This one simple sales tactic brought in an extra $15,000 the first week we implemented it.
- There’s nothing fancy, “salesy,” or high pressure about it.
- It’s dead simple. You can learn and implement it on a sales call starting 5 mins from now.
CAVEAT: It does take confidence & a bit of courage. But I’m going to show you exactly how I do it down to an actual script you can use to try it yourself.
The Tactic
The tactic is to ALWAYS ask for payment on the call and do it without pressuring the prospect.
The concept is simple, the execution is nuanced.
The “without pressuring” is where most people do this wrong. It can be very awkward or very natural depending on how you do it.
I’m going to show you how to ask for payment on the call in a natural, low pressure, but effective way.
Why You Need to Close on the Call
There are more benefits than just more revenue. Closing on the call will revolutionize the way your business works. Here are some of those benefits.
- Being on the call with them creates a subtle tension they can only release by completing payment or engaging you directly with objections (also good).
- If you end sales calls with “I’ll send you an email” you are being too nice & it’s costing you sales.
You’re basically telling them to hang up and come back to thinking about your business in a day or two. It kills the momentum from your call. - You’d be amazed how many people have issues during online checkout. If you’re not on the call with them, you’re powerless to save the sale.
How to Close on the Call (script)
Do this near the end of the sales call when you are ready to close. Before the close it’s essential you have handled as many of their objections as possible, otherwise asking for payment will just trigger their objections anyway.
By this point they should already know the price. Don’t try to close them before revealing the price, that will trigger red flags with them. For this to seem natural & non-pushy they cannot feel like they’re being tricked into paying.
Step 1: Test Their Certainty
Test their certainty with one final check in. This is important because closing on the call will not work unless they are actually interested in your offer and you’ve done a good job of killing objections.
- You say: “Ok great, so I think we’ve covered everything we need to here. Just want to make sure before moving on, does this look like what you had in mind? Would this help your situation right now?”
If they seem fairly certain, move on to step 2. If they give ANY answer that is less than certain, you need to dig into their objections. You can say something like “You don’t seem so certain, and I want to make sure this is actually right for you. What specifically are you unsure about?”
Step 2: Assume the Close
Assume the close! Because you tested their certainty, it doesn’t seem out of nowhere. The key here is to confidently guide them to the payment step as if this is just how the process works. It should seem that this is just the normal onboarding process.
- You say: “Ok great, so the next step is to pay. I just sent you the payment link in the Zoom chat, do you see that?”
Then you wait for them to respond. Move to step 3 based on what they say.
Step 3: Handle Objections
- Outcome A: No Objections.
They go along with it and complete the payment. This means you did a great job of communicating the value of your offer and finding/ eliminating objections.
- They say: “Umm, okay give me a moment to grab my card.”
- You say: “Ok no worries, I’ll just do some stuff in the background here so let me know when that’s gone through & I’ll walk you through onboarding.”
I say that to let them know I will stay on the call with them until they complete the payment. Otherwise they’ll often try to say “Ok
- They say: “Umm, okay give me a moment to grab my card.”
- Outcome B: They lightly object.
This could mean they still have objections you haven’t addressed yet, or maybe they are not fully convinced of the value of your offer.
- They say: “Oh, you mean I have to pay now?”
- You say: “I mean it’s just easiest if we do it now while I’m here so I can walk you through the onboarding. But we can do it later if you need. [Is cashflow tight right?] / [Do you need approval from your partner?]
If they’re not read to pay now there is always a reason. Some objection you haven’t addressed or they’ve not convinced the value you provide is worth the cost.
- They say: “Oh, you mean I have to pay now?”
- Outcome C: They disqualify themselves.
This usually means you didn’t do a good job testing their certainty in step 1. For this prospect you may get somewhere by digging out objections, but you may have to shift into the goal of booking a second call instead of closing the sale now.
- They say: “I’m not ready to pay now/ I’m not sure yet.” Etc
- You say: “Ok no worries. So is it something specific about the offer you’re unsure of or something else?”
If they don’t seem to be warming up to you, the final thing would be to book a follow up call with them before ending the call.
Your reason for doing this ideally ties into one of their objections.
– Talking to their business partner or spouse.
– Checking their finances to make sure they can afford it. Etc.
You can say: “Ok so how about this, do you think you can have that conversation with your partner before next Monday?”
[they respond]
You: “Ok perfect, so how about we set up a second call on Tuesday same time as this call. Then we can go over anything else that comes up there.”
Then you open your calendar and actually book the slot and sent the calendar invite with them on the call. Trust me, they are 10x more likely to agree to a follow up call if you do this now rather than by email later.
They don’t’ always show up for the second call, but it’s a hell of a lot better than hoping they respond to your follow up emails and gives you more agility to respond to different objections.
- They say: “I’m not ready to pay now/ I’m not sure yet.” Etc
Step 3.5: Troubleshoot payment issues/ cold feet (optional)
You would be surprised how many people encounter an issue while making online payments. It’s important to stay on the call so you can provide solutions immediately & lower risk of losing the sale.
If you’re not closing on the call, you’re losing some of these sales you could have easily saved.
Common Payment Issues
- Card declined due to daily/ transaction limit: Create 2 split payments.
- Any issue with credit card: Ask I they have PayPal or can do bank transfer.
- Payment link not working: Ask them to try a different browser or ask them for their card number so you can input it from your end.
Step 4: Guide Them Through Onboarding
This step is GOLD & will make client onboarding much smoother. No matter how streamlined your onboarding process is, some clients always get confused, procrastinate, or forget what you told them to do in the first place.
Being on the call with them eliminates confusion & provides a bit of social pressure to complete the onboarding process now rather than later. Stay on just long enough to show them around and give them a gentle nudge.
Another benefit of this step is lowering refunds. Sometimes people get post-sale-regret after the dopamine from the sales call wears off. By walking them through the onboarding and setting good expectations post sale, you are lowering the chance of that happening.
They will feel more assured that they’re in good hands and you have their back.
Get Out and Try Closing on the Call!
Before I tried it, I didn’t believe it would have such a big impact. And I was nervous I would lose sales, feel “salesy” or that no one would do it.
All those feelings were wrong. Once I closed my first sale on the call, the flood gates were open and we reaped the benefits permanently after that.
After doing it 5 or 10 times it really does feel natural. So for your next sales call, try it out and see for yourself!
