18 lessons · evergreen
Closing Techniques
Assumptive close, alternative close, summary close, takeaway, real urgency, Sandler 'no guts no glory'. Close more deals with drills and live AI sparring.
The assumptive close: skip the yes/no
Don't ask 'do you want to buy?' Ask 'which option?' Forward motion.
The takeaway close: walk away to win
When you stop pushing, they start pulling. Counterintuitive and devastating.
Summary close: stack the value, ask the close
Recap their own words back to them, then ask for the decision. Hard to say no to your own logic.
The alternative close: choice creates motion
Two yeses on the menu. Either answer moves the deal. Cousin of the assumptive close.
Real urgency: deadlines that don't lie
Manufactured urgency feels gross and gets caught. Real urgency closes deals on the call.
Sandler 'no guts, no glory': call out the elephant
When the call has weird energy, name it. The truth in the room beats any tactic.
Shut up after the ask
The first person to speak after the close question loses. This is law, not theory.
The calendar close: don't ask 'when' — book it
Asking 'when can you start?' is for amateurs. Pull up the calendar and propose two dates.
The puppy dog close: let them try, watch them keep
Pet stores let kids hold the puppy because the kids never give it back. Use the same psychology.
The two-step close: a yes to the small thing, then the big one
A buyer who agreed to one tiny thing 60 seconds ago is dramatically more likely to agree to the next thing. Stack the yeses.
Alternative-choice close: never ask yes or no
Don't ask if they want to buy. Ask which one. The brain treats the choice as having already accepted the purchase.
The silent close: state the price, shut up, win
After you say the number, the next person to speak loses. Most reps lose because they can't handle the silence.
The takeaway close: pull it back to pull them in
Removing the offer often gets you the yes faster than offering it.
What closing really means
Closing isn't a magic line. It's the natural end of a well-run conversation.
How to ask for the next step
Don't ask 'so what do you think?' — ask for the move.
Closing without sounding pushy
Pushy isn't a word problem. It's a tone problem.
Closing different buyer personalities
Right close, wrong persona = no deal.
What to do after the close
The yes is the start of the deal, not the end.