Closing the Sale Using the "Assumptive Close"

“Closing” is the stage of the sale (of anything) where you get the order from a prospective customer. And there are countless ways of making the close.

One of the oldest and most effective closing techniques is called “The Assumptive Close.” The psychology behind this method is that you assume that the prospect wants to buy. In other words, you never ask, “Would you like to buy that?” You assume that they are going to buy it.

So, the assumptive close really involves asking the kinds of questions you would ask if they had already said they want to buy. This puts the buyer in the frame of mind of already having made the purchase.

The technique is simple.

First you act as if the other person has made the decision already.

Next, you turn the focus of the conversation toward the next level of questions, such as how many they want, whether or not they’d like it wrapped (or are going to wear it right away), what size they need, if they’d like anything else, and so on. Examples of assumptive closes are:

• Will you be using cash or a credit card?

• Would you like that wrapped or are you going to wear it now?

• Would you like something else to match that?

• Is there anything else I can help you with?

If you’re not using the assumptive close now, practice it with select clients to get used to it. Also, the next time you’re shopping in a clothing store or accessories store and you’re considering buying something, listen carefully to what the salesperson is saying to you, and see if you can detect the assumptive close.