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28 Sales Closing Strategies & Techniques To Improve Sales Closing
From rapport building to negotiation, explore 28 sales closing techniques designed to help you close more deals and grow revenue.
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Closing a sale can sometimes feel like climbing a mountain. You've put in the hard work
to get to the final pitch, only to find that there’s more to conquer before you get to the top. There are hurdles to jump, and figuring out how to get past them to reach your goal can be challenging. Sales closing strategies help you to overcome these obstacles and smoothly transition from the final pitch to sealing the deal. This blog’ll discuss valuable sales closing techniques to help you improve your closing rate and reach your sales goals.
Aomni's sales acceleration software leverages AI to help sales teams close deals faster. With our sales intelligence platform, you’ll get valuable insights that help you better understand your prospects and their needs so you can tailor your closing approach and boost your chances of success.
What is Sales Closing & Why Does It Matter?
Sales closing is the point in the sales process when you guide the prospect toward deciding, ideally, purchasing your product or service. Closing involves addressing any last-minute concerns, showcasing the value of your product, and ensuring the prospect feels confident in their decision.
After nurturing your lead, actively listening, overcoming objections, and negotiating, you reach the point where the prospect finally has to decide. If you complete the previous key milestones, sales closing should be a natural conclusion. So, what are the best sales closing techniques to ensure you win the deal?
Understanding the Role of Closing in the Sales Process and Identifying Optimization Opportunities
If your close rate falls below the average of 19% across all industries, you certainly need to optimize your strategy. Closing a sale is a crucial part of any sales process because, at this point, you’ll learn whether your prospect is ready to associate with your company.
To master the art of closing sales, let’s first understand where exactly it stands in your sales process.
What Are The Most Common Sales Closing Strategies?
1. Assumptive Close
The assumptive close is a classic sales closing technique that focuses on making the prospect feel comfortable with the purchase. The approach subtly indicates that the buyer has already decided to purchase. Instead of directly asking the prospect if they are ready to buy, the salesperson leads with a statement that reveals the assumption the prospect is already onboard.
For example, “Would you prefer the delivery on Monday or Wednesday?” This keeps the conversation focused on post-purchase logistics rather than the decision itself.
2. Puppy Dog Close
The Puppy Dog Close gets its name from letting customers “test drive” the product or service with minimal commitment. Allowing a trial gives prospects a chance to experience the product, often increasing their desire to make a complete purchase. This can be particularly effective in B2B sales with high-value items.
3. Scale Close
The scale close approach involves gauging the prospect’s interest level before closing the deal. Asking, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to buy this product?” gives you an immediate idea of where they stand. If they’re not at a 10, follow up with, “What would it take to get you to a 10?” This uncovers any final hesitations.
4. Scarcity Close
The scarcity close emphasizes limited availability to create a sense of urgency. Mentioning a time-bound offer or limited stock can push prospects to decide sooner. It’s most effective when genuinely limited; otherwise, it risks coming off as insincere.
5. Takeaway Close
The takeaway close is based on the psychological principle of loss aversion. When you take away a toy or candy from a child, they shout or cry because they now want that more than ever. This same psychological principle is used in this closing technique and is implemented on prospects. If a prospect resists your offer because of price, you must provide him with a discounted price but at the cost of fewer features.
When you do this, the prospect thinks more about the features you are taking away than the discount you offer. Another thing you can do is to withdraw from the deal to push them towards the agreement. This is effective when the prospect needs to show real progress. When a prospect sees that you are letting him go, it shows your confidence, making the prospect rethink how good your product is.
6. Summary Close
The summary close approach is exactly what it sounds like. In this technique, you summarize the main points of value you’ve discussed to remind the prospect why your product or service meets their needs. After reviewing the benefits and addressing their concerns, you position your solution as the best choice.
7. Sharp Angle Close
The sharp angle close is interesting because it relies on the customer asking for a price reduction or to include extra services. When this happens, the salesperson can turn the tables by offering what the customer is looking for and putting a twist on it.
For example, “Sure, I can give you a discount of 20%. That will bring the price down to $10,000. Just to let you know, this will reduce the features of the package you were originally interested in. Let’s take a look at what you might be losing here...” In this example, the salesperson acknowledges the customer’s request but also shifts the focus back to the closing.
