HOW TOCLOSE A DEAL 20 BEST SALES CLOSING TECHNIQUES TO CLOSE MORE DEALS

Much l ike crossing the f inishing l ine of a gruelingmarathon, the closing part of any sales activity is themost fulfi l l ing and thril l ing aspect for a salesperson.It ’s the f inal moments when the sales rep strikes theiron while it ’s hot and f inally watches their productbeing sold!

Unfortunately, the percentage of salespersonstouching their quota has reduced from 63% to 53% inthe past six years. While closing has now become aderivative of the entire sales experience and callsfor collaboration across all departments, there arestil l a few techniques that you, as a salesperson, canemploy to close the deal. The primary skill involvedin closing a deal is Communication, Communication ,COMMUNICATION!

In this case, choosing the right set of phrases couldbe your savior and make or break the situation. Thus,it is critical to have a few killer sales closingtechniques under your belt just in case you f ind yourlead sitting on the fence, waiting for a f inal nudge.An effective sales closing technique can make theprospect fall hook, l ine, and sinker for your productor service.

So i f you are stil l wondering how to close a deal, hereare 20 B2B sales techniques that will give you thedesired result!

02

THE BEST

SALES CLOSING

TECHNIQUES

I f your product already

checks al l the customer ’s

requirements, i t is safe to

assume that the deal is

as good as done. Now al l

you need to do is make

the cl ient real ize that

you are ready to close

the deal . In this case,

you can make use of an

assumptive close as i t

wi l l gently push the

cl ient towards making

the purchase without

giving them the t ime to

come up with reasons or

excuses to delay or put

off the deal .

E x a m p l e s o f

A s s u m p t i v e C l o s e

Which package /

bundle are you going

with?

What would be your

preferred del ivery

date?

So, would you l ike to

go with [ feature 1 ] or

[ feature 2 ]?

When can we start

with the

implementat ion?

0 1 THE ASSUMPTIVE CLOSE

03

Th is i s one of the

mos t t r i ed and tes ted

methods of c los ing a

sa le . As the name

sugges ts , i t i nvo lves

summar i z ing a l l the

fea tu res of your

product or se rv ice

and the bene f i t s i t

w i l l of fe r to your

c l i en ts . Th ink of i t as

your c los ing

arguments befo re the

judgment i s passed .

02 THE SUMMARY CLOSE

04

I t refreshes your

cl ients ’ memory,

especial ly i f the sales

process has gone on

for a long period, and

involves several

products and

features. Furthermore,

through this method,

you can also

reengage the cl ients

i f you sense that they

are hesitant to reach a

decis ion or their

attent ion is diverted

by your competi tors .

As i t offers a hol ist ic

overview of your

offer ings, the cl ient

wi l l have a stronger

leaning towards your

product or service.

05

E x a m p l e s o f

S u m m a r y C l o s e

So, in conclusion, i f you

opt for our [package 1 ] ,

you get [ features 1, 2, 3…

n ] . On the other hand,

[package 2 ] wil l fetch

you [ feature a, b, c… z ]

Once you make use of

our product /service, you

wil l notice [desirable

results 1, 2, 3… n ] . Now

all you have to do is sign

the contract !

With our product , you

can enjoy [ features ] that

wi l l help your business

overcome [pain points ] .

Addit ional ly , we also

offer [add -ons ] to make i t

easy to implement the

product /service at your

off ice!

03 THE TAKE AWAY CLOSE

knocking off a few to

accommodate the

customer ’s requests , be i t

t ime or money, etc.

Natural ly , losing out

features may not seem l ike

an attract ive option for

them. Thus, they wil l be

more eager, not only to

make the sale happen but

also to go for the better

alternat ive.

Sometimes, to close more

deals , you need to str ip off

the goodies. Does i t sound

confusing?

A l l o w u s t o e x p l a i n .

