In advance of closing any sale and overcoming objections, you need to check your prospect’s buying temperature before you ask for the sale. If you ask at the wrong time, you risk losing the sale.
Trial Closes are questions that elicit your prospects’ opinion well in advance of asking for the sale
It isn’t enough to just prepare yourself to ask for the sale; you have to prepare your prospect as well. So how does one do that? By using Trial Closes. A closing question asks for a final decision, while a trial closing question is one that asks the prospect for an opinion, the answer to which indicates their readiness to buy. This is also known as 'taking the prospect’s temperature.' If your prospect isn’t hot enough to buy, don’t ask him to buy - it’s as simple as that. You need to move your prospect into a receptive mind set so that when finally asked to purchase, they do.
Trial Closes are non-threatening questions that ask for your prospect's opinion and feelings about what you have presented. Typical trial closing questions can build in their directness, as these examples illustrate:
“How would you feel about owning a floor model and saving some money?”
“Which of the features do you envision on your hot tub, why?”
“How do you feel a spa would soothe your aches and pains?”
“How do you feel about our foot dome?
“How would this make you feel after a long day of standing?”
“What would your family feel if this was their new spa?”
“Which are your favourite options? Why?”
“How would you feel if we could deliver your new spa for the weekend?”
While my area of expertise is sales training in the pool and hot tub industry, the Trial Closing techniques are the same whether you are selling hot tubs or helicopters.
Your objective is to get your prospects’ feelings, opinions and feedback, from the time you meet them until you feel it is the right time to close the sale. In the absence of trial closing questions, how do you know when it is the right time to close the sale?
After reading this chapter, you will understand that closing the sale, following great trial closing questions, is much easier and far more likely to result in a sale. The likelihood of your prospect saying yes when you have finally asked for the sale is far more likely to occur if they have had favorable responses to your trial closes throughout your presentation. Master asking trial closes and your closing ratios will improve substantially.
Trial closes often start with words like how, what, who and would.
“How does it sound so far?”
“What do you like the most of what you have heard?”
“How does this compare to what you’re looking for?”
“What do you think?”
“How close do you feel this comes to meeting your needs?”
“Who do you think would enjoy the spa the most often? Why?”
“Would this work for you and your family?”
Any question that starts with, “In your opinion…” is a trial close.
“In your opinion, Mr. Prospect, how do you feel this model would suit your family?” is a great trial close.
A positive response to any of these trial closes is usually a sign that you should ask for the order. The key is to have one or two trial closes committed to memory and ready to use. Through the effective use of Trial Closes, you will learn if you are getting closer to closing the sale or moving in the wrong direction.
How do you feel about using Trial Closes now they have been explained?
Yes, that WAS a trial close. Did it work?
Please visit my website www.top10salesandconsulting.com to receive a copy of my free eBook on 'Overcoming Objections'.
Cheers,
Marco Longley
Sophisticated Selling Strategies...Simplified
Author of ‘The Ultimate Hot Tub and Pool $ales Book’
Discover how to double your sales in 7 days
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