8. Suggestive Close
The suggestive close allows you to show your customer that you've been listening to them and thoroughly understand their pain points and needs. For example, once your customer has finished explaining their challenges, you could say something like: "Thanks for explaining that to me. I can see how that would result in a difficult situation. We offer this great service that would handle that for you."
9. Option Close
Who doesn't love options? One easy way to close a sale is to offer your customer the choice between two or three products or services that meet their needs. All you have to do is say, "Would you like to go with A, B, or C?" The customer has to choose between those options, all of which result in the sale.
10. The Opportunity Cost Close
Many times, prospects are hesitant to buy what you’re offering because they see it as an unnecessary cost. You can flip the script by getting them to consider the opportunity cost of forgoing your offering. Instead of thinking about what it will cost them to acquire your product, get them to think about what they’ll lose if they don’t get it.
For instance, if you’re selling a sales tool, highlight what it’ll do for the prospect, then make them think about losing out on that. For example, you could say, “Our solution will increase your sales by over 30%. What are your current sales figures? $1 million monthly? With our solution, you could have an extra $300,000 in monthly sales revenue or about $3.6 million annually.”
Revolutionizing B2B Sales with Aomni’s AI-Powered Sales Intelligence and Account-Based Strategies
Aomni is an AI agent platform designed specifically for B2B sales intelligence software. Our solution empowers enterprise and strategic account executives to execute account-based sales and marketing strategies with unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness. Our key features include:
- AI-powered prospect and account research
- Comprehensive account mapping and planning
- Data-driven sales strategy development
- Automated call preparation
- Personalized AI agents for sales optimization
- AI chat interface for streamlined sales processes
- AI-assisted Account Based Sales/Marketing campaign execution tool
Aomni addresses critical pain points for sales managers whose Account Executives, Account Managers, and Customer Success Managers must perform better and include quotas. By leveraging our advanced AI technology, sales professionals can significantly enhance their preparation for customer conversations, leading to the following:
- Larger deal closures
- Increased promotion opportunities
For individual sales professionals, Aomni provides the tools and insights needed to:
- Elevate their performance
- Close more substantial deals
- Accelerate career progression
Our platform transforms the way B2B sales teams operate, ensuring they enter every customer interaction:
- Fully prepared
- Strategically positioned for success
Try our sales intelligence software for free today!
Related Reading
5 Common Sales Closing Challenges To Overcome
1. Fear of Rejection or Failure: How to Conquer the Most Common Challenge in Sales Closing
One of the most common challenges in sales closing is the fear of rejection or failure. Sales professionals often need more time to close a sale due to the potential for rejection, which can negatively impact their confidence.
Overcoming this fear involves building resilience and understanding that rejection is a natural part of the sales process. Training and experience can help develop a positive mindset, enabling salespeople to approach each closing opportunity confidently.
2. Uncertainty About Timing and When to Close: How to Know When It's Time to Seal the Deal
Knowing the right time to close a sale can be challenging. Closing too early may result in an unfinished discussion while waiting too long might cause the prospect to lose interest. Successful sales techniques include recognizing buying signals and gauging customer readiness. This involves listening actively and reading non-verbal cues to determine the optimal moment to close the deal. By mastering these techniques, sales professionals can increase their closing success rates.
3. Handling Objections and Resistance From Customers: How to Tackle Client Concerns Head-On
Handling objections and resistance is a crucial part of the sales closing process. Customers often raise concerns or express doubts that need to be addressed proactively.
Effective sales closing techniques involve preparing for common objections and responding with relevant information and solutions. By demonstrating empathy and providing convincing evidence, sales professionals can turn resistance into agreement and move towards closing the sale.
4. Dealing with Indecisive or Skeptical Prospects: How to Gain Trust and Encourage Client Commitment
Indecisive or skeptical prospects pose a significant challenge in sales closing. These prospects may hesitate to decide due to uncertainty or lack of trust. Modern sales techniques, such as building rapport and providing clear, detailed information, can help alleviate their concerns. Offering testimonials and case studies can build credibility and encourage prospects to commit to purchasing.
5. Overcoming Personal Biases or Limiting Beliefs: How to Clear the Mental Hurdles in Sales Closing
Personal biases and limiting beliefs can hinder the effectiveness of sales professionals. These internal challenges may cause salespeople to underestimate their prospects or second-guess their strategies. Recognizing and addressing these biases is essential for successful sales closing.
Continuous learning, self-reflection, and mentorship can help sales professionals overcome these obstacles and approach each sale with an open mind and a positive attitude.
