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Close More Sales: Use the ‘try before you buy’ close

by Roger Brooksbank

In a face-to-face selling situation, it usually proves to be an irresistible offer to let your prospects ‘try before they buy’ and enjoy the benefits of your product during a free trial period. Providing your product lends itself to his idea, it’s a great way to reduce sales resistance, and give your product the chance to sell itself. The best thing about this idea, though, is that the more your prospect gets used to using your product, the more likely it is that they will want to keep it when you go back to sign them up. Here’s how to do it. Make the buyer a proposition:

I’ll tell you what, Jim, I’ll leave it with you for a week and then if you like it you can pay for it, but if you don’t, I’ll take it away no questions asked. How’s that?

Make sure they feel under no obligation to keep the product, with nothing to sign. However, the more you can make it a fixture or fitting the better. For example, when sales representatives from a well known hand cleaner company call on motor mechanics, they attach their degreasing hand cleaner dispenser unit right above the workshop sink! Most importantly, time your return visit to coincide with the time when your prospect is likely to have taken psychological ownership. To continue our example, that’s just as the mechanics are asking their boss: ‘When are we going to get some more of this hand cleaner?’


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