Alternative-Choice Close
Offer two ways to say yes instead of a yes-or-no, so the buyer chooses how to proceed rather than whether to.
How it sounds
- Buyer I'm still thinking about it.
- You Would you rather start on the monthly plan or the annual?
- Result They pick one, and the deal moves forward.
The full entry
The alternative-choice close (sometimes called the “either/or” close) replaces a single yes-or-no question with a choice between two positive options. Both answers move the deal forward. “Would you rather start on the monthly plan or the annual?” or “Do you want delivery Tuesday or Thursday?” The buyer’s attention shifts from deciding whether to buy to deciding which version.
Use it once the buyer is clearly interested but hasn’t committed. Keep both options ones you are happy to close on, and keep it to two; three or more turns it back into open deliberation.
It works because a narrow choice is easier to make than an open one, and it quietly assumes the purchase. It backfires if the buyer isn’t sold yet, since the forced choice then feels like a trap and they will reject the frame. This is long-standing sales-floor technique with no single documented originator.