Yes. Based on the actual contents of The Lost Art of Closing, I would write Step 5 somewhat differently from my earlier draft.

The key recommendation is this:

Do not teach Step 5 as “make a presentation and then close.” Teach it as “turn a qualified opportunity into a relevant recommendation and gain the commitments that move the customer toward a decision.”

That is much closer to Iannarino’s framework. The book explicitly frames closing around ten commitments across the buying journey rather than treating closing as one final event. (Google Books)

I would also leave detailed objection/resistance handling for Step 6, even though Chapter 11 is in this book. That preserves the progression of your EVUNN roadmap.

Here is the version I recommend.

STEP 5 — PRESENT & CLOSE THE OFFER

The Problem We’re Solving

“I have diagnosed a real customer opportunity, but I don’t know how to turn that diagnosis into an offer the customer can understand, value and confidently decide on.”

In Step 4, you diagnosed the opportunity.

You established:

• The customer’s current state

• Their desired future state

• The gap between the two

• What is causing the gap

• The impact of the gap

• Why the problem matters

• Why change may be necessary

• Whether the opportunity is worth pursuing

You now have something important:

A reason to make a recommendation.

But this is where many experts make another mistake.

They jump from:

“I understand your problem.”

to:

“Here is everything I can do for you.”

They start talking about:

Their expertise

Their credentials

Their methodology

Their services

Their features

Their process

Their experience

Their price

And then they ask:

“What do you think?”

The problem is that the offer has become disconnected from the diagnosis.

The customer may be thinking:

“How does this actually help me close the gap we just discussed?”

Your job in this step is to make that connection clear.

You are moving from:

Diagnosis

↓

Recommendation

↓

Customer Commitment

↓

Decision

THE EVUNN MINDSET SHIFT

From “I need to close the sale” → “I need to gain the next commitment.”

The word closing can make experts uncomfortable.

You may think:

“I don’t want to pressure people.”

So you avoid asking for a decision.

Or you may go in the opposite direction and start trying to persuade the customer.

You explain more.

You add more features.

You defend your price.

You offer discounts.

You keep talking.

But closing does not have to mean forcing someone to buy.

Iannarino’s framework is built around gaining commitments throughout the buying process rather than treating the close as one isolated event. The commitments include time, exploration, change, collaboration, consensus, investment, review, resolving concerns, decision and execution. (Google Books)

For EVUNN, the important shift is:

Your job is not to force a “yes.” Your job is to help the customer make the commitments necessary to move forward.

That means asking:

What does the customer need to commit to next?

What information do they need?

Who else needs to be involved?

Are they committed to change?

Are they willing to collaborate?

Are they willing to invest?

Are they ready to decide?

And once they decide:

Are they ready to execute?

📖 RECOMMENDED BOOK

The Lost Art of Closing

Author: Anthony Iannarino

The Big Idea

Closing is not something you do only at the end of a sales conversation.

It is a process of gaining the commitments that move a customer from their current situation toward the outcome they want.

The book identifies ten major commitments:

Time

↓

Explore

↓

Change

↓

Collaborate

↓

Build Consensus

↓

Invest

↓

Review

↓

Resolve Concerns

↓

Decide

↓

Execute

These commitments do not have to happen in a perfectly linear sequence. But they give you a useful way to understand what needs to happen before an opportunity can move forward. (The Sales Blog)

This is why the book fits Step 5.

You are not learning how to become a pushy salesperson.

You are learning how to guide a qualified customer toward a clear decision.

What Business Problem Does This Book Solve?

“I have a good solution, but my sales conversations stall because the customer doesn’t commit to moving forward.”

You may have:

A real problem

A strong diagnosis

A relevant solution

A good offer

A reasonable price

And still fail to make the sale.

Why?

Because the customer may not yet be committed to:

Changing

Collaborating

Investing

Getting other stakeholders involved

Reviewing the proposal

Resolving concerns

Making a decision

The offer itself is only one part of the process.

SHOULD I READ IT NOW?

YES — selectively.

You do not need to read the entire book before completing Step 5.

Your objective is:

“Learn how to present a recommendation that connects to the customer’s diagnosed opportunity and gain the commitments needed to move that opportunity toward a decision.”

Focus on the chapters that help you do that.

WHICH PARTS MATTER MOST?

CHAPTER 1 — A NEW PHILOSOPHY OF COMMITMENT GAINING

ESSENTIAL

Start here.

This chapter establishes the philosophy behind the entire book.

The important shift is:

Don’t obsess over the final close.

Instead:

Gain the commitment needed to move the process forward.

This changes how you conduct the conversation.

Instead of asking:

“How do I get this person to buy?”

