours goes out in May.”
Sales Rep: “Excellent. We can arrange that. Now,
was this for the opaque panes or the transparent panes?”
Customer: “Actually, we’d like to
arrange for both, if that’s possible.”
Sales Rep: “Definitely. I’ll draw up the agreement
with both. Do you want me to e-mail the agreement or provide you
with a hard copy?”
Customer: “Why don’t you e-mail it
to me… that way I can shoot it right over to the legal department.”
As you can see,
the process dovetails very nicely. It is a simple matter of moving
the customer along until the
final close. Try using the alternate choice close throughout
the sales process and in the last stages to “help” your
customer make a decision.
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