Closing

No closing techniques: classic closes do not help in high-value sales and can hurt. Two habits replace them.

Muir's two questions, at the end of every interaction.

Say

"Does it make sense to [ideal next step]?" If not: "What's a good next step then?"

Fallback form: "One option is for your IT lead to look at our data processing terms first, once our team sends them. Does it make sense to do that?" After a yes: "Are there other steps we should be thinking about now?" "A follow-up" or "I'll send some info" is not a next step. Gong associates first calls with no next-step discussion with a 71% lower close rate (vendor correlation). This is the one behaviour where near 100% is the right standard.

The four JOLT moves, for indecision.

• Judge the indecision: "On a scale of one to ten, how sure are you this is right? What would make it a ten?" Listen for which doubt it is: the product, Maktura as a young company, or the person selling it.
• Offer a recommendation: "If I were you, I'd start all nine of you on Suggest, with you approving the starters." If they hesitate on seats, fewer seats now at the same price: "Start with you and the four who already want to post, and add the rest after the review."
• Limit exploration: "You don't need to decide about Watch or campaigns now. They don't solve the problem you described."
• Take risk off the table, without touching price: "At Suggest, a person decides what goes out. Onboarding is booked. You can move anyone up or down a level whenever you like. And we review at 30 days." For a regulated firm: "Holly can start at Observe, the most cautious level, until your COLP has seen how it behaves."

Forecast on what the buyer spends (time, reputation, cash), not on compliments (The Mom Test).

Rule

Never use false-choice closes; "Don't worry" or "Most people" against a compliance concern; "today only" or any invented deadline; or "nothing ever publishes without approval" (approvals are configured by the customer: say "you decide what Holly can do on its own, and we recommend a person approves every LinkedIn post").