10-Sales Training // 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 what does 'thought is instantaneous' mean in the context of the think-it-over objection?

Actual thought happens in an instant — if they need to 'think about it' they actually need more information not more time. The objection is really an information gap in disguise

Salespeople should respond to objections instantly without pausing

Prospects decide whether to buy in the first 30 seconds of a call

People think too slowly to make good decisions in a sales environment

What does Andy Elliott mean by 'advancing the sale forward'?

Moving the conversation past an objection or resistance point to reach the next stage — such as going from the door to the table or from the phone to a meeting — rather than attempting a full close

Increasing the price of the offer during negotiation

Sending a follow-up email after a call

Moving to a higher-value product after the prospect shows interest

According to Andy what is the 'commitment evidence close'?

Using a contract to lock the prospect into the purchase

Pointing out that the prospect already demonstrated their commitment by taking action — clicking the ad filling out the form showing up — which means the decision was already made. The salesperson simply reflects this back to them

Showing the prospect previous client testimonials as evidence of results

Asking the prospect to sign a letter of commitment before the close

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?'

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

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

Andy teaches third party closing as a way to remove the direct selling pressure. In a phone-based telecalling environment how should a telecaller structure a third party close to make it maximally effective?

Third party stories should be kept very brief — under 30 seconds — to avoid losing attention on a call

Third party stories should always end with specific data and statistics to be credible

The story should feature someone who faced the exact same situation and objection as the current prospect experienced the transformation the product delivers and have a specific emotional outcome that mirrors what the prospect said they want. Delivered in a concerned tone after the prospect shows wavering commitment the story redirects the sales energy away from the prospect so they can emotionally engage with the outcome without defensiveness

The third party story should be delivered at the beginning of the call to build credibility

What does Andy say it means to 'speak to one person as if speaking to ten thousand'?

Use public speaking techniques like pausing and projecting

Speak loudly and formally even in one-on-one conversations

Prepare standard presentations that can scale to large audiences

Bring the full focus energy and intentionality to every individual conversation that a public speaker brings to a stadium — making the prospect feel they are the centre of your universe not just another call

According to Andy why is advancing the sale more appropriate than closing at an early stage of a conversation?

Prospects cannot make financial decisions at early stages

Early-stage closing is only inappropriate for high-ticket products

Advancing the sale is only relevant in face-to-face interactions

Closing requires full information to be on the table — if numbers have not been disclosed and the prospect has not fully engaged with the solution an attempted close will be premature and will trigger resistance. Advancing the sale moves them to the stage where a close is appropriate

Andy teaches that every person on a call was 'praying and hoping someone would bring a real solution to their problem.' How does holding this belief change a telecaller's emotional state during difficult calls and what impact does that state change have on outcomes?

It makes the telecaller more patient with difficult prospects

Holding this belief reframes every call from an intrusion into a service mission — the telecaller is not bothering someone they are answering a prayer. This shifts the internal emotional state from apologetic to purposeful which produces different vocal tone different persistence and different willingness to push through resistance. A caller who believes the prospect needs them sounds fundamentally different from one who feels they are imposing

This belief only applies to inbound calls where the prospect reached out first

This belief makes the telecaller more likely to offer discounts

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

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

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

Personal stories are more memorable than logical arguments

What does Andy mean by the 'sniper vs machine gun' analogy in sales?

Snipers work alone while machine gunners work in teams

A sniper closes on the first call while a machine gunner makes many calls

A sniper uses one precisely chosen word or question to hit the exact point that moves the prospect — a machine gun sprayer throws many words hoping something lands often accidentally preventing the close by saying the wrong thing

Snipers target high-value prospects while machine gunners target volume

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