The Invitational Close by Brian Tracy

The Invitational Close is simple, low-key, classy and powerful. You use it at the end of a sales conversation to conclude the transaction. It is preceded by a Trial Close such as: "Mr. Prospect, do you have any questions or concerns that I haven't covered up to now?" Or, "Mr. Prospect, does this make sense to you, so far?"

Probe for Lingering Objections
You ask these questions to be doubly sure that the prospect has no final objections lurking in the back of his mind that would block the closing of the sales process. You then invite the customer to make a buying decision by saying, "If you like what I've shown you, why don't you give it a try?"

Invite the Customer to Buy
Inviting the customer to buy is very powerful. This is a gentle way of nudging the customer into taking action. "Why don't you give it a try?" If you are selling services, you can ask, "Why don't you give us a try?" If you want to be more bold and direct, you can simply ask, "Why don't you take it?"

Change Your Wording
One of my seminar graduates doubled his sales by changing his words in the endgame of selling. After his sales presentation he would ask the prospect if he had any additional questions or concerns. If the prospect said "no," he would then ask, "Well, if you like it, why don't you take it?"

He was amazed to find that many prospects could not think of a good reason not to go ahead with his offering immediately. Both his closing ratio and his income soared.

Action Exercises
Here is something you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

The next time you complete your sales presentation, simply issue an invitation to the customer to make a decision. “Why don’t you give it a try?”

You may be surprised at your success.

Work Life Balance: Three Tips to Help Small Businesses Work Smarter, Not Harder

MISSISSAUGA, ON, July 13, 2011/CNW/ - Small business owners walk the work-life balance tightrope differently than the rest of us. Because their working lives are spent on their own business, they're more likely to put in extra hours and still feel they've got more balance than a typical employee. Intuit Canada, makers of QuickBooks accounting software, have released the findings of a national pool on work-life balance among small business owners and is offering expert tips to help them make the most of the time they spend on their business.

The recent national survey commissioned by Intuit found 88 per cent of the small business owners said they were satisfied with the balance between their personal and professional pursuits. The majority (84%) also feel they have a better balance than if they worked for someone else.

"Small business owners have told us before, work-life balance is as important to them as finding and keeping customers," said Barb Anderson, QuickBooks product marketing leader. "Through QuickBooks, we help them carve out time for balance by providing tools that help organize and manage their business finances easily and more efficiently."

Accomplishment Plus Control Equals Satisfaction

Work-life balance is often measured by comparing the amount of time spent on the job against time spent on personal pursuits. However, 97 per cent of small business owners and their view differs from the norm.

"Even though nearly half of respondents (46%) said they work beyond 40 hours a week, it's the sense of ownership over the work they do, the ability to set their own schedule and do what they want when they want that contributes to their sense of balance," said Anderson.

Three Tips to Find Balance Through Finances

"Working smarter, not harder is the key to making the most of the time small business owners choose to devote their work and personal lives," said Anderson. "We talk to entrepreneurs every day and invariably, those who embraced the right tools and strategies are better able to balance their schedules."

To help small busines owners improve their work-life balance, Anderson offered the following tips to help save time when managing finances:

• Get organized: Having your financial records scattered among a host of file folders or different programs on your laptop is inefficient. Financial management software provides a one-stop snapshot of money coming in and going out of your business so you always know where you stand.


• Stop stuffing envelopes: Send invoices through email and eliminate the time it takes to print, prepare and post them. In addition to cutting out the trip to the mail box, it gets invoices in the hands of your customers immediately.


• Save time with your accountant: Don't pay your accountant to spend time sorting through your shoe box of receipts. You'll make the most of your meetings by getting organized ahead of time, and getting the strategic advice you need to move your business forward.

For more information about the time-saving benefits of QuickBooks accounting software, visit quickbooks.ca