Ask:

“What commitment needs to happen next?”

CHAPTER 2 — CONTROL THE COMMITMENTS AND CONTROL THE PROCESS

ESSENTIAL

This helps you understand why a sales opportunity can appear healthy while actually going nowhere.

A customer saying:

“Send me the proposal.”

is not necessarily a meaningful commitment.

A stronger process establishes:

What happens next

Who is involved

When it happens

What each person needs to do

What decision will be made

This prevents vague next steps such as:

“I’ll get back to you.”

CHAPTER 3 — TRADING VALUE

ESSENTIAL

Before asking for a commitment, make sure you are creating value.

The customer should receive something useful from the interaction:

A useful insight

A clearer diagnosis

A better understanding of their situation

A recommendation

A useful framework

A path forward

This reinforces an important EVUNN principle:

Don’t ask for commitment without giving the customer a reason to continue.

CHAPTER 6 — THE COMMITMENT TO CHANGE

ESSENTIAL

This connects directly to Step 4.

You already established the gap.

Now determine whether the customer is actually committed to changing the current state.

Ask:

Do they agree the current situation needs to change?

Do they believe the gap matters?

Do they want the future state?

Are they willing to do something differently?

If the customer is comfortable with the current situation, don’t rush into presenting your solution.

You may need to return to diagnosis.

CHAPTER 7 — THE COMMITMENT TO COLLABORATE

ESSENTIAL

Your customer should not be treated as a passive recipient of your expertise.

They may need to:

Provide information

Share access

Give feedback

Make decisions

Involve their team

Participate in implementation

Help shape the solution

This is particularly important for coaches, consultants and professionals selling expertise.

Your offer is not simply:

“I will do something to you.”

It is:

“We will work together to achieve a defined outcome.”

CHAPTER 8 — THE COMMITMENT TO BUILD CONSENSUS

IMPORTANT

This matters especially when more than one person influences the purchase.

For example:

The user of the service

The business owner

A manager

Finance

A procurement team

A partner

A spouse

A board

You need to know:

Who else needs to be involved?

For a simple B2C purchase, this may be less important.

For B2B consulting or professional services, it can be critical.

Don’t build an entire section of your process around complex consensus if your offer is normally sold to one decision-maker.

Use this chapter according to your business model.

CHAPTER 9 — THE COMMITMENT TO INVEST

ESSENTIAL

This is where the customer decides whether the expected value justifies the investment.

Investment isn’t only money.

It can include:

Money

Time

Attention

Internal resources

People

Access

Political capital

Implementation effort

Your job is to make the relationship between:

Investment

and

Expected Value

clear.

Don’t immediately respond to price concerns by discounting.

First understand what the customer is actually evaluating.

CHAPTER 10 — THE COMMITMENT TO REVIEW

ESSENTIAL

A proposal should not simply be emailed into the void.

The customer should commit to reviewing it.

Ideally:

“Let’s schedule a time to go through the proposal together.”

This gives you an opportunity to:

Explain the recommendation

Answer questions

Confirm alignment

Identify concerns

Clarify the investment

Establish the next commitment

The goal is not to send a document.

The goal is to move the buying process forward.

CHAPTER 12 — THE COMMITMENT TO DECIDE

ESSENTIAL

This is where you actually ask for the decision.

Many experts are uncomfortable here.

They finish the conversation with:

“I’ll leave it with you.”

“Think about it.”

“Let me know.”

And then wonder why the opportunity disappears.

You need to be willing to ask:

“Are you ready to move forward?”

Or:

“What do you need to decide whether to proceed?”

A “no” is also useful.

A clear no is better than an opportunity sitting indefinitely in your pipeline.

The goal is not to force a yes.

The goal is to get a clear decision.

CHAPTER 13 — THE COMMITMENT TO EXECUTE

IMPORTANT

The sale isn’t truly complete when the customer says yes.

They still need to:

Sign

Pay

Schedule

Provide information

Attend

Implement

Begin

The transition from:

Decision → Execution

should be clear.

Your customer should know exactly what happens after they say yes.

CHAPTER 14 — GUIDELINES FOR CLOSING

ESSENTIAL

Use this chapter as your practical review.

After completing Step 5, return to it and ask:

Am I asking for commitments clearly?

Am I creating value?

Am I avoiding pressure?

Am I establishing specific next steps?

Am I actually asking for the decision?

Am I helping the customer move forward?

WHAT SHOULD I SAVE FOR STEP 6?

CHAPTER 11 — THE COMMITMENT TO RESOLVE CONCERNS

SAVE FOR STEP 6

This is deliberately moved into the next step.

The learner should understand that concerns will arise.

