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l Your next step depends again on the prospect’s
response. If the response is a yes, close. If the prospect
is still lukewarm, provide more conviction or evidence.
If he or she seems to be putting off making a decision,
use a weighing close.
Let’s look at a desire step that would fit the want of
a college degree, the need of money, and the DBM of
making the prospect’s parents proud by being the first
in the family to complete college.
“Daniel, you want a college degree that will make
your parents proud. Is that correct? Well, our Navy
educational programs will do that for you. You enter
the Navy and here’s what happens. It’s 3 years from
now, and you’re in Norfolk, Virginia. It’s a beautiful
day. It’s your day – the day that your dream, as well as
the dream of your parents, will be realized. You walk
across the campus at Old Dominion University and feel
the sun warming the morning air. You hear birds
singing in the magnolia trees that are in full bloom and
filling the ocean breezes with their sweet scent. As you
approach the stadium you can hear the band playing a
well-known march as people fill the stands, They are
here to watch you receive that long awaited diploma. It
hasn’t been easy. You reflect on the courses you
completed with your tuition assistance and are thankful
for all the credits awarded based on your Navy schools
and experience. You say a silent thanks to your parents
who encouraged you so much toward your goal and
wish they could be here on this important day, They
sounded so excited about your being the first in the
family to earn a degree when you last talked with them.
Soon, you hear your name called and proudly step
forward to receive your diploma. You firmly shake the
dean’s hand and look out into the crowd. You can
barely believe your eyes. Right there in the second row
is your Mom and Dad. They have made a surprise trip
to join in the celebration of your achievement. Their
smiles have never been broader and Mom even has a
tiny tear slipping down one cheek. You can feel the
pride and love radiating from these two most important
people. Is that what you really want?”
WEIGHING CLOSE
We have reached the end of our selling chain. We
have performed our sales presentation to the best of our
ability and possibly even created desire. As a final
attempt to help our prospect we have the weighing
close. Although this technique is called a weighing
close, it does not fit the definition of a close and is not
included in the five types of closes we use in
consultative sales. The weighing close ends with a trial
close, asking for an opinion, rather than a minor
decision.
When to Use the Weighing Close
The weighing close is normally used at the end of
the sales presentation when procrastination becomes the
dominant block in our prospect’s decision-making
ability. Listen for trigger words like “Let me think it
over” or “See me next trip.”
How to Use the Weighing Close
Start with a lead-in bridge, “Before making a
decision, one must weigh the ideas opposed against the
reasons for enlisting now.” Then, you should draw the
diagram as shown in figure 6-10. Then ask the prospect,
“What are your ideas opposed?” Do not try to overcome
any new objections or remind the prospect that you
have already shown an idea to be of no concern. We
also want to avoid giving the prospect any help in
thinking of ideas opposed. (If he or she can’t think of
any ideas opposed, then you should close.) When the
prospect is done, ask “Okay, now what are your reasons
for enlisting now?” Every response on this side is
telling you that this prospect wants to be put in the
Navy. If the prospect is unable to come up with enough
reasons for, remind him or her of the previously
identified want, need, and DBM. You may even ask if
some of your benefits package qualifies as reasons for.
Just make sure that your prospect includes more reasons
for than ideas opposed. The DBM should be the last
item on the reasons for enlisting now side. If he or she
gives you the DBM before the list is complete, say that
you want to set that aside for a moment. Then, when
the reasons for side outweighs the ideas opposed side,
say something like, “Okay, Jamie, because (DBM)
is so important to you, I’d like you to write that down.”
For the weighing close to be effective, it must be the
prospect’s list. Try not to give him or her reasons for
enlisting now. Instead, gently remind your prospect of
what he or she said was important, if necessary. Every
reason for your prospect gives you is telling you and
the prospect that yes, he or she does have reasons for
enlisting now. That is the purpose of the weighing
Figure 6-10.-The weighing close.
6-33
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