The Assumptive Close
In the assumptive close, the salesperson assumes that agreement has already been reached and a subordinate decision is being made. In using the assumptive close, the salesperson frequently leaps right over the basic buying decision to a subordinate or subsequent question. This might include:

1. A "which" choice. "Should we deliver on Monday or Tuesday?" "Should we order the executive or standard model?"
2. An "implicit" choice. These questions also assume that the customer has already made the basic decision to buy, but the choice is not as explicitly spelled out as above; rather, a subordinate choice is implied, such as with "How soon do you need it?" "How many do you need?" or "Do you want to take it with you?" A variation of the assumptive close (but one so common that it merits separate mention) is the minor-point close, which seeks agreement on relatively minor issues associated with the full order. Instead of asking the prospect to buy, the salesperson asks whether the prospect would prefer cash or charge, red or green, with or without a bag. The basic premise of the minor point close is that small decisions are easier than major ones.

The Action Close
Here a physical action by the sales representative may work just as well as an assumptive question. When the salesperson starts the presentation, he or she pulls out a blank "agreement" form. As he or she discusses the customer's wants, they fill in the blanks. When everything is specified, the salesperson asks the customer to "verify" it. Ask the buyer to double check the facts and figures, while running through the selling points one more time for verification. Another example of an action close would be for a salesperson to say: "What you need is our model A unit. May I use your phone to see if we have one in stock?" If the prospects say you can use the phone, they, in effect, are saying they will take the model.

The Qualifying Close
With the qualifying close, salespeople seek to close by disproving a prospect's objection. In fact, this close is often known as "closing on an objection." When prospects object to a certain point, sales representatives seek a commitment to buy if they can show the objection to be without substance. For example, the following dialogue might occur in the sale of a vacuum cleaner:

Prospect: But your machine isn't that good with drapes, is it?
Salesperson: If I can show you that it will clean drapes, you'll want to buy it now, won't you?

After getting the commitment, the salesperson then proceeds to demonstrate the ability of the machine to vacuum drapes. After agreeing to buy upon demonstration, the prospect can recant only with some loss of integrity.

The Standing-Room-Only Close
With this type of close, the salesperson tries to get the prospect to act now to take advantage of an impending event or an opportunity soon to end. An industrial sales representative, for example, might say to a prospect, "We're looking at an across-the-board price increase in the next two weeks, so my advice is to buy now." Or a real estate salesperson might say, "If you're interested in this house, then I would recommend putting in an offer on it immediately since there are a lot of people looking at it." Other ideas for putting together a standing-room-only (SRO) close are extended credit terms, advertising allowances, seasonal packaging, and cash discounts.

The Trial-Order Close
This close involves placing a piece of equipment (a copier, for example), which the prospect may use at no charge. The idea in is for prospects to convince themselves of the merits of the product by using it. Some experts call the trial order the "puppy-dog" close. After taking the puppy home from the pet store and having it a week, who can take the puppy dog back?

The Tentative Confirmation
When a prospect has trouble making a decision, frequently it pays to confirm the sale using the tentative confirmation. This technique can be very effective because it tends simultaneously to build momentum toward firm confirmation and to end the prospect's shopping process. For example, when a prospective customer's finances must be checked out and this process requires a week or more, the salesperson can say, "Our finance department typically requires a week to approve customer credit. Why don't we go ahead and place your order? Next week, by the time your credit has been approved, if you decide differently, you can always cancel the order. There's no charge." The advantage of the tentative confirmation is that, psychologically, once they've made some form of commitment, no matter how tentative, they feel the decision is made and they don't bother to keep shopping.

The Suggestion Close
Of all closing techniques, the suggestion close is the most low-pressured. The objective is to have prospects accept the salesperson's recommendation without a great deal of thought. Imagine an executive buying a small business computer for the first time. Faced with a seemingly endless series of choices regarding hardware and software, and with little experience on which to base a decision, the executive might easily back away rather than make a wrong choice. Here the salesperson might suggest: "Many hardware buyers like yourself have opted to buy the System 34 with 1 gigabyte of memory, two Zip disk drives, and the Silentype printer. They have been quite satisfied." The suggestion close works because it is low pressure and buyers feel less risk knowing they are buying what the majority of people in similar situations purchase. This is especially true, when their technical knowledge of the new product or service is limited.