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Disciplines > Sales > Closing techniques > Similarity Close

Technique | How it works | See also

 

Technique

Tell a story about a person who is 'just like' the target customer, with similar problems and concerns and who bought what you are selling and is now very happy.

Make sure the customer will empathize with person in the story. Also be subtle - do not make the person in the story too similar. Where possible, use a real person and a real story.

Examples

You know I had a woman in here yesterday who asked the same question and who was also concerned about the effect on the environment. She looked us up in EnviroList and came back this morning to place an order.

There was a guy here a few weeks ago who also lived near the airport and needed something to keep out the noise. We sent around our specialists and we haven't heard from him since. I guess he may still be catching up on sleep. Those jets are pretty noise, but our triple glazing is more than up to the task.

How it works

When we read stories or watch movies, we associate with the protagonists and others in the story, taking on a part of their character into our selves. We thus bond with fictional characters and easily do so with people in real life (how often have you empathised with people on the news?).

Once attached to the person in the story, the customer will then more likely agree with that the character thinks and does and may well follow suit with similar decisions.

See also

Storytelling, Bonding principle

 

Books on Sales Closing

**** Tom Hopkins, Sales Closing for Dummies, For Dummies, 1998  **** Zig Ziglar, Zig Ziglar's Secrets of Closing the Sale, Berkley Publishing, 1985  *** Stephan Schiffman, Closing Techniques: (That Really Work!), Adams Media, 1999  **** Stephan Schiffman, Getting to 'Closed': A Proven Program to Accelerate the Sales Cycle and Increase Commissions, Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2002  *** Joe Girard, Robert L. Shook, Robert Casemore, How to Close Every Sale, Warner books, 2002 ** Gary Karass, Negotiate to close: How to make more successful deals, Fireside, 1987

Sales Books

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Site Menu

| Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings |

Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories |

Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help |

More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes |

Settings: | Computer layout | Mobile layout | Small font | Medium font | Large font | Translate |

 

 

Please help and share:

 

Quick links

Disciplines

* Argument
* Brand management
* Change Management
* Coaching
* Communication
* Counseling
* Game Design
* Human Resources
* Job-finding
* Leadership
* Marketing
* Politics
* Propaganda
* Rhetoric
* Negotiation
* Psychoanalysis
* Sales
* Sociology
* Storytelling
* Teaching
* Warfare
* Workplace design

Techniques

* Assertiveness
* Body language
* Change techniques
* Closing techniques
* Conversation
* Confidence tricks
* Conversion
* Creative techniques
* General techniques
* Happiness
* Hypnotism
* Interrogation
* Language
* Listening
* Negotiation tactics
* Objection handling
* Propaganda
* Problem-solving
* Public speaking
* Questioning
* Using repetition
* Resisting persuasion
* Self-development
* Sequential requests
* Storytelling
* Stress Management
* Tipping
* Using humor
* Willpower

Principles

+ Principles

Explanations

* Behaviors
* Beliefs
* Brain stuff
* Conditioning
* Coping Mechanisms
* Critical Theory
* Culture
* Decisions
* Emotions
* Evolution
* Gender
* Games
* Groups
* Habit
* Identity
* Learning
* Meaning
* Memory
* Motivation
* Models
* Needs
* Personality
* Power
* Preferences
* Research
* Relationships
* SIFT Model
* Social Research
* Stress
* Trust
* Values

Theories

* Alphabetic list
* Theory types

And

About
Guest Articles
Blog!
Books
Changes
Contact
Guestbook
Quotes
Students
Webmasters

 

| Home | Top | Menu | Quick Links |

© Changing Works 2002-
Massive Content — Maximum Speed