Welcome to the Barry Farah Show, serving you to sell more. Follow at Barry Farah. Hello. I hope you're doing well and welcome back. Today's single skill will improve your close rate with less effort. It's simple and powerful. It captures the concept of may we decide today. Now, in the last episode, we reestablished honoring the customer when we came back from the truck into their home. We cleaned up in the truck, came back into their home, and continued building our architecture of trust. We're seated with the customer. So up to this point, we've built rapport, discovered issues, come back and built some rapport again, and now we're about to explain solutions. But before that, the next phrase spoken with a kind demeanor sounds like this. Before I walk through the options, may I ask you a fair question? Let me just first of all say, no is okay. Yes, of course, is my favorite. I'll respect either one, but could we agree to decide today one way or the other? Now that's not a setup. You're not asking the customer to buy before they have heard the facts. You're just being real. You're simply asking whether the two of you can work toward a clear decision instead of drifting into a vague, let me think about it. A lot of sales training has taught technicians and comfort consultants the wrong thing here. And there's two ways to get this wrong. One's the hard-driving high-pressure version. And this is where the salesperson turns the decision into a trap. For example, my boss said I can only offer this price while I'm here. Well, that's not selling with integrity. The other mistake is the passive, unclear, non-direct approach. And this is where the consultant avoids a time-based decision entirely because they don't want to feel like they're being pushy. They present the options, they answer questions, and then they drift into think it over and let me know. That is not selling with integrity either. It doesn't complete the process and it doesn't elevate the standard. We do not force a yes and we don't disappear into a vagueness, but it's fair to ask, can we work together to make a decision one way or the other today? Now, customer psychology supports this. When the customer hears a question about deciding today, their protective system may get alerted. The amygdala starts asking, Am I being pressured? Am I about to lose control? Is this the point where the salesperson gets real manipulative? That's why the wording really matters. You're not saying, will you buy today? You are saying, if this makes sense, can we decide one way or the other? Now that gives the customer room to say yes or no, and that does lower the pressure. When the customer understands that no is still an acceptable answer, the prefrontal cortex has a better chance to stay engaged, and that's what you want. Now they can listen, compare options, ask questions, and think clearly instead of protecting themselves with their amygdala from you. I didn't always understand this in my early days of selling. I couldn't wait to get to the solutions. I assumed that if the reasoning was strong enough, pure rationale would get that customer to decide quickly. I was wrong. I learned that identifying possible delay points early is very helpful for everyone. I also learned that respectful directness is not pressure. It serves the customer. Here are the micro steps. First, while you're getting seated and settled, smile with kindness, but don't talk. Second, signal that you're about to explain the solutions. Before I explain each of the options to solve your problem, may I ask you a fair question? Third, lower the pressure by making the decision mutual and clear. If what I show you makes sense, may we decide today one way or the other. And then fourth, pause and let the customer answer. Fifth, if they say yes, acknowledge it very simply. Thank you. Shouldn't be that big of a deal. Here's how it might sound in a real call after you're seated. Let's say you're the comfort consultant. Before I walk through the options, may I ask you a fair question? Let me just say, no is okay. Yes is, of course, my favorite, and I'll respect either one. But may we agree to decide today, one way or the other? The customer might say, you mean decide whether we want to buy something from you? And then you would say, Yes. Not before you understand the options, of course. I'm just asking if after I explain the solutions, in honor of the time that we're both investing, can we work toward a clear yes or no today? Most often, the customer, if you're that clear, will say, that's fair. And then you simply say, thank you. Now, what do you say if the customer says no? Remain respectful, but express the reality of the situation. Okay, that's certainly your choice. Let me briefly just explain why I asked. My company invests a lot in each visit. You got the vehicle, insurance, the truck inventory, and the time required to do the job well. When I can be thorough and efficient at the same time, while I'm already here, it really helps avoid unnecessary extra trips. It keeps the process less expensive. Having said that, I will respect your answer. Let me just do the very best I can now to explain the solutions. Just notice the phrase one way or the other. That phrase matters. It keeps the question honest because no remains available. When no is available, yes becomes cleaner. You're not cornering the customer, you're inviting clarity. Selling with integrity means you're not using the decision question to trap the customer. You're listening carefully, organizing clearly, and leading respectfully. You're giving the customer the dignity of a real choice and giving yourself the discipline of a clear process. The leadership takeaway is simple. Don't confuse clarity with pressure. Respect the person, respect the home, and respect the decision-making process. When you ask, may we decide today in some form or another, you're not presuming on the customer. You're honoring the invitation to be in their home by being honest about where the conversation is headed. Next time we're going to talk about what to say after the customer has agreed to work toward a clear decision. We'll describe how to set it up to explain the solutions in a way that's clear, honest, and easy to follow. Until then, respect the person, complete the process, and elevate the standard. I hope this equips you to go make a difference today. Thank you for listening. Follow Barry Farah on your favorite podcast platform at Barry Farah.