Assessment On: Closing Customers Faster by Slowing Down by Andy Elliott

Welcome to Your Assessment Test

Topic: 10-Sales Training // Closing Customers Faster by Slowing Down by Andy Elliott

This assessment is designed to evaluate your understanding of the key concepts covered in Closing Customers Faster by Slowing Down by Andy Elliott. Topics include the distinction between advancing a sale and closing a sale, identifying the true cause of objections using the binary objection diagnostic, and understanding why slowing down communication at critical moments can increase trust, clarity, and commitment.

The assessment also covers effective closing strategies such as the sniper versus machine gun principle of communication, the Google-it close, the commitment evidence close, the third-party close technique, and methods for helping prospects gain the confidence needed to make decisions they are already inclined to make. These concepts are designed to improve closing effectiveness while reducing resistance and pressure during the sales process.

Assessment Instructions

The assessment consists of 10 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs).
Each question carries 1 mark.
Only one option is correct for each question.
There are no negative marks for incorrect answers.
Questions skipped or left unanswered will be considered as 0 marks.
Retakes are not permitted once the assessment has been submitted.
The total duration of the assessment is 15 minutes.
The timer will start automatically once you enter your Name and Email Address and click on "Start Test".
Ensure you have a stable internet connection and complete the assessment within the allotted time.
Read each question carefully and submit your responses before the timer expires.

All the best!

Name

According to Andy when a prospect says 'I need to think about it' after all numbers are on the table what are the only two real reasons behind this objection?

They either no longer want the product — which Andy dismisses as unlikely if they got this far — or something within the numbers is concerning them. Andy asks them to identify which of three specific numbers is the issue

They want to compare prices with a competitor or they need more time

They need to speak to their spouse or they have a different product in mind

They are not the decision maker or they cannot afford the product

What is third party closing according to Andy Elliott?

Using a reference from a competitor's unhappy customer

Bringing a third colleague onto the call to support the close

Asking a satisfied client to speak to the prospect on a three-way call

Telling a story about someone else — not the prospect — who faced the same situation and experienced the transformation so the prospect can relate without feeling the direct pressure of being sold to

According to Andy what does 'do you know why I do this?' accomplish at the start of a personal story close?

It is a compliance technique to get the prospect to say yes before the story

It signals that the salesperson is about to give their professional credentials

It creates a pattern interrupt — the prospect was not expecting the salesperson to reveal something personal — which lowers their guard and shifts the dynamic from sales pitch to genuine human connection making them more receptive to what follows

It signals that the call is about to end

Andy's father story in the third party close is specifically designed to work when a prospect is wavering rather than firmly objecting. What is the precise emotional mechanism that makes a personal story more effective than a logical argument at the moment of wavering?

Personal stories take the pressure off the salesperson allowing them to close indirectly

Personal stories work because prospects are more likely to verify anecdotes than statistics

Personal stories are more memorable than logical arguments

At the moment of wavering the prospect is not in a logical state — they are in an emotional one. They want to say yes but something is holding them back. A logical argument engages the part of the brain that is already resistant. A personal story bypasses rational resistance entirely and speaks directly to the emotional system — the prospect does not evaluate the story for logical validity they feel it. Andy's father story produces empathy hope and identification — all emotional states that dissolve the wavering and replace it with courage

What does Andy say you should do with your speed of speech when a prospect starts stalling or resisting?

Maintain your current pace to avoid signaling that you noticed the resistance

Speed up to maintain energy and prevent them from disengaging

Slow down — make your words more deliberate and precise to make their ears work and pull them into what you are saying

Switch to a louder volume to recapture their attention

Andy's binary close diagnostic — 'it's usually one of two things' — immediately after think-it-over is a technique that narrows the conversation to a specific actionable question. What is the deeper communication principle that makes presenting a framework — 'it's usually one of two things' — more persuasive than launching directly into objection handling?

Presenting a framework before addressing the objection demonstrates expertise — it signals that you have seen this situation many times and understand its structure. This positions the salesperson as a trusted authority who has diagnosed this pattern before rather than a person scrambling to find a response. A prospect who hears 'I've been doing this a long time and when people say this it's usually one of two things' experiences the salesperson as a guide rather than an adversary which dramatically changes their receptiveness to what follows

Frameworks are only effective with analytical prospects who appreciate structure

Frameworks sound more professional and credible to prospects

Frameworks work because they slow down the conversation and give the prospect time to process

Andy's binary diagnostic — 'it's usually one of two things' — narrows the think-it-over objection to either the product or the numbers. Why does narrowing to two specific options produce more actionable information than asking an open-ended 'what's on your mind?'

An open-ended question allows the prospect to give a vague or deflecting answer — 'I just need time' — that gives the salesperson nothing to work with. A binary diagnostic forces the prospect to commit to one of two specific categories either of which reveals exactly what objection to address. Precision in the question produces precision in the answer

Narrowing to two options reduces the likelihood of the prospect revealing an unworkable objection

Binary questions are more polite than open-ended questions

Open-ended questions take too long to answer in a closing context

Andy uses 'research shows' as an authority frame. How should a telecaller apply this technique responsibly — and what is the risk of overusing it or using it inaccurately?

Research shows should always be followed by a specific citation to be credible

Research shows should be avoided because it cannot be verified on a call

Used selectively on genuinely significant claims 'research shows' creates an authority anchor that elevates the claim above personal opinion and signals external validation. Overused it becomes a hollow verbal tic that prospects recognize as a filler phrase and discount. Used inaccurately on claims that cannot be substantiated it creates a trust liability — if the prospect later finds the claim was unsupported it damages the relationship permanently. The technique works best as a rare precise tool for the most important claim in your pitch

Research shows is only credible when the specific research can be named immediately

Andy says the commitment evidence close — 'you wouldn't have made the call if you weren't willing to make a decision' — reframes the purchase as following through rather than deciding. Why is following through psychologically easier than deciding for most prospects?

Deciding feels like a new risk with uncertain outcomes — the brain's loss aversion system resists it. Following through on an existing commitment feels like honoring something already chosen — consistency not risk. By showing the prospect they already made the commitment when they clicked the ad or filled out the form Andy shifts the frame from 'should I do this?' to 'I already decided — I'm just completing it' which removes the primary source of resistance

Following through is easier because the financial commitment is already made

Following through only works when the prospect is already in a positive emotional state

Following through requires less information than deciding

10.

What does Andy mean by 'let me lend you the courage to make the decision'?

Acknowledging that the prospect wants to say yes but is held back by fear and positioning the salesperson as someone who will carry the courage they lack just long enough for them to make the decision — because the salesperson has seen the outcome and knows it is right for them

Offering a money-back guarantee to reduce financial risk

Pressuring the prospect by saying the offer will expire soon

Asking the prospect to make the decision on behalf of their family

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