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CHAPTER 11
Completion and Partnering

“Quality in a product or service
is not what the supplier puts in. It is what the
customer gets out and is willing to pay”…
“Customers pay only for what is of use
to them and gives them value.
Nothing else constitutes quality”
Peter Drucker

Traditionally, the "close" has
been the logical conclusion of a
sales presentation

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The Completion & Partnering Steps
The “close” is really an “open”
 The time to complete the transaction and the
opportunity to "open the door" to what could be
a mutually profitable, long-term business
relationship
A Partnership!

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Outcomes of a Presentation
Regardless of the outcome of any one sales
presentation, there is more work to be done
 A prospect buys and becomes a customer
 A customer buys again (re-buy situation)
 A customer or prospect makes no purchase but
requests additional information
 A prospect expresses no interest in working with
the salesperson's company

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The Salesperson’s Mentality
Closing
Completion
Partnering

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Closing Mentality
A closing mentality focuses strictly on the
transaction as the end result of a sales
presentation
Closing questions ask for a definite,
immediate decision, triggering one of the
following responses:
 A decision to buy
 A reason for not buying
 A request for additional information

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Nature of the Traditional Sales Close
A real issue in closing is the anxiety,
hesitancy, or inability of human beings to
make decisions
Most salespeople are afraid of rejection
 Their minds sometimes jump to possible
negative consequences, creating a negative
attitude

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The Salesperson Should Rejoice!
The salesperson has made it through all the
previous steps
He should be positive and confident at this
stage
Completing the transaction should be the
easiest of all the steps in the process
 It is the next logical thing to do

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When It Is Time To Close
A salesperson should do the following:
 Look
 Lower
 Lean
 Shut Up
 Nod, and
 Smile

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Traditional Closing Techniques
Professional salespeople often use more than
one technique during a presentation
Salespeople should pick the techniques with
which they feel most comfortable

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Employing Closing Techniques
Why should salespeople employ closing
techniques?
 Many prospects find it difficult to make
decisions
 Prospects want to make the right decisions, but
complete certainty in buying never exists
 Many prospects will postpone decisions if
salespeople let them
 After a sales presentation, prospects often feel
confused and hesitant

The salesperson’s goal is to
explain/demonstrate how the benefits of
the product or service outweigh the risks
associated with buying

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Asking for the Order
Assumptive Close – “How Should We Bill You?
Alternative Choice Close – “Three or Four deliveries?”
Summarizing the Benefits
The Weighing Close – Pros and Cons
The Probability Close
Power Questions – “Any real reason Why You Shouldn’t
buy?”
Continuous Yes
Standing Room Only

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Reserving an Advantage – “BTW, We Also…”
Single Benefit Close – “We’re the Only One…”
Similar Situation Close
Price Reduction Close – “Value in Use”
Suggestion Close – “Many are Already Satisfied”
Alternate Source Close – “Eggs Not in One basket”
Asking for a Trial Order
The Takeaway Close

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Cautions About Traditional
Closing Techniques
The goal of closing techniques is to make it
relatively easy for the prospect/customer to
decide to buy
Although traditional closing techniques can
be effective under the right circumstances,
salespeople should use them judiciously

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Completion Mentality
A completion mentality emphasizes the point
that all sales presentations must reach some
type of conclusion, which may or may not
result in a transaction
On average, it takes five sales calls on a
business prospect to complete a transaction

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If a Sale Is Made
Before leaving a customer who has agreed to
a sale:
 Show appreciation for the customer's business, but
do not gloat
 Reassure the customer that the decision is a good
one
 Solicit sales leads
 Complete all necessary paperwork, and finalize the
details
 Be sure to leave with a good understanding of the
customer's expectations

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If a Sale Is Not Made
When a sale is not made, the salesperson still
has duties to perform:
 Duties to the customer
 Duties to the sales organization

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Customer-Related Duties
The major objective of all postcall activity is
to maintain and increase customer goodwill
 This process has two aspects
• Terminating the interview
• Possibly providing service

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Terminating the Interview
Salespeople must learn to respect customers’
decisions and should engage in the following
activities before making a prompt exit:
 Accept the prospect's decision graciously
 Say "thank you" for the prospect's time and
mean it
 Establish good rapport with the prospect
 Do not tarry
Refer to Table 11.2--Postsale Questionnaire

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After Rejection…
What Steps Should Thaldorf Take
Now?
Three-Minute Drill

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Providing Service
There are at least four areas in which
salespeople may be of service:
1. Handling complaints
2. Order expediting
3. Adjustments, returns, and allowances
4. Information