But Step 6 is specifically:

FOLLOW UP & HANDLE RESISTANCE

So detailed work on:

Price concerns

Timing concerns

Risk

Hesitation

“Let me think about it”

“It’s too expensive”

“Not right now”

“Send me more information”

“No budget”

“I’m not sure”

belongs there.

This keeps the roadmap clean.

YOUR EVUNN ACTION

PRESENT & CLOSE YOUR OFFER

Now take one of the Qualified Sales Opportunities you created in Step 4.

Your task is to turn that diagnosis into a relevant recommendation and move the customer toward a clear decision.

1. START WITH THE CUSTOMER’S DIAGNOSIS

Return to Step 4.

Record:

Current State

Where are they now?

Future State

Where do they want to be?

Gap

What is preventing them from getting there?

Impact

What is the gap costing them?

Why

Why does solving it matter?

Don’t abandon this information when you begin selling.

It is the foundation of your offer.

2. DEFINE YOUR RECOMMENDATION

Now answer:

“Based on everything I have learned, what do I recommend?”

Your recommendation should directly address the diagnosed gap.

Avoid:

“I offer business consulting.”

Instead:

“Based on the challenges you’ve described, I recommend that we work together to build and implement a repeatable customer acquisition process.”

The recommendation should feel like a logical response to the diagnosis.

3. EXPLAIN WHY YOU RECOMMEND IT

Answer:

“Why is this the appropriate response to this customer’s situation?”

Connect:

Customer Situation

↓

Gap

↓

Recommendation

For example:

“You currently depend heavily on referrals, which makes your client flow unpredictable. Because the main gap is the absence of a repeatable acquisition process, I recommend that we build a system around your best-fit customers and establish a consistent prospecting and outreach process.”

The customer should be able to see the connection.

4. DEFINE THE OFFER

Now specify:

What You Will Do

The major components of the service.

Why You Will Do It

The part of the gap each component addresses.

What the Customer Will Receive

Deliverables, support, access, implementation or other relevant components.

What the Engagement Is Designed to Achieve

The intended outcome.

Do not turn this into a giant list of features.

The customer should understand why each important component exists.

5. PRESENT THE OFFER

Use this simple structure:

WHAT I HEARD

Summarise their situation.

THE GAP

Explain where they are versus where they want to be.

WHAT I RECOMMEND

Present your solution.

WHY

Explain why it addresses their gap.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Explain the relevant components.

WHAT THIS IS DESIGNED TO ACHIEVE

Describe the intended outcome.

THE INVESTMENT

State your price clearly.

THE NEXT STEP

Explain what happens next.

This is not a performance.

It is a continuation of the diagnostic conversation.

6. GAIN THE COMMITMENT TO CHANGE

Before asking the customer to invest in your solution, confirm:

“Are they actually committed to changing the current situation?”

Ask questions such as:

“Is this a problem you want to solve now?”

“How important is it for you to change this?”

“What happens if you continue with the current approach?”

If the answer is essentially:

“It’s not really a priority.”

Stop.

You may not have an active opportunity.

7. GAIN THE COMMITMENT TO COLLABORATE

Establish what the customer will need to contribute.

For example:

“For this to work, I’ll need access to your current sales process and you’ll need to participate in the weekly working sessions. Is that something you’re comfortable committing to?”

This makes the engagement real.

8. IDENTIFY WHO NEEDS TO BE INVOLVED

Ask:

“Who else needs to be involved in this decision?”

If other stakeholders matter, don’t wait until the end to discover them.

Identify:

Decision-maker

Budget owner

Users

Influencers

Other relevant stakeholders

For a simple one-person purchase, keep this simple.

For a larger B2B engagement, make consensus part of the process.

9. DISCUSS THE INVESTMENT

Present:

What the customer is investing

and

What the engagement is designed to help them achieve.

Do not immediately defend your price.

Do not automatically discount.

Instead, make sure the customer understands:

What they are buying

Why it is relevant

What the investment is

What participation is required

What outcome the engagement is designed to produce

10. GAIN THE COMMITMENT TO REVIEW

Don’t simply send the proposal and hope.

If a proposal is necessary, establish:

When it will be reviewed

Who will review it

What questions need to be answered

What happens after the review

For example:

“I’ll send the proposal today. Let’s schedule 30 minutes on Thursday to review it together and decide whether it makes sense to move forward.”

That is a much stronger next step than:

“I’ll send it and you can get back to me.”

11. ASK FOR THE DECISION

When the opportunity is ready, ask.

Examples:

“Would you like to move forward?”

“Are you ready to proceed?”

“Does this feel like the right solution for what you’re trying to achieve?”

“What would you need to decide whether to move forward?”

