The Thermometer Close
The Thermometer Close
Let’s assume you have five pains to solve during your presentation. You begin with the most troublesome pain first, and explain how your product or service can alleviate the problem. After you establish that your prospective customer is one hundred percent comfortable with your solution to that pain, repeat that activity for the next two pains. Then you can move to the Thermometer Close, a technique that helps you measure the degree to which your prospect has been sold. Here’s how it works:
"John, we’ve covered a lot of ground so far, and there’s still more to show you, but on a scale of zero to ten, zero meaning you have no interest in my service and ten meaning you have already decided to buy my service, where are you?"
If he says he’s a ten, there is no need to finish your presentation. Pains four and five are irrelevant. The deal is done!
If the prospect is less than a six, you’ve got a problem. In our present scenario, John already has said yes to you three times. He’s agreed with you one hundred percent three times. So why is he less than a six? Did you push too fast? Did you assume he was one hundred percent when he wasn’t? To find out what went wrong, ask him!
"John, based on what you’ve told me so far, I don’t understand why you say you’re a four. Can you help me understand that?"
Whatever John says will reveal deeper pain, new pain, or a pain that your Fulfillment Step hasn’t alleviated. Be patient. Listen. And begin the process again.
Most of the time, at this stage of Fulfillment, your prospect will be higher than six. In that event, you say:
"John, what do you need to see to get to ten?"
And then, whatever he has to see is what you show him, nothing more and nothing less. After you’ve shown him what he’s asked for, check his temperature again:
"John, on that zero to ten scale, where are you now?"
You can bet he’ll be moving upward, and eventually he’ll arrive at ten. Now, this is important: When your prospect arrives at ten, don’t use a worn-out, traditional close like, "Want me to write this up?" Instead, simply ask this question: "What would you like me to do now?"
See what you just did? You placed the pressure where it belongs—on the prospect. Let the prospect tell you what to do. Let the prospect close the sale. That way… the prospect can never accuse you of forcing the sale.
The Thermometer Close - To learn more about this author, visit Andrew Wall's Website.
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While it’s important not to rush the Fulfillment Step, it’s important to finish as quickly as possible and still get the sale. The sooner you successfully seal off this compartment [of the Sandler submarine], the sooner you’ve got the sale. However, it’s not always easy to know when to conclude your presentation.
Let’s assume you have five pains to solve during your presentation. You begin with the most troublesome pain first, and explain how your product or service can alleviate the problem. After you establish that your prospective customer is one hundred percent comfortable with your solution to that pain, repeat that activity for the next two pains. Then you can move to the Thermometer Close, a technique that helps you measure the degree to which your prospect has been sold. Here’s how it works:
"John, we’ve covered a lot of ground so far, and there’s still more to show you, but on a scale of zero to ten, zero meaning you have no interest in my service and ten meaning you have already decided to buy my service, where are you?"
If he says he’s a ten, there is no need to finish your presentation. Pains four and five are irrelevant. The deal is done!
If the prospect is less than a six, you’ve got a problem. In our present scenario, John already has said yes to you three times. He’s agreed with you one hundred percent three times. So why is he less than a six? Did you push too fast? Did you assume he was one hundred percent when he wasn’t? To find out what went wrong, ask him!
"John, based on what you’ve told me so far, I don’t understand why you say you’re a four. Can you help me understand that?"
Whatever John says will reveal deeper pain, new pain, or a pain that your Fulfillment Step hasn’t alleviated. Be patient. Listen. And begin the process again.
Most of the time, at this stage of Fulfillment, your prospect will be higher than six. In that event, you say:
"John, what do you need to see to get to ten?"
And then, whatever he has to see is what you show him, nothing more and nothing less. After you’ve shown him what he’s asked for, check his temperature again:
"John, on that zero to ten scale, where are you now?"
You can bet he’ll be moving upward, and eventually he’ll arrive at ten. Now, this is important: When your prospect arrives at ten, don’t use a worn-out, traditional close like, "Want me to write this up?" Instead, simply ask this question: "What would you like me to do now?"
See what you just did? You placed the pressure where it belongs—on the prospect. Let the prospect tell you what to do. Let the prospect close the sale. That way… the prospect can never accuse you of forcing the sale.
The Thermometer Close - To learn more about this author, visit Andrew Wall's Website.
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