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Prospects sometimes bring their peers to sit with them in a sales meeting. The companion close is the best tool to handle such situations. It is a powerful sales technique that employs his friend as your accomplice. With "insider" help, your chance of closing the sale increases dramatically.
The strength in this technique lies in the relationship and trust between your prospect and his companion. It is likely his companion is there to give him assurance as he makes the purchase. Or he may need a friend's opinion before making a decision.
Whatever the underlying reason is, the companion - a spouse, parent or friend - is almost always an influencer on some levels. If you can win him over, his opinion can be a powerful motivator for your prospect's purchase.
But don't you think that this is a difficult task!
Since the companion does not have to make a financial commitment, he's likely to agree with you. If you make your presentation compelling and even entertaining, you're likely to get a strong support from him.
Before you begin, connect with both your prospect and his companion. Your prospect won't mind you doing this. So take the opportunity to get the companion involved as you begin the presentation.
As you do your trial close at each juncture, remember to involve your new-found accomplice as well. As he nods in agreement, you can usually find your prospect doing the same.
When you win the companion over, his opinions (that are favorable toward a purchase) will seem neutral and unbiased to your prospect. Thus his words carry far more weight than all the persuasion of a salesman.
You can even take it a step further by closing the companion. Just have to get him to give you an honest opinion about your products. Then get him to tell you which one he'll eventually choose.
It's easy for the companion to make a "decision" since it's nothing more than an opinion. And very often your prospect will take it seriously and end up doing what his companion says.
In many ways, your prospect is compelled to be in agreement with his companion. This is a form of social pressure. Like peer pressure, this psychological force can alter the emotion and behavior of the individual. Under such influence, he might even perform an action that he would normally not do under normal circumstances. So use this technique responsibly.
If you use this sales technique with a little showmanship, closing sales will be a piece of cake whenever your prospect brings in an "accomplice". If lady luck is smiling on you, you may even get two sales instead of one.
About this Author
Hann Yap is an expert in helping small business owners and sales professionals achieve new peaks in their career. If you want a breakthrough in your business, more tips and sales prospecting techniques are revealed in his website => http://www.salesmanshipuniversity.com
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