This morning at the City Club's "City Business Group" we discussed the concept of closing a sale. During the discussion, Spencer South from Southern Environmental mentioned he knew of 60 different method for closing a deal. I took it as a challenge to find the 60 different methods.

Here is a list of some of the types of closing techniques. (Note most of this list is taken from ChangingMinds.org)

1. 1-2-3 Close - close with the principle of three.
2. Adjournment Close - give them time to think.
3. Affordable Close - ensuring people can afford what you are selling.
4. Alternative Close - offering a limited set of choices.
5. Artisan Close - show the skill of the designer.
6. Ask-the-Manager Close - use manager as authority.
7. Assumptive Close - acting as if they are ready to decide.
8. Balance-sheet Close - adding up the pros and the cons.
9. Best-time Close - emphasize how now is the best time to buy.
10. Bonus Close - offer something special to clinch the deal.
11. Bracket Close - make three offers - with the target in the middle.
12. Calculator Close - use calculator to do discount.
13. Calendar Close - put it in the diary.
14. Companion Close - sell to the person with them.
15. Compliment Close - flatter them into submission.
16. Concession Close - give them a concession in exchange for the close.
17. Conditional Close - link closure to resolving objections.
18. Cost of Ownership Close - compare cost over time with competitors.
19. Courtship Close - woo them to the close.
20. Customer-care Close - the Customer Care Manager calls later and re-opens the conversation.
21. Daily Cost Close - reduce cost to daily amount.
22. Demonstration Close - show them the goods.
23. Distraction Close - catch them in a weak moment.
24. Doubt Close - show you doubt the product and let them disagree.
25. Economic Close - help them pay less for what they get.
26. Embarrassment Close - make not buying embarrassing.
27. Emotion Close - trigger identified emotions.
28. Empathy Close - empathize with them, then sell to your new friend.
29. Empty-offer Close - make them an empty offer that the sale fills.
30. Exclusivity Close - not everyone can buy this.
31. Extra Information Close - give them more info to tip them into closure.
32. Fire Sale Close - soiled goods, going cheap.
33. Future Close - close on a future date.
34. Give-Take Close - give something, then take it away.
35. Golden Bridge Close - make the only option attractive.
36. Handover Close - someone else does the final close.
37. Handshake Close - offer handshake to trigger automatic reciprocation.
38. Humor Close - relax them with humor.
39. Hurry Close - go fast to stop them thinking too much.
40. IQ Close - say how this is for intelligent people.
41. Minor points Close - close first on the small things.
42. Never-the-best-time Close - for customers who are delaying.
43. No-hassle Close - make it as easy as possible.
44. Now-or-never Close - to hurry things up.
45. Opportunity Cost Close - show cost of not buying.
46. Ownership Close - act as if they own what you are selling.
47. Price-promise Close - promise to meet any other price.
48. Puppy Close - acting cute to invoke sympathy and a nurturing response.
49. Quality Close - sell on quality, not on price.
50. Rational Close - use logic and reason.
51. Repetition Close - repeat a closing action several times.
52. Retrial Close - go back to square one.
53. Reversal Close - act as if you do not want them to buy the product.
54. Save-the-world close: - buy now and help save the world.
55. Selective-deafness Close - respond only to what you want to hear.
56. Shame Close - make not buying shameful.
57. Shopping List Close - tick off list of their needs.
58. Similarity Close - bond them to a person in a story.
59. Standing-room-only Close - show how others are queuing up to buy.
60. Summary Close - tell them all the things they are going to receive.
61. Testimonial Close - use a happy customer to convince the new customer.
62. Thermometer Close - they score out of ten, you close gap.
63. Think About It Close - give them time to think about it.
64. Treat Close - persuade them to 'give themselves a treat'.
65. Trial Close - see if they are ready for a close.
66. Valuable Customer Close - offer them a special 'valued customer' deal.
67. Ultimatum Close - show negative consequences of not buying.
68. Yes-set Close - get them saying 'yes' and they'll keep saying 'yes'.

Over the next few weeks I will explore how you can use each of these techniques to close a deal involving a commodity, a product, a service or an experience.