Compliment Close

Disciplines > Sales > Closing techniques > Compliment Close

Technique | How it works | See also

Technique

Be nice to them. Tell them how wonderful they are. Be amazed and impressed by them.

Cast them as the expert so they sell to themselves.

Tell them how good they look or sound.

Tell them how others will be impressed by them.

Tell them how impressed you are with them as a person. Admire their integrity.

Then ask for the sale.

Also compliment them on previous decisions. If you are selling cars, admire the car they already have, although you can also appreciate their need for a new one.

Examples

Wow. You really know your stuff. Would you like to buy this now?

Well, as you are the expert, you will understand how good this is.

That dress looks really good on you, madam.

Your friends will be impressed when you show it to them.

How it works

The Compliment Close works by flattering the other person, massaging their ego so they are more concerned with feeling good than parting with their money.

It can help to associate the person with the product, so they feel their sense of identity becoming attached to the product.

It also works by being nice to the other person so they feel obliged to be nice to you and buy your product.

Putting the other person on a pedestal and admiring them encourages them to live up to the high expectations you have of them.

Complimenting them on a previous purchase is telling them that they make good decisions (and hence can make a good decisions this time too).

The Compliment Close is also known as the Vanity Close, the Ego Close or the Flattery Close.