You may have heard of the puppy dog close, which comes from sales training lore of the 1990s. And it still resonates today.
My car packed up before the first Lockdown, so I needed a car for a New Year weekend trip to Mevagissey in Cornwall. My 22-year-old stepdaughter Jess came with us and her super hip best mate, Georgie, studying graphic design at Uni. They are ultra-modern thinking young people who resonate with all the trends of the contemporary era.
My Mitsubishi garage took my old car in for mending and lent me their top of the range electric PHEV for the weekend. I’d always wanted to drive one anyway but thought it might echo my credentials to these two young people.
What a car. The PHEV is electric, sublimely quiet and very powerful. We effortlessly flew the M5, subtly cruised the Cornish ports narrow lanes silently and topped the car up with clean, odourless electricity.
Compliments abounded for my choice and progressive attitude to the environment, and I loved it. So much so that I wanted to buy one.
I’d been hooked by the Puppy Dog close, and you can guess where and which car I test drove that weekend. And the car salesperson chuckled in the corner. She knew about the puppy dog close and advised the service manager to lend me a PHEV.
You can use the puppy dog close by giving the client a taste of your product or service. Next month, I’m selling coaching to my database and offering a 30-minute taster to try it out first. A friend of mine advises on equity release and spends time allowing the customer to dream of where and how they will spend the money before she talks about Equity Release Packages.
It is all about letting the little child take home the puppy dog for the weekend to try it out. They will fall in love with the bundle of fluff and beg mummy to buy the puppy as soon as the store opens on Monday.
