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enlisting now. That is the purpose of the weighing
close, to help the procrastinator reach a decision.
l When the sale is finished, ask the trial close,
“Now, in your opinion, which outweighs the other, the
ideas opposed or the reasons for enlisting now?”
l If the prospect answers, reasons for, close. If
the prospect answers ideas opposed, respect that
decision. Do not return to selling that day. Set a
follow-up appointment that allows adequate time for the
prospect to consider the information given. Give the
prospect the weighing close to take home and ask for
referrals.
EVALUATING RECRUITERS’ SALES
PRESENTATIONS
There are two methods of evaluating a recruiter’s
sales presentation. First, you can role play. That, of
course, is not always realistic. Recruiters will probably
perform differently with a real prospect. There is no
substitute for observing an actual interview when you
wish to evaluate a recruiter’s sales presentation for
content and technique. Use a contracts evaluation
worksheet, shown in figure 6-11, for the interview
critique.
After the recruiter has finished with the
prospect, give the recruiter an in-depth critique for each
step of the interview process.
Evaluating the Conversation Step
This is the most important step of the interview.
Did the recruiter set rapport with the prospect? How
was the eye contact, tone of voice, and smile? Did the
recruiter avoid challenging or interrupting the prospect?
Was blueprinting thorough? Did the recruiter make sure
not to lead the prospect into desired answers? Was the
sales objective (want, need, and DBM) properly
established and verified?
Evaluating the Curiosity Step
This is a one-line step. The key to its success is
enthusiasm.
Did the recruiter seem genuinely
enthusiastic about having a way to help the prospect
with Navy opportunities?
Evaluating the Conviction Step
Besides the basic bridge work, check to see if the
recruiter gave a short fact followed by an appropriate
benefits package. Was there enough “meat” in the
package? In other words, did the recruiter give the
prospect enough information to justify buying the
proposal? What kind of evidence was used? Was it
effective? If faced with an objection, was the recruiter
relaxed and professional? Was the objection verified,
smoked out, or buried? Did the recruiter empathize with
the prospect but avoid sympathizing? Did the recruiter
change the objection into a question so it could be
answered? Did the recruiter effectively IRON out the
objection?
Evaluating the Desire Step
Did the recruiter remind the prospect of the
problem and get confirmation? Was the prospect
projected to a specific point in time and location? Most
importantly, was a word picture painted so the prospect
could see himself or herself enjoying the DBM? Did the
recruiter use concrete language to appeal to the
prospect’s senses and emotions?
Evaluating the Close
The close is the most misunderstood step of the
sale. It is often blamed for a recruiter’s lack of sales
success, but is rarely the real problem. Few recruiters
are afraid to close if it is time to close. What we’re
saying is that if a recruiter knows that a prospect has
bought, that their sales presentation had done its job,
closing is a natural and simple step to take. The
problem comes in when the recruiter understands that
the prospect has not bought the product yet. Perhaps the
real problem was as far back as conversation. Maybe
we built the entire presentation on the wrong want,
need, and DBM. Whatever the reason, the recruiter is
not comfortable with closing because it is apparent that
the sales presentation has not succeeded, To evaluate
the close itself, determine if the recruiter closed on a
minor decision without resorting to step-selling? Did the
prospect know that he or she had bought? Was the
recruiter calm and assumptive to help the prospect
through the mental turmoil of making a decision?
Beyond considering these points, if you still feel you
have a recruiter who has a problem with the close,
explain to him or her that no answer is the same as a
“no” answer. The result is still the same. So, what is
there to be afraid of? We don’t have an applicant now;
the worst that could happen after a close is that we still
won’t have an applicant. The alternative is that we will
have an applicant for the Navy, and that’s what it’s all
about.
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