Don’t manipulate the customer.

Don’t create artificial urgency.

Don’t pressure them into saying yes.

Ask for a clear decision.

12. ESTABLISH THE EXECUTION COMMITMENT

If the customer says yes, don’t end with:

“Great. I’ll be in touch.”

Move immediately to execution.

Confirm:

Start date

Payment

Agreement

Information required

People involved

First activity

Next meeting

The customer should leave knowing:

“I have said yes, and I know exactly what happens next.”

13. RECORD THE OUTCOME

Capture:

Offer Presented

Customer Response

Commitments Gained

Decision

Next Commitment

Decision Date

People Involved

Outstanding Concerns

Execution Date

Opportunity Status

Possible statuses:

Won

Decision Pending

Follow-Up Required

Not Now

Lost

Disqualified

🧠 EVUNN MINDSET CHECKPOINT

Are you trying to close—or are you helping the customer commit?

You may believe selling means convincing someone to buy.

It doesn’t have to.

A better process is:

Understand

↓

Diagnose

↓

Recommend

↓

Create Value

↓

Gain Commitment

↓

Ask for Decision

↓

Execute

The customer should understand why your recommendation makes sense before you ask them to invest.

And you should be comfortable accepting:

Yes

No

Not yet

I need more information

All four are useful.

A clear decision is better than an indefinite maybe.

Ask yourself:

Have I earned the next commitment?

If not, don’t force the next stage.

Go back and determine what is missing.

Optional Mindset Reading

No Additional Book Required

Do not add another sales book here.

The Lost Art of Closing is sufficient for this step.

The book already provides the commitment-gaining framework needed to move from opportunity to decision. (PenguinRandomhouse.com)

If you struggle specifically with objections and resistance, don’t add another book here either.

That belongs to Step 6.

🔓 EVUNN EXECUTION TOOLKIT

Offer Presentation & Commitment Planner

Don’t create a generic sales pitch.

Use the EVUNN Offer Presentation & Commitment Planner to turn a qualified opportunity into a relevant recommendation and identify the commitments needed to move it forward.

The toolkit helps you map:

Customer Diagnosis

↓

Recommended Solution

↓

Value Connection

↓

Offer

↓

Commitment to Change

↓

Commitment to Collaborate

↓

Commitment to Invest

↓

Commitment to Review

↓

Commitment to Decide

↓

Commitment to Execute

→ Open Toolkit

ONE PAYMENT. ALL STAGE 1 TOOLKITS. YOURS FOR LIFE.

No monthly subscription. No recurring fees. Just the tools you need to execute.

→ Unlock All Stage 1 Execution Toolkits

YOUR STEP 5 OUTPUT

By the end of this step, you should have a:

PRESENTED OFFER + CLEAR NEXT COMMITMENT

Your process should now look like:

Qualified Sales Opportunity

↓

Customer Diagnosis

↓

Relevant Recommendation

↓

Offer

↓

Customer Commitment

↓

Decision

↓

Execution Plan

The objective is not simply to have sent a proposal.

Your objective is to know:

What you recommended

Why it addresses the customer’s gap

What the customer is being asked to invest

What commitment they have made

What decision has been reached

What happens next

WHAT YOU SHOULD NOW KNOW

You entered this step with:

“I understand the customer’s opportunity and I believe I can help.”

You leave knowing:

“I can turn that opportunity into a relevant recommendation, gain the commitments needed to move it forward, ask for a decision and establish the path to execution.”

You have now moved through:

Prospect

↓

Conversation

↓

Diagnosis

↓

Opportunity

↓

Recommendation

↓

Offer

↓

Commitment

↓

Decision

But not every customer will decide immediately.

Some will hesitate.

Some will raise concerns.

Some will ask for more information.

Some will stop responding.

Some will question the price.

Some will say:

“I need to think about it.”

That does not automatically mean the opportunity is dead.

The next skill is learning how to follow up without chasing, understand resistance without becoming defensive, and determine whether an opportunity should continue.

NEXT: STEP 6 — FOLLOW UP & HANDLE RESISTANCE

“What do I do when the customer hesitates, raises concerns, asks for more information or stops responding?”

My additional recommendation for EVUNN

I would make one important product decision here: do not make the Step 5 toolkit a “sales script generator.”

Make it a Commitment Planner.

That differentiates EVUNN from generic sales-training material. The learner should finish the toolkit knowing:

“What is the next commitment I need from this customer, why should they make it, and what will we do if they don’t?”

That is much more useful than memorising closing lines—and it carries the learner naturally into Step 6. Iannarino himself describes the approach as gaining multiple commitments rather than relying only on the final close. (The Sales Blog)