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Organization-Related Duties
When the sale is not made:
 The salesperson’s duties include the
documentation of the sales presentation and the
assembly of information useful to the
organization
When the sale is made:
 The salesperson plays a key role in
consummating the exchange transaction

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Partnering Mentality
A partnering mentality changes the
salesperson's primary goal from one of just
completing the transaction to one of
beginning a partnership with the prospect

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Partnerships
In a partnership, both the seller and the
buyer perceive a need for the relationship,
and each values the other
Benefits of a partnership
 Quicker response to change
 Cost savings
 Agility in meeting customer needs
 Increases in sales
 Quicker identification of problems and opportunities

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Mistakes Made in Forging Partnerships
Cutting a deal that favors the selling organization
too much
Lacking an exit strategy
Failing to plan
Partnering in isolation
Seeking quick partnerships
Creating ideas and solutions while thinking on
one's feet
Not being able to walk away

Figure 11.2
True Partnering
PresidentPresident
Vice PresidentVice President
Operations ManagerOperations Manager
Field Sales ManagerField Sales Manager
SALESPERSONSALESPERSON
PresidentPresident
Vice PresidentVice President
Operations ManagerOperations Manager
Purchasing ManagerPurchasing Manager
Purchasing AgentPurchasing Agent
SELLING FIRM BUYING FIRM
The salesperson orchestrates the formation of the partnership by ensuring that the roles
on both sides are introduced and are in communication with each other.

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The Nature of Partnering
Partnering is a way of doing business that
helps salespeople and buyers work together
to achieve mutual and individual goals
Traditional closing methodologies that are
transaction-oriented and often pressure
buyers are not appropriate in partnerships

Figure 11.3
Elements of Customer Relationships
Excellence
Communications Execution/
Responsiveness
Mutual
Goals
Clear
Expectations
TrustCommitment
Understanding

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Perspectives on Partnering
If the exchange is to be consummated,
salespeople must provide leadership to help
prospects make decisions
Building relationships involves a shift in
emphasis from persuasion to motivation
Salespeople must help prospects make the
long-term commitment to purchase

From the perspective of
relationships, two things are critical:
Failure to reach a decision is never fatal!
Success is never final!

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Partnering versus
Other Sales Approaches
Transaction-focused
 A single sale is the focus
Product-focused
 Product solutions are the focus
Business-focused
 Multiple product solutions that address larger business
problems are the focus
Partnership-focused
 Multiple business-focused presentations with the intent
of solving multiple business-wide problems are the focus

Source: Adapted from Dunn, D. T., and C. A. Thomas (1994), “Partnering with Customers,” Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 9(1), 34–40.
Type of
Relationship
Solution
Orientation
How Purchases
Are Made
Buying
Principals
High Partnership-focused
Multiple business
solutions linked across
the customers firm
Buying program
Top
management
Business-focused
Multiple product solutions
linked to solve a
business-wide problem
Buying project
Middle-upper
management
Product-focused
Product plus service
applications
Buying project Department
management
Low Transaction-focused
Features, functions,
price, performance
Transaction User
Complexity
of
Relationship
Figure 11.4
Transaction Relationship
Bandwidth of the Agile Salesperson

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Account Management and Partnering
Salespeople must develop partnership
relations selectively
 Extend account bandwidth in both the
transactional and partnering directions
 Craft relationship strategies that more closely
meet the requirements of customers

Figure 11.5
Managing Account Bandwidth
A = Partnership
B = Individual Transactions
Call1Call1
Call2Call2
Call3Call3
Call4Call4
Sales
Time
A
B

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Basis of The Relationship
Transactional customers
 Core product/service
 Unbundling of product/service offerings
• Most interested in price
Partnership customers
 Augmented products
 Bundling of product/service offerings

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Unbundling
Unbundling is focused on taking away the
product/service features that the customer
does not need or want to meet demands for
lower prices

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Bundling
Bundling is focused on offering augmented
products/services to meet specific customer
needs and wants that go beyond the basic
capabilities of the core product/service
Refer to Table 11.3--Ways to Augment Product Offerings

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Customer Equity
Customer equity is the value of a complete
set of resources, both tangible and
intangible, that customers invest in a supplier
firm
 Tangible investments include products, services,
and money
 Intangible investments include commitment and
trust

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Becoming the Preferred Supplier
The best way for salespeople to become
preferred suppliers is to build such a high
level of goodwill that customers always
think of them and their sales organizations
first

Salespeople are an integral
part of the total package
provided to customers

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 Today…
Chapter 11 – Completion and
Partnering
Questions & Knowledge-Building
Three-Minute “After Rejection”
Review/Preview

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