The Take Away Close

makes use of reverse

psychology. You start by

l ist ing al l your best

features, then start

06

Consequently , i f you

fai l to receive a

posit ive response, a

bolder step would be

to cal l off the deal

ent i rely . While i t may

be a brazen move, i t

ref lects your bel ief

and confidence in your

product . I t may make

the cl ient real ize that

they ’ re missing out on

something

phenomenal . Thus,

they would instant ly

get over their

hesitat ion or stop

bargaining and get to

closing the deal . I t is

ideal for leads that

take up a lot of your

t ime without

committ ing to

anything.

07

E x a m p l e s o f t h e T a k e

A w a y C l o s e

We would suggest that

you skip [ feature 1 ] ,

you may lose out on

[posit ive result ] , but

you also get the i tem

within your budget.

How about we go over

the product once again

and close the deal

within the next 30

minutes? However, i f

we fa i l to reach a

decis ion, i t would be

wise for us to take a

step back and

reconnect at a later

date when you ’ re ready

to make a f inal

decis ion.

Every salesperson has

had i ts fa i r share of

object ions. Normally , a

sales rep would want to

avoid an object ion l ike

the plague. However, a

seasoned salesperson is

adept not only at

handl ing an object ion

but also using i t as an

effect ive sales closing

technique. The Object ion

Close helps you gauge

whether the cl ient has a

clear understanding of

what you offer and how i t

f i ts in their business

process.

E x a m p l e s o f

O b j e c t i o n C l o s e

So, do you have any

doubts or queries

regarding the

product? I ’d love to

help you with them!

Is there any reason

why we cannot start

deployment by the

end of this month?

04 THE OBJECTION CLOSE

Further , i t also al lows you to

address any concerns or

issues that the cl ient may

have about your product ,

which could possibly be

delaying the sale.

08

This t radit ional sales

closing technique helps

in closing sales deals

quickly by creat ing a

sense of urgency. I t

fol lows a simple recipe, a

spontaneous offer paired

with added benefi ts for a

l imited t ime period. This

encourages the cl ients to

respond quickly and take

immediate act ion. This

pressure tact ic is highly

effect ive for cl ients who

are interested in the deal

but have been si t t ing on

the decision for far too

long.

E x a m p l e s o f N o w

o r N e v e r C l o s e

We have a special X%

discount for those

who sign up within

this week. You

wouldn ’ t want to

miss out on this offer !

I f you make a

purchase by this

month, we offer three

months of servicing

free of charge.

There is only one

item lef t in stock.

From next week

onwards, the price

wil l be going up for

the new shipment.

05 THE NOW OR NEVERCLOSE

09

What can better seal a deal

than a product that meets

the customer ’s needs? You

can comfortably close

more deals by detai l ing

what your product or

service offers and how i t

sat isf ies the prospect ’s

needs.

To pull off a Needs Close,

you f i rst need to

recapitulate the things

that the prospect needs

from your product . Then

present the features

against these needs.

06 THE NEED CLOSE

10

The more needs that

get met, the better

the product is for the

prospect . I t al lows

the cl ient to

understand how your

product wil l benefi t

them. By comparing

their needs with your

product ’s offer ings,

you help them

understand how your

intervention can

benef i t their

business.

1 1

E x a m p l e s o f

N e e d C l o s e

So basical ly , you are

looking for [ features

1, 2, 3… n ] . Have I got

that correct ly? Great .

Well , let me tel l you

that our

product /service not

only meets these

needs but also offers

more!

I f you need [desired

result ] , you should

real ly give the

product /service a t ry

as i t can meet al l your

requirements for

[ requirement 1, 2, 3… ]

07 THE SCALE CLOSE

you can always ask the

reason for i t and offer a

clar i f icat ion for the

object ion. On the other

hand, i f you score an

impressive digit , you can

work towards closing the

deal .

