Welcome to 2020! Let’s Abandon 1990s Sales Tactics Part. 2

Tactic 2: The “presumed close” to incept buying desire into your customer’s brain. 

The presumed close is the Jedi Mind Trick of sales. The premise is that by assuming that your customer has already said yes, they will be compelled to comply when you move to close the deal. The issue with the presumed close is not the confidence or your assumption that they will become a customer, it’s how you subtly take away the power from the buyer. It can subconsciously make the buyer feel that they are losing control, and they may react negatively.

Here is an example of how a dialog might play out:

Potential Buyer: “Thank you for the great sales presentation, your product really fits what our company is looking for. Let me discuss it with our CEO and get back to you.”

Salesperson: “You’re welcome! I will draw up the contract and send it over for signature later today.”

In this example, you are accelerating the sales by assuming (pre-assuming) that the CEO and buyer’s discussion will result in a decision to move forward. I recommend, instead of trying to jump from 70% to 95% closed in one statement, soften the language and don’t presume, ask questions that empower the buyer with options. Here is another example:

Potential Buyer: “Thank you for the great sales presentation, your product really fits what our company is looking for. Let me discuss it with our CEO and get back to you.”

(Option 1) Salesperson: “You’re welcome! Would you like me to send over the contract so that you can review it? — you can also add ” or is that premature?” if you feel less sure of yourself.

(Option 2) Salesperson: “You’re welcome! Would you like me to send over a sample contract so that you can review it?” — this example is a bit softer because you are adding “sample contract” to the language.

In both of these examples, you are offering to send the contract so they can take a look, but you are also clarifying their position with a question. In Option 1 the buyer may say “Yes, that sounds great.” In which case, you are one step closer to closing the sale, or they might say “we are reviewing a number of partners and we need to weigh the pros and cons.” So you know they may not be as ready as you thought. In Option 2 the buyer might say “go ahead and write up this deal in its current form so I can present the contract to the CEO in our meeting.” In this case, they are asking you to send them the final contract, which is a strong buying signal.

With both of these options, you are advancing the sales process while also providing the customer choice. Always ask yourself “is what I am doing empowering my customer?” If you are providing them with choice and explaining why your choice is the right decision, then you are empowering them with information and giving them the freedom to execute their power to buy. If you assume they are buying without getting a verbal confirmation, you are taking away their power. Always empower your buyer to win more deals.