If You Know Their Rules ...
You Can Play Their Games

6. The Close
Trial closes are questions designed to determine your readiness to buy without coming right out and asking if you're ready to sign the purchase order. Trial close questions might take the form of simple questions such as:

"What do you think of this model?"

"Have you got a particular color in mind?"

"How soon will you be needing a car?"

"Does the car have the performance you're looking for?"

Or they might be designed to get you into a yes mode:

"This is really a smooth riding car, wouldn't you agree?"

"Isn't this the kind of car that would look great in your driveway?"

"If the price is right, do you think that you might be interested in this one?"

Your answers give the salesperson an idea of how close you are to making a buying decision.

Asking for the Order
For some salespeople, the most difficult part of the sale is asking for the order. And the reason is simple: They don't want to suffer a turndown. On the other hand, some salespeople have developed very effective closing techniques. Here are some that have proven to be most effective.

The Assumptive Close
This closing technique is designed for people who can't make up their minds or seem afraid to make a decision. This method is designed to force you to act or make a decision by default. To put it another way, salespeople simply proceed as though they assume you want to buy the car. What they're doing is giving you the task of stopping them if you don't want to go through with the purchase. Here are several examples of how they might set up the assumptive close: