Give-take close

Disciplines > Sales > Closing techniques > Give-take close

Technique | How it works | See also

Technique

Offer them something attractive, then retract the offer, taking it away.

Then make them work to get it back. You might find they're desperate enough to pay full price.

Examples

Here's what you were looking for. Oh, hang on, it's already been reserved for someone else. ... Well, if you want to pay cash now, maybe I could order a replacement in time for the other customer.

Ladies and gentlemen, would you pay 20 for this potato peeler? Of course you would and many have, but I'm not going to let you have it. Not yet. Now I'm going to add this utility knife and this apple corer, both worth 15 each and only ask 25 for the whole lot. Now I've only a few left, who's going to take them? Thank you madam! Yes sir, one's for you...

How it works

When a person sees something desirable, they start to psychologically close on it. Even paying attention creates a weak sense of ownership. When you take the product away, you affect the person's need for a sense of control with the result that they will likely fight back, figuratively trying to take back what is 'theirs'.

The scarcity principle says that people want what is scarce, and the more scarce it is, the more they want it.