One way to structure the closing section is the conditional closure, a simple but very powerful closing question. In its most basic form, the conditional closure looks like this:

If I can do x, you will do y.

Where X you are responding to a potential customer’s objection and there is the prospect who agrees to buy.

The structure of this closing question may seem familiar because people use it in their personal lives all the time. For example, a teen might ask her parents, “If I fill the car with gas, will you let me use it on Friday night?” Or an employee might say to his boss, “If I finish these reports, can I go home early?”

It’s incredibly effective because it makes a promise of action in exchange for another promise of action: the commitment is built in. Instead of providing the solution and then asking about the business, this closing question ties the two together, making it easier for the prospect to say yes.

For example, when price is an issue, the conditional close can be structured as: “If I can fit this into your quote/If I can reduce the price by $200/If I can guarantee that this is the lowest price, could I? would you like to go with us?” When prospects commit to that scenario, they are actually committing to the sale (as long as the salesperson keeps their promise). Or if the issue was delivery time, you might say to yourself, “If we can guarantee delivery for next week, you’ll work with us.”

This is not designed to trap them into buying, but to provide a logical flow to the closing process. It also provides a way to discover hidden objections. In the pricing example above, if the prospect didn’t commit to buy even if it was within budget, there’s probably another objection to the sale.

Conditional closing is a powerful tool in any salesperson’s toolbox. Practice it and watch your results improve.