[8 Steps To A Live Presentation That Sells Series] Article #10 ~ The Test Close

When Iโ€™m doing a 90-minute presentation, I donโ€™t actually move into the close until I determine that the audience is ready to buy my program or service. (The close is the last part of your talk, where you present the benefits, features, and cost of what youโ€™re selling that day.)

How in the world do I determine that the audience is ready to buy?

I test, which Iโ€™ll explain in a moment, and I also observe.

For instance, people in the audience taking notes is a very good sign. It means theyโ€™re really interested in what Iโ€™m saying.

Conversely, if people are sitting in the audience with their arms crossed, and thereโ€™s not a whole lot of response going on, I havenโ€™t gotten through to them yet. So I actually need to change what Iโ€™m doing or I wonโ€™t get many sales.

Test Their Readiness to Buy
I actually test the audienceโ€™s interest and engagement throughout my speech.

Several times, Iโ€™ll ask, โ€œIs this making sense?โ€ while raising my own hand. Then I see how many people in the audience are raising their hands as well. This tells me how many people are with me.

Until the majority of the hands go up in response to that question, I keep going and transforming my talk.

This requires me to do a little thinking on my feet. I may bring in other stories or testimonials or whatever I think is necessary to show the audience why they need the information I have. I do that until most of the audience is raising their hands.

Then I know theyโ€™re ready for a โ€œtest close.โ€

Iโ€™ll ask, โ€œHow many of you think that this would benefit you? How many of you would really like to double your income in the next 30 to 60 days?โ€ I raise my hand, and look at theirs.

If their hands arenโ€™t up, they havenโ€™t bought what Iโ€™m selling yet, and Iโ€™m not moving into the close until they do.

Now, obviously, if Iโ€™m on someone elseโ€™s stage, at a certain point, I have to close. I canโ€™t be booted off the stage without closing. But, also, I canโ€™t force or oversell the close.

The truth is, you donโ€™t actually sell during the close. You sell prior to it. Think about it, if you havenโ€™t sold them on the value of your program when youโ€™re showing them in detail how it has transformed your and other peopleโ€™s lives, youโ€™re unlikely to sell them on it later.

However, once you have sold them on the value of what youโ€™re offering, once thereโ€™s a sea of hands in that room, you can safely move into the close. You can be confident that there will be a clamor for the back of the room ~ and a very nice payday for you and your promoter ~ when youโ€™re done.

David Neagle, The Million Dollar Income Acceleration Mentor and author of The Millions Within, teaches entrepreneurs and commission-based sales professionals how to quantum leap their current incomes past the 7-figure income level, often in less than 12 months. As a world-class speaker, sales trainer, and success-mindset mentor to some of the globeโ€™s top CEOs, David also privately mentors big decision-makers in their pursuit of quantum success and peace of mind.

[8 Steps To A Live Presentation That Sells Series] Article #9 ~ Lay It All Out

If youโ€™ve applied Steps 1-6 of my formula for a live presentation that sells, youโ€™re rounding the bases and getting ready to slide into home.

Youโ€™re now ready for โ€œthe closeโ€ ~ the portion of your talk that is specifically devoted to selling the product or service that will be available in the back of the room after your presentation.

Many speakers get to this point and choke.

Theyโ€™ve done a great job sharing their story and weaving it into their teaching (Step 6), but then when itโ€™s time to transition to the close, they get awkward and lose momentum.

They seem to have forgotten that the purpose of their presentation is not to teach, but to sell.

Structure Your Teaching to Sell

To help avoid that problem make sure that the teaching portion of your talk is tightly related to the program youโ€™re offering in the back of the room.

For instance, youโ€™re teaching them two or three of your seven steps for doubling their income in 60 days, or one of the five ways to have the relationship theyโ€™ve always wanted.

Your teaching, then, is selling. It entices the audience, shows them whatโ€™s possible in their lives and businesses, and leaves them wanting more.

That way, the close becomes a natural extension of your teaching, and your program the answer to their desire.

Step 7: A Smooth Transition

When your teaching and close share the same goal of selling, transitioning from one to the other is easy. Just say something like this:

โ€œFor years weโ€™ve been perfecting this information, doing everything that we possibly can to make it simple for you to implement it into your life right away. And weโ€™re really excited to be able to offer that solution to you today.โ€

Thatโ€™s all there is to it.

Step 8: The Close: Make It Doable

Now, just start talking about the specifics of your program, focusing on the results theyโ€™re going to get, what theyโ€™re going to learn, and how it will impact their lives.

Convey the strong impression that you have laid it all out for them as much as possible. Without being deceptive, emphasize how easy and doable your program is.

Donโ€™t overwhelm or confuse them with extraneous detail they donโ€™t need in order to make the decision to buy.

For instance, if youโ€™ve got a program on relationships, the people in your program are going to have to do internal work to get to the point where theyโ€™re having great relationships.

But, during the close, donโ€™t talk about all of that internal work. They know theyโ€™re going to have to do some work, so you donโ€™t have to highlight that fact.

If you make your program sound complicated or difficult, your audience will tune out and you will lose sales.

For the 15 or 20 minutes of the close, focus on how theyโ€™re going to benefit, and how easily your program will guide them to those results.

By the way, youโ€™re delivering this information before you pass out your order form. Iโ€™ll pick it up here next time.

David Neagle, The Million Dollar Income Acceleration Mentor and author of The Millions Within, teaches entrepreneurs and commission-based sales professionals how to quantum leap their current incomes past the 7-figure income level, often in less than 12 months. As a world-class speaker, sales trainer, and success-mindset mentor to some of the globeโ€™s top CEOs, David also privately mentors big decision-makers in their pursuit of quantum success and peace of mind.