By Harry J. Friedman Founder/CEO, The Friedman Group

The costs involved in running a retail store are numerous. There's rent, insurance, utilities, supplies, advertising, etc. Every time a customer walks into your store and purchases one item, the cost of the item must first be subtracted from the retail price. Then an amount to compensate for the general expenses must be subtracted. After all of these expenses, there is little left over for profit. However, every time you can sell one customer more than one item, the extra item you sell (less the actual cost of the additional merchandise) is virtually all profit.

Selling one item to each customer keeps us in business. Selling additional items allows us to grow and be profitable. The trial close is the step in which you try to add on to the customer's main purchase. The trial close is not the time to add on an automatic icemaker to the purchase of a new refrigerator. Those are no-brainer add-ons that you attempt to add on with every single customer. The customers might need accessory items to go with their main purchase anyway. Come on, show some spirit! I'm really talking about selling them another appliance-a storage freezer perhaps, or a new microwave (dishwasher, oven, etc.) so the appliances in their kitchen will be perfectly coordinated.

If you did a good job of probing, you should have a logical reason for suggesting certain additional items. You will be rewarded by selling more items to more customers. If you did a poor job of probing and must always make random guesses at what to try and add-on, you may be perceived as pushy by the customer.

We can't expect every customer to buy everything we suggest. But if every salesperson asked every customer to buy additional merchandise every single time, add-on sales would increase and so would profit. But let's be honest for a moment. If you've been working with a customer for 45 minutes trying to sell them the right refrigerator, when the customer finally does says yes, aren't you reluctant to suggest the matching stove to go along with it? Aren't you a little frightened to even ask for fear of losing the sale on the refrigerator? Or, after you've finally been able to get them to see the value of purchasing a more expensive appliance, you think it's stupid to ask the customer to now think about spending even more? Well, it's not your responsibility to make up the customer's mind. However, it is your responsibility to always attempt an add-on. Let the customers say no themselves. You'll be surprised at how many times they say yes.

For the trial close to be most effective, you should use it directly after the demonstration. This is when the customers' enthusiasm to buy is at its peak and their minds are most open to buying. If you wait until after they decide on the main item, they are already thinking about how the appliance will look in their kitchen or how nice it will be to finally have more freezer space. The last thing on their mind then is spending more money.

Certainly everyone can relate to that moment with the customer when there is an uncomfortable pause. You have pointed out the benefits of the item you are demonstrating and nothing is happening. The salesperson should be asking the customer to buy or the customer should be saying, "I'll take it," but neither is happening. It is time to ask the customer to buy, and it is also time to add on.

First, you must assume the customer is going to buy the main item. That may sound pushy to many of you. Well, if you didn't do a very good job of opening the sale and breaking down resistance, discovering what the customer really wanted and why during probing, and delivering what the customer wanted in the demonstration, the trial close would be pushy. You must earn the right to trial close.

The trial close should always be phrased as a question. I prefer to begin with "How about . . ." since it sounds spontaneous and less aggressive than most other ways I've encountered. Next, comes the add-on item. But don't just mention the add-on item; be a painter. Make it sound pretty or functional or special. For example, don't try to add on just an armoire; try to add on a "perfectly matched armoire." Use a word or phrase that I call the must have. This word or phrase encourages the customer to feel as though the add-on is essential. For example, suppose you say, "How about the matching armoire with optional shelving that can convert from an entertainment center to additional clothing space to enhance the versatility of your new bedroom set?" Virtually every customer should be able to relate to how nice it is to have a piece of furniture with versatile storage space as their needs change. Phrases like "to complete," "to coordinate," "to expand the versatility" are all great examples. Try to use words that tie the add-on to the main item. Then use the word "you" or "your" in reference to the main item, to give the customer automatic ownership. For example:

"How about this hand-crafted cedar hope chest so your daughter can have a special place to put all the things that are so precious to her and her future dreams to go along with her bedroom set?"

"How about the matching headboard to enhance the look of your new bedroom set?"

Taking the opportunity to trial close guarantees one of the following responses from your customer:

1) No, I'll just take the main item. (Break my heart!) 2) I'll take the main item and the additional item. (Say hallelujah!) 3) I want to shop around a little more./The price is too high./I want to think it over./This is the first place I've looked.

In the first two cases, you win! If the customer objects to the add-on item, you've still made the sale of the primary item. If the customer is open to taking a look at the additional item, you can assume you have closed the sale on the primary item. One action you should take then is to remove the main item from the scene before actually showing the add-on. Sometimes, it may be appropriate to say, "Why don't we take a walk over here so I can show you. . ." This gives you further commitment from the customer to buy at least the main item. You don't want to risk overwhelming the customers and having them decide that they need to think the whole deal over a little more.

If the customer objects to buying the main item, you are still in a better position than you think. Many salespeople hear objections at many different times during their presentations. Objections can come at anytime and you may not be prepared to handle them. At this point in the sale, you are looking for an objection because you know the sale cannot be closed if there is an obstacle in the way. You caused the customer to voice the objection and provided yourself with the opportunity to overcome it. You are in control.

Adding on is the second most important action salespeople take when they are on the sales floor. Remember, selling every customer one item just keeps you in business; selling additional items makes you profitable!