If any of your sales involve customers using a credit card to pay, this sales closing technique might be just right for you.

First, let’s set up the situation.

You’re talking with a customer and you know you’re close to closing the sale. Then suddenly when it comes time for them to give you a credit card, they get cold feet.

Although this is a situation that more commonly occurs in B2C situations, it is also happening more and more in B2B too.

The way this sales closing technique works is by you the salesperson first getting the customer to agree what you’re offering is right for them and will meet their need.

Next step is to then state how you have multiple ways they could pay for it and then ask them something like, “We take check, PayPal, cash or credit card. Which would be easiest for you?”   (Insert into your sentence the payment types your company accepts.)

The objective is to get the customer to say “credit card.”

It’s at that point you say, “Great, go ahead and give me the number now and we can get this going.”

Reason I like this approach is it adds one more step between the customer saying it’s what they want and giving you the credit card.  Some of you might say I’m only complicating the sale, and I suppose at times it could, but let me explain my view.

If you’re selling something where there might be a sense of hesitation, the customer will many times bring up their reluctance right at the point of payment.  For many transactions, this point is when they have to give the salesperson their credit card number.

Adding the comment and/or question about multiple ways to pay gives the customer a sense they’re in control and it gets them to say how they will pay for it.

The amazing outcome with this approach is it works.  In using it with a variety of companies and salespeople, I’ve found it increases sales by removing from some of the more hesitant customers the last minute decision to put off buying.

Is this a sales closing technique everyone can use?  No, but it is one most salespeople should be comfortable using if the need arises with the hesitant customer.

Copyright 2012, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.