Stumbling Over A Close

We all know closing should be a smooth process, one where we preferably ask for the order without there being any discernible change in conversation flow, and so that the prospect wasn’t even aware we closed them.

Yet on Wednesday, I found myself in the middle of a couple of awkward silences before spluttering out something like “shall we do this now then?” (which thankfully worked!)  As this was only a deal worth £209 a month I beat myself up later over why it’d been so unnatural.  Despite the argument that any closing phrase that works is a good one, I vowed to remind myself to be more polished so that such a ‘blip’ didn’t re-occur.

And I instantly recalled two wonderful closing phrases that I’ve heard I find myself using in the normal flow of chat:

Penketh’s were then a £5m Liverpool office products-plus company I came across in the late 90s.  I always enjoyed meeting the sales-y one of the three brothers, Simon, that ran it, even though I only met him a few times.  His close sounded so natural when he said “shall we box this off now then?”

And John Sime is a fella that I’ve throroughly enjoyed speaking to as he explains how he sells his information service (which he does very well, having a bumper £18k July he told me this week).  Another phrase that trips silkily from his tongue is “can we put a lid on this now?“