Sometimes you should just straight-up ask for the sale. If you feel you are at a good point in the sales process, and most of your prospect's objections are reasonably addressed, and you feel you have a decent rapport going, then you should simply ask for the order:

" ... Why don't you take it?"

" ... May I ask for your order today?"

       Stop selling and ask them to buy. What are you afraid of? ... If anything, you could consider it a "trial close." Even if they object, you succeed in narrowing it down and isolating what's really holding them up.

       But you're right, it's not always that easy. Here are three closing techniques to consider:

1) The "because you're serious" turnaround Close:

       Buyers are always going to try to stall you and put you off because putting you off is easier for them than making a decision. Get some commitments and get them to state exactly what they like and what they don't like about what you're selling.

Say:

"I just want to be clear that you need time to think about it BECAUSE YOU'RE SERIOUS, RIGHT? ... YOU'RE NOT JUST SAYING THIS TO GET RID OF ME, ARE YOU? (smile when you say this) ... OK, Then you do like the idea, don't you? ... What do you personally like about it? So, is it the effectiveness then, or is it the terms that you need to think about? ... Do you want me to solve that for you? If I can solve that for you, will you go ahead with it? Great. What address are you guys at? Is that the same address and the billing address of the credit card you'll be using with us?"

There are many excellent elements in this closing technique:

• You are getting them to agree with you that it's a good idea:



"you do like the idea, don't you?"

• You get them to list what they like about it. This reinforces their positive thoughts about doing the deal:




"What do you personally like about it?"

• You isolate their exact reasons for the stall:



"so is it XYZ or is it ABC you need to think about?"

• You try to get a commitment that if you can address their concerns, then they will agree to buy:



"if I can / will you?"

• You "assume the sale is closed" and start gathering the information needed to process the transaction"



"Great. ... billing address please? ..."

       Ok, now read it again. It may sound "pushy" or "aggressive" when you read it off the computer screen, but it's all about how you deliver it. Smile, and go for it. Close the sale. Try it and see how it goes. Ask yourself this: Are you going to "buy" their reasons for stalling, or are you going to get them to buy what you are selling? This is how to close the sale.

2) The "tell a winner / loser story" Close:

Tell an emotional story that either has the person in the story ending up as a success or a failure. You want the buyer to identify with the story so they feel like they should avoid being like the loser, OR do the right thing so they end up like the Winner. For example, imagine the poor guy who wouldn't invest in Sales Training because his business was slow ... even though when your business is slow that is precisely when you need to invest in Sales Training the most ...

3) The "would you want it if ... " Close:

       If the prospect asks about a certain feature or service, DON'T just automatically say "Yes, we can do that."

       DON'T ANSWER DIRECTLY. Instead, say:

"Would you want it if we could do that for you?"

       ... If they answer "YES," then ask for the order:

"Why don't you take it then?"

       Remember, it's all in how you say it. You can say this from a place of concern. A tone of questioning, but also a tone of suggestion. Try it: "Why don't you take it then?"

       If they come back with another objection, no matter what it is, then say this:

"What do I have to do to earn your business today, Jim?"

       Look how far you have come in advancing the sale toward the close just by using these three lines, in this sequence! ... You've been very direct, as you should be. At this point you've really identified what you need to do to close the deal, or you've got sufficient intel to disqualify the prospect and move on to higher probability opportunities.