The Scale Close starts

with asking the

prospect to rate your

product on a 1 to 10

scale. Depending on

their score, you can

decide the subsequent

course of act ion. For

instance, i f you f ind the

rat ing to be too low,

12

To counter this object ion, you can always scale up

or scale down the investment by either breaking

down the total cost into smaller per day or per week

expenses or calculate the cumulat ive effect of the

service on the investment and revenue. As a result ,

the product wil l now appear to be a reasonable

investment for the company.

13

E x a m p l e s o f S c a l e C l o s e

On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate

our product? Interest ing. May I ask why

[ rat ing ]? I see, and could you also explain

why not a ten?

I can see that price is a major concern for

you. However , i f you consider that when you

divide the total investment , you are only

paying X per week, which seems completely

reasonable, r ight?

08 THE SOMETHING FORNOTHING CLOSE

The Something for Nothing

Close rel ies on the principle

of reciprocity , which

dictates that posit ive

act ions wil l t r igger a

posit ive response. Thus, to

close a deal through this

sales closing technique,

you offer the cl ient a f reebie

or an extra feature. In

return, the cl ient wil l feel

obl igated to purchase your

product out of

goodwil l .However , pract ice

caution since as much as

people l ike f ree things, this

si tuat ion could potential ly

get out of hand as your

cl ient gets greedy.

E x a m p l e s o fS o m e t h i n g f o rN o t h i n g C l o s eI f you make the

purchase today, we

wil l grant you

membership access

to [service ] worth

XYZ at absolutely no

charge!

We normally charge

XYZ for this [service ] ,

but since we are

eager to work with

you, how about we

throw i t in for f ree?

Addit ional ly , offer something

that is of less value to you

and more value to the cl ient .

14

09 THE EMPATHY CLOSE

15

While gaining leverage and applying some amount of

pressure may be effect ive B2B sales techniques,

nothing can beat the language of empathy. You could

close more deals through empathy than cold -blooded

transact ions.

Empathy helps in developing a strong interpersonal

bond with your cl ient , which wil l al low them to lay

more t rust in you. Simply replace the “you”

statements with an “ I” and express genuine

emotions to let them know that you understand.

E x a m p l e s o f E m p a t h y C l o s e

I can understand that reaching this decis ion

r ight now could be tough. How about you

take some t ime to del iberate on what we ’ve

discussed?

Looking at the market condit ions, I feel that

choosing [package 1 ] could be a better

choice for you as i t is better suited for your

business. I f I were you, I ’d choose that .

16

This method of closing a

sale involves narrat ing the

story that covers the work,

t ime, and ski l l invested in

the product , which makes i t

what i t is today. Rather than

focusing on the product or

service, i t highl ights the

people who work t i relessly

behind the scenes to help

and benefi t the cl ients . I t is

a highly effect ive sales

closing technique to t ry on

prospects who can

appreciate the hard work

and effort that goes into the

product . I t not only garners

their appreciat ion but also

earns their t rust that their

business wil l also be

treated in the same spir i t .

E x a m p l e s o f

A r t i s a n C l o s e

Our team of experts

invested XYZ number

of hours in bringing

this product to you!

Our product is a

result of the hard

work, toi l , and sweat

invested by our

founders. To honor

the sanct i ty of the

same, we offer a:b

customer to support

rat io to ensure top -

notch support f rom

our end.

10 THE ARTISAN CLOSE

17

11 THE BEN FRANKLINCLOSE

List ing out the pros and

cons of your product

offers the cl ient the

insight into how i t wil l

benef i t their business.

Clear ly , a l is t where the

pros outweigh the cons

is desirous. At the same

time, you can also

capital ize on the

opportunity to highl ight

measures that can be

taken to overcome your

product ’s drawbacks!

Benjamin Frankl in was a

businessman ahead of

his t ime. At any point , i f

he were ever confused

about making a decision

regarding something,

he would l is t out the

pros and cons to gain

more clar i ty of his

decis ion ’s

consequence.

As a salesperson, you

could use the same t r ick

to close a deal .