Related Reading
- Sales Industry Trends
18 Ways To Improve At Sales Closing
1. Offer a Choice
If your potential buyer seems satisfied with your sales pitch, you may offer them a choice between two purchasing options to close the sale. This strategy assumes the customer is already receptive to your product or service. It may help increase the likelihood of customers selecting a choice rather than objecting to the sale, and it can be helpful when selling to regular customers.
2. Identify Barriers
If a potential customer seems hesitant about the sale, ask them to explain what's preventing them from purchasing your product. Identifying these hesitations can help you address each one thoroughly and persuade the customer to reconsider purchasing. You can then ask the customer if closing the sale is possible even after handling their objections.
Example: "Based on the terms we've discussed, is there any reason you wouldn't like to purchase this product to accomplish your goals? If I could resolve that reason, how soon would you like to complete this purchase?"
3. Ask for the Next Steps
A subtle method of closing a sale involves asking the potential customer to outline the process for how they or their company make purchasing decisions. Continue to ask for clarification until you have a clear outline of the steps required to finalize the sale. You can use this information later to follow up with customers more effectively.
4. Prompt Agreement
Influence your buyers by briefly summarizing how your product benefits them and prompting them to agree. This is a technique that can be useful for customers who already expressed an interest in your product or service. It can also help you demonstrate that you value their opinion.
5. Propose Your Help
If you're interacting with a customer who is unsure whether the product that I'm selling might benefit them, ask them more about their current problems and offer my assistance in solving them. This may require me to complete background research on the company or customer before I attempt to close the sale.
Simply stating that I understand their issue and asking if they'd like my help may help me create a beneficial relationship with them and encourage a purchase.
6. Build Rapport
Rapport allows you to develop mutual trust with customers. Maintain consistent contact with your potential buyers to prepare them for purchase. Practice listening attentively when the customer shares their goals to demonstrate your interest in helping them.
Developing a personal relationship with your customers can improve their customer service experience and help them develop a more favorable opinion of the products I'm selling.
7. Increase Value
Including an additional benefit in your sale may motivate customers to finalize their purchase. Consider offering a free item or upgrade to convince an unsure buyer that my offer is worth the price I'm requesting. I also provide buyers free access to encourage them to purchase if they are uncertain.
8. Suggest a Trial
For an undecided buyer, suggest a free trial, allowing them to test the product or service before signing a purchase commitment. This can also allow me to help them overcome their hesitations and address different product features in more detail.
Customers who feel they have the option to decline later may be more willing to evaluate the product I'm selling to determine if it's right for them.
9. Set a Deadline
By offering a particular price or deal for a limited time, I can encourage a customer to decide quickly and decrease the time and effort I spend on each sale. This technique may work well if I offer regular discounts and promotional deals. It also allows me to address many of the typical questions customers might have before they choose to finalize a sale.
10. Create a Sense of Urgency
If my customer discussed a specific time frame for solving a particular problem, I might mention that purchasing my product can help them achieve their desired results more quickly. I can highlight my time frame for implementing the product or service solution.
By mentioning the preferred deadlines for the customer to meet, I can encourage them to take action by purchasing my product.
11. Explain Consequences
If I offer a product that provides protection or security in some way, I can close a deal by explaining the possible negative consequences a customer may experience without my services. I emphasize how the product or service I'm selling has the potential to improve the customer's processes. This can entice the customer to commit to the purchase more quickly.
12. Emphasize Progress
As I'm concluding a deal, I use positive language that emphasizes purchasing as a way for my customers to make progress in their life or business. I address how my product is necessary for their success and praise the customer for the progress they can make upon agreeing to the purchase. I consider summarizing my product's features once again to reinforce its importance.
13. Focus on their Goals
As I close a sale, I reference the customer's goals and explain how my product can help them meet their objectives. This method shows a customer that I understand their needs and can be a reliable business resource. Associating the customer's goals with the product I'm selling can also encourage them to purchase by assisting them to determine the specific benefit it may provide them.
14. Assume Success
If I feel confident in my sales pitch, I proceed with the sale without directly asking the customer what they want to purchase. I assume my pitch was successful and ask when the customer can begin working with me. This technique can benefit customers I've worked with in the past and who expressed previous interest in making a purchase.
