152) While closing, the salesperson said, “Why don’t we compromise? I can give you a one-year
parts and labor warranty on our vacuum-laminating machine if you withdraw your demand for a
cash discount.” What kind of close is the salesperson using?
153) Stage Technologies is a London-based company that supplies engineering solutions for the
entertainment industry. It has helped the boy-band Westlife make a flying entrance onto stage
and provided stage-rigging packages for Princess Cruise vessels. The company was established
in 1994 after a couple of production designers decided that the automation of theater productions
could be done more safely and more efficiently by using modular production rather than the old
“build-as-needed” formula. The company installs wenches, stage lifts, and other equipment
commonly used in stage productions. The equipment is designed so it can be operated from a
single console without awkward or heavy lifting. Both opera companies and theaters see the
benefit of such a system, but many are reluctant to buy because of perceived costs. John Hastie
and Mark Ager, the company’s best salespeople, must design sales presentations that address
these concerns.
When a theater owner asks Hastie, “How can your rigging safely lift a 250-pound tenor ten-feet
off the ground and gently return him to the ground with little physical effort?” Hastie should
interpret this question as:
A) a disruptor.
B) a buying signal.
C) the end of the presentation.
D) a polite no-need objection.
E) a demand for negotiation.