Sales 101 – The Order Form Close

Articles, Selling

This article is a part of our Sales 101 series. On those occasions where assumptive closing techniques don’t take care of securing the order by themselves, but always used in conjunction with them, my trusty fallback has always been the order form close. It gets better. 

I have turned in orders with so many contingencies, to be approved by management, that they would generally throw up their hands and yell “OK!!!”. Mind you, I would never notate a contingency unless I was close to 100% positive that it would be accepted by management, but the process still carries a perverted pleasure for me:)

While the order forms looked like they were trampled by a chicken with muddy feet, it’s pretty easy to do. Start off by suggesting that you review the order with your client, line by line. While we are at it, I have always believed in having very detailed and specific contracts vs. you buy “x” and it will cost you “y”.

Well, not always. There are a lot of reasons for this and we can start and end with making sure that everyone knows, in writing, exactly what is going to happen. No selective hearing. No misunderstandings. I almost learned this the hard way when a customer, upon delivery, asked me where “z” was.

Fortunately for me, this customer insisted that I spell everything out on the contract before he would sign it. At the time, I thought of it as unnecessary and a huge pain in my ass. Imagine my glee in presenting the signed document where item “z” was not mentioned. I instantly became a born again contract detailer.

Back to the contract. Review each line and ask if it looks ok or if they have any questions. If yes, go to the next line. Rinse and repeat for the remaining line items. Now, if they need a little clarification, easy. Hand write it in and both you and the client initial it. 

What if they want something changed that is a little more substantial? Write it in, write that it is contingent on your manager’s approval, and have them initial it to signify that this is what they want. Finally, “please place your John Hancock here and please press hard for multiple copies”.

Four important things are happening as we do this …

  1. Getting the order form out is always a step in the right direction.
  2. They are getting used to writing their name and … they have a pen.
  3. You have not killed the opportunity by suggesting that you come back later with a clean order form.
  4. You are not leaving to get manager approval and then coming back. You have a signed order. It might look like hell but, it’s still a signed order.

Another contingency might be based on their manager’s approval or even having “x” time to change their mind. No problemo. In their minds, they have made the decision and they are off the market. It’s a relief for them to tell your competitor that they decided to go another direction.

In all my years, and that is 40+, I honestly cannot remember a single deal like this which was ever cancelled by the customer or refused by management. Of course, there is always that risk, but if you have created a relationship of trust with your client and your manager, and if you don’t push your contingencies beyond an acceptable limit, you should be golden!

Craig M. Jamieson

Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services
Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!
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