15. Be Direct
In some situations, a helpful closing strategy is to ask the customer directly if they'd like to do business with me. I express to the customer the primary reasons I feel they'd benefit from the purchase and ask if they feel comfortable working with me.
This can encourage them to decide more quickly, especially if I already have a positive relationship with them.
16. Plan to Reconnect
Some customers may be interested in purchasing a product but are still waiting to confirm the details. In this situation, I plan to meet with them later when their circumstances may change.
This can give them additional time to make the proper authorizations and prepare to implement the product or service.
17. Disclose scarcity
Customers may be more willing to purchase if they perceive that the product is scarce. By disclosing that only a limited number of products or services are available, I can increase a customer’s urgency to purchase. I will be as genuine as possible in my offer to increase my credibility.
18. Provide the Option to Customize
If I'm selling to a customer still trying to decide whether to make the purchase, I offer to customize the product or service for them. Customers with a specific budget are more willing to purchase if I reduce the number of product features available, which may help decrease the price. A potential customer may later decide they want all the available features, allowing me to close the original deal.
What Sales Closing Mistakes Should You Avoid?
Don’t Rush the Closing Process - You’ll Scare Prospects Off
Salespeople often feel immense pressure to close deals, especially when they are close to meeting a goal or quota. This pressure can lead to rushing prospects through closing to get to a “yes” as quickly as possible. But pushing prospects for a quick decision can backfire. They’re likely to pull back rather than commit if they feel pressured.
Let your clients set the pace. Ask questions to gauge where they are in the decision-making process, and give them space to process the information. Remember, it’s about their timeline as much as yours.
Address Customer Concerns Head-On - Ignoring Them Will Come Back to Haunt You
If a client shares a concern, it’s a sign they’re thinking critically about the offer. Ignoring or glossing over these questions can make you seem dismissive or overly focused on closing the deal. To build trust, address their concerns head-on.
Taking the time to provide thoughtful answers shows empathy and positions you as a trustworthy partner, whether it’s about:
- Pricing
- Implementation
- Long-term support
Prepare for Objections - Because They Will Happen
No matter how thorough your pitch is, objections will arise. Being unprepared for them can make you appear uncertain and unprofessional. Successful closers anticipate objections and come ready with responses. Consider the most common pushbacks you’ve encountered, cost, timing, or competitors, and have clear, confident answers. This preparation will help you guide the conversation smoothly and demonstrate your expertise.
Follow Up After Every Deal Closing Conversation - No Matter What
Even if a meeting doesn’t end in a closed deal, following up is essential. Sometimes, a client needs time to review or speak with other stakeholders. A well-timed follow-up can answer lingering questions, address new concerns, or even push the deal across the finish line.
Don’t let promising conversations fall by the wayside. Many deals are won simply by checking in.
Personalize the Closing Approach - Avoiding This Mistake Is a No-Brainer
No two clients are identical so a one-size-fits-all approach won’t cut it. Personalizing your communication not only shows that you understand their business, but it also builds rapport.
Tailoring your language and examples to align with their industry, specific needs, and unique pain points creates a more meaningful connection and a stronger case for why your solution is right for them.
Try Our Sales Intelligence Software for Free Today
Aomni is an AI agent platform designed specifically for B2B sales intelligence software. Our solution empowers enterprise and strategic account executives to execute account-based sales and marketing strategies with unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness. Our key features include:
- AI-powered prospect and account research
- Comprehensive account mapping and planning
- Data-driven sales strategy development
- Automated call preparation
- Personalized AI agents for sales optimization
- AI chat interface for streamlined sales processes
- AI-assisted Account Based Sales/Marketing campaign execution tool
Empowering Sales Teams with AI-Driven Insights
Aomni addresses critical pain points for sales managers whose Account Executives, Account Managers, and Customer Success Managers must perform better and include quotas. By leveraging our advanced AI technology, sales professionals can significantly enhance their preparation for customer conversations, leading to the following:
- Larger deal closures
- Increased promotion opportunities
For individual sales professionals, Aomni provides the tools and insights needed to:
- Elevate their performance
- Close more substantial deals
- Accelerate career progression
Our platform transforms the way B2B sales teams operate, ensuring they enter every customer interaction:
- Fully prepared
- Strategically positioned for success
Try our sales intelligence software for free today!
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- Sales Industry Trends
- Salesloft Alternatives
- Gong vs Salesloft
- Sales Tools for Sales Reps
- Gong Alternatives
- Best Sales Software for Small Business
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