One way to structure the closing section is the conditional close, a simple, but very powerful, closing question. In its most basic form, the conditional close looks like this:
If I can do x, will you do y.
Where x is answering a prospect’s objection and y is the prospect agreeing to purchase.
The structure of this closing question might look familiar because people use this in their personal lives all of the time. For example, a teenager might ask her parents, “If I fill the car with gas, will you let me use it on Friday night?” Or an employee might say to his boss, “If I get these reports done, can I go home early?”
It’s incredibly effective because it makes a promise of action in return for another promise of action – the commitment is built in. Instead of providing the solution, and then asking for the business, this closing question ties them both together, which makes it easier for the prospect to say yes.
For example, when price is an issue, the conditional close can be structured as, “If I can get this in your budget/If I can lower the price by $200/If I can guarantee that this is the lowest price around, would you like to go with us?” When the prospects commits to that scenario, they are in effect committing to the sale (as long as the salesperson follows through with their promise). Or if the issue was delivery time it could be phrased, “If we can guarantee delivery by next week, will you work with us.”
This isn’t designed to trap them into buying, but rather provide a logical flow to the closing process. It also provides a way to discover hidden objections. In the example of price above, if the prospect wouldn’t commit to buying even if it was within the budget, there is probably another objection to the sale.
The conditional close is a powerful tool for any salesperson’s tool-box. Practice it, and watch your results improve!