18

19

E x a m p l e s o f B e n F r a n k l i n C l o s e

So, i t becomes apparent that the advantages

of having the product could be [advantages

1, 2, 3… n ] . On the other hand, we have the

cons as [disadvantage 1, 2, 3… n ] . On closer

inspect ion, i t becomes clear that you bag

more advantages through this product .

Going over the pros and cons, you may be

concerned about [problem ] . However , our

[solut ion ] can take care of i t , which

effect ively means that you can reap greater

benef i ts !

When you know that

closing the sales deal is a

strong possibi l i ty , but the

prospect is struggl ing with

an object ion, you can better

your chances by pull ing off

a sharp angle close. Once

they state their inhibit ion,

you can counter i t with

another quest ion that

solves their object ion or

ful f i l ls their requirement.

Natural ly , i f their need is

being met and the prospect

is genuinely interested,

they would then proceed to

close the deal . However, i f

they continue to dil ly -dal ly ,

there is a strong possibi l i ty

that there may be another

issue or the prospect is

s imply not ser ious.

E x a m p l e s o f S h a r p

A n g l e C l o s e

I understand that

you ’ re concerned

about whether we

can del iver within a

month. What i f we

give a one -month

del ivery guarantee,

would you be ready

to close the deal?

I f I offer you an X%

discount to al leviate

your budgetary

restraints , are you

wil l ing to jump on

board?

12 THE SHARP ANGLECLOSE

20

They say tha t a

p ic tu re i s wor th a

thousand words . But

in rea l i t y , a p ic tu re i s

wor th 60 ,000 words !

Due to th i s proper ty ,

v i sua l cues l i ke

in fograph ics , char t s ,

t ab les , or even

v ideos tha t l eave a

las t ing impac t on an

ind iv idua l , can be an

innova t i ve and

at t rac t i ve f ash ion to

c lose a dea l .

13 THE VISUAL CLOSE

21

So rather than

bombarding your

cl ients with numbers

and calculat ions or

wal ls of text , t ry the

visual approach.

Similar ly , t ranslate

the big impact of

your product in a

visual format and

i l lustrate how i t wil l

solve the cl ient ’s

problem.

E x a m p l e s o f

V i s u a l C l o s e

Here ’s a table that I

have made i l lustrat ing

the pros and cons of

our product . I would

encourage you to go

through i t to get an in -

depth understanding.

To save us t ime, I have

prepared a quick

presentat ion r ich with

informational graphics,

which I would l ike to

share with you. I t wil l

of fer you an in -depth

understanding of what

we have to offer .

22

14 THE ALTERNATIVECLOSE

23

The quest ion should be

formulated in such a way

that regardless of the

choice that the prospect

makes, the deal moves

forward. By offer ing two

alternat ives, you cut

down the confusion and

simpli fy the decision -

making process to get

the cl ient on board.

However , be wary,

offer ing more options

may dilute the sales

closing technique ’s

performance and, in fact ,

add to the cl ient ’s

di lemma.

The Alternat ive Close is

a close relat ive of the

Assumptive Close and is

ideal for the prospects

who have no queries

whatsoever related to

your product .

The maneuver starts

with the assumption

that the prospect is

ready to make the

purchase. Then, the

salesperson offers them

two alternat ives as

options to close the

deal .

E x a m p l e s o f A l t e r n a t i v e C l o s e

So, we could begin with the f i rst instal lment

in the last week of this month or in the f i rst

week of the next month. Which of these

would work best for you?

You could choose between the Basic package

or the El i te package. Now the bal l ’s in your

court .

24

15 THE OPPORTUNITYCOST CLOSE

25

Through this technique,

you can stress on what

the cl ient wil l miss out

on i f they do not opt for

your solut ion. As a

salesperson, you have to

sel l the idea that your

product is not an

expenditure but is a

worthy investment.

No business wants to

miss out on a great

opportunity . Hence,

highl ight ing a concern

that the company wil l

incur some losses by

not taking proact ive

measures is the crux of

the Opportunity Cost

Close.

