The One-Call-Close Killer

Skip this if you are not a salesperson. If you do sell products or services, and expect to get an order the first time you meet your prospect, what we call a one-call-close, this is for you. In my forty plus years selling and managing salespeople, I’ve seen this major blunder hundreds of times.

Before we get to the “killer,” I know some things are near impossible to get an order on the first visit. I’ve sold houses and property, and though I’ve tried, I’ve never had a prospect agree to buy on the first call. I decided a one-call-close for homes or property was impossible. It could not be sold on the first visit. But I’ve since met other people who have sold homes and property on their first call. I learned a lesson: Once the salesperson believes there will be no order on the first call, there is no order on the first call. The first requirement of a one-call-close is belief. Lack of “belief” is not the “killer.” I’ve sold things on a first visit, in spite of believing a first call close was impossible.

Alternate of Choice

What’s the “killer?” It’s offering too many choices. I wrote about “Alternate of Choice” in the first chapter of my book, How to NOT Lose Friends and Fight with Other People. It’s a simple concept. When you want someone to make a choice, it is easiest for them if they are to choose between only two options, either this, or that. Make sure each option you offer is acceptable to you. You don’t say, “Would you like to buy this, or not?” You’ve offered two choices, but only one works for you. If they choose “not,” you’ve lost. If you ask, “Would you like to buy one or two?” either choice gets you the order. Never offer a choice you don’t want selected!

“Alternate of Choice” questions are no guarantee you won’t get their third choice, and it may be a “No!” But I have noticed a reoccurring phenomenon. Few people who are offered two choices opt for an unoffered third. The majority stay with what has been laid in front of them! They pick from the two options given. That is why “Alternate of Choice” is a powerful tool.

Selling with a Catalog

If you sell using a catalog, you must break down the choices to hope for a positive first-visit decision. By its very nature, a catalog offers multiple choices. Choice overload is inevitable if you aren’t careful. Can you break down the choices into two groups? If so, that is where to start. It’s all about questions!

“Do you like big, or small?” “Would you prefer simplicity, or loaded with features?” “Do you picture long-term, or something temporary?”

So you don’t sound like an interrogator, add personal comments to move your prospect closer to your offering. “I agree. I’d choose the same as you did, which brings me to my next question.” And now again, divide the remaining options into two groups. Repeat until only two options, both acceptable to you, remain.

Be Flexible

This is not a formula that must be followed exactly. It’s not a recipe that requires one egg, and if you use two eggs, you ruin your dish. Use this as a general approach that must be tailored to each unique person and situation. Be flexible. Without your prospect feeling pressure, move them step by step toward your final question where you offer the two remaining choices, either choice and you win! If you sell with integrity, they win too! Avoid that “One-call-close killer!”