E x a m p l e s o f O p p o r t u n i t y C o s t C l o s e

I understand your concerns about the in i t ia l

investment involved. However , put this in

perspect ive: not purchasing the product

would result in you missing out on X number

of potent ial cl ients!

Our product streamlines your processes,

thereby enhancing the product iv i ty of your

employees and boost ing customer

sat isfact ion. And you know, a happy cl ient

means more business. So you ’ re essent ial ly

missing out on that !

Talk about the ROI in terms of improved productiv i ty ,

ef f ic iency, qual i ty , and t ime -management, etc. as

quite often, these are the qual i t ies that a business

wishes to get a hold of , especial ly in the long run.

You basical ly have to convince the cl ient that they

should have purchased your product yesterday and

that every day lost is a loss in revenue.

26

16 THE OWNERSHIP CLOSE

27

Narrate test imonialsregarding how similarbusinesses were capableof achieving their goals ,overcoming theircompeti tors , andoutperforming the keymetr ics . Start referr ing tothe product or service as“your” product /service.

The Ownership salesclosing techniquerevolves around f i rmlyplant ing the idea thatyour cl ient already ownsthe product . You candraw facts and f igures topaint a hol ist ic pictureregarding how theirbusiness wil l beposit ively impacted uponthe purchase of yourproduct .

E x a m p l e s o f O w n e r s h i p C l o s e

As you start offer ing quick, eff ic ient , and

accurate responses to customer queries, your

product wil l defini tely enhance customer

sat isfact ion. Not to mention, once a load of

repet i t ive tasks is taken off the employees ’

shoulders , they wil l also appreciate your

insight in introducing this product .

How do you plan on spending / invest ing the

excess revenue that you wil l generate after

using the product?

Draw paral lels and talk about the stel lar performance

of your cl ient ’s business once the product steps into

the picture. Doing so wil l create and fort i fy the

mental bel ief that the product wil l defini tely add

value to their business, which wil l make i t easier for

you to close the deal .

28

17 THE PUPPY DOG CLOSE

29

Eventual ly , they wouldhave formed such a strongbond with the furry f r iendthat they cannot imaginefunct ioning without i t !

Similar ly , sales reps canidenti fy well -qual i f iedprospects and offer themthe chance to t ry out yourproduct for f ree. Uponreal iz ing the t rue value ofthe product , they would bemore open to purchasing i t .

The Puppy Dog Closefol lows a ‘ t ry before youbuy ’ approach. I t is basedon the concept of howdog shelters al lowprospect ive adopters totake a puppy home for acouple of days and seehow i t works out forthem. I f the t r ia l periodgoes well for them, thereis no possible excuse forthem to refuse to keepthe puppy.

Once they have

developed an aff ini ty

for your high -value

product , they would

not be wil l ing to let i t

go.

A word of caution:

Before t ry ing out the

Puppy Dog Close, you

have to be extremely

sure that your product

can prove i ts

usefulness and

eff icacy within the

short t imeframe for

which you al low the

cl ient to t ry i t at no

cost . Think of this as

an elevator pitch of

test drives. Offer ing

something for ten

days, with the

knowledge that i t

takes at least f i f teen

days to implement, is

s imply a waste of t ime!

E x a m p l e s o f P u p p y

D o g C l o s e

I f you wish to give our

product a t ry , we could

ship i t to you for a

month without any

pressure or obl igat ion

to purchase i t . I f you are

not sat isf ied with i t , you

can simply ship i t back

to us, and we ’d take

that , no quest ions

asked. Would you l ike to

give that a t ry?

I can sense that you are

st i l l hesitant to make the

purchase. How about I

of fer you a 5 -day no -

cost t r ia l and you can

see how the product

works for your business.

I f you don ’ t l ike i t , you

don ’ t have to buy i t . But

at least give i t a fa i r

chance!

30

Having a cl ient who

simply refuses to make

up their mind can be

frustrat ing, simply

because they are too

close to the f inishing

l ine for you to abandon

them, but they also

keep you wait ing

forever! Given that you

have your own

personal t imel ines and

targets , implementing

the calendar close for

closing sales deals

with a non -committal

cl ient can come to your

rescue.

31

18 THE CALENDAR CLOSE

For a Calendar Close, you suggest a date for f inal iz ing

the deal in the near future. This in i t iat ive al lows you to

f ix a concrete t imeframe by when the prospect should

make their decision. Further , the response generated by

a Calendar Close can also act as an indicator of the

prospect ’s level of commitment.

E x a m p l e s o f C a l e n d a r C l o s e

I think we have discussed everything that

there is to our offer , so shal l I set up a

meeting this Wednesday to get the bal l

rol l ing?

Now that we have i roned out the detai ls , how

about we meet on the 21st and f inal ize the

paperwork?

03

32

19 THE COLUMBO CLOSE

33

“Just one more thing.”

Similar ly , just when you

have completed your sales

pitch, and you can

perceive that you are

losing the cl ient ’s

attent ion and they are

walking away f rom you,

reel them back in with a,

“Just one more thing,”

and offer the ju iciest part

of your offer ing. This

reveal could also address

any object ion that the

prospect may be

struggl ing with, which is

delaying the sale.

The Columbo Close is

named after a late 1960s

TV character , Columbo, a

homicide detect ive. Apart

from his smart and witty

one - l iners , he was also

well -known for his

dramatic reveal of who the

ki l ler might be. In a classic

Columbo close, he would

complete his monologue

or interrogat ion and start

walking away f rom the

suspect . Just when the

suspect bel ieves that he ’s

being let go and breathes

a sigh of rel ief , Columbo

would turn around with his

catchphrase,

E x a m p l e s o f C o l u m b o C l o s e

So in conclusion, the [product ] is going to

revolut ionize how your business operates…

Just one more thing, though, i t is also

avai lable at a shocking X% off !

That ’s a wrap on the presentat ion. Thank you

for your t ime. Just one more thing, i f I may

ask, why didn ’ t you buy f rom us today?

34

20 THE ‘BEST TIME TO’CLOSE

35

Does your prospect have

any t r igger event in the

near future? I f yes, then

it is the best t ime to use

the ‘Best Time to ’ Close!

Some common t r igger

events include a change

in business strategies or

locat ion, growth or

expansion of the

business, t ransfer of

ownership, hir ing / f i r ing

of employees,

dissat isfact ion with the

current vendor, mergers

or acquisi t ions, new

legislat ions, change in

brand perception, etc.

You could cite any of

these t r igger events to

persuade the cl ient why

it is an ideal t ime for

them to purchase your

product .

For the ‘Best Time to ’

Close, you need to have

an in -depth

understanding of the

target company and

monitor and t rack their

act iv i t ies .

E x a m p l e s o f ‘ B e s t T i m e t o ’ C l o s e

We ’ve heard that your business is ventur ing into

the XYZ avenue, which is pretty excit ing. Now is

the best t ime to t ry out the [product ] as i t wil l

help you gain t ract ion on these new terr i tor ies .

Since you are hir ing a new workforce this month,

i t is the best t ime to implement the product as i t

gives them ample t ime to complete t ra ining and

get acquainted with the product as they face new

chal lenges every day!

While these sales closing techniques are highly

effect ive, they are not a magic spel l to close more deals .

These are not a ‘one -size - f i ts -al l ’ si tuat ion, as dif ferent

closing techniques wil l have varying results for dif ferent

prospects . To t ruly grasp the art of closing sales deals ,

you need to have a clear and thorough understanding of

your prospect , their needs, opportunit ies , deal size, etc.

Thus, these techniques can simply aid your ski l ls , and i t

a l l eventual ly boi ls down to how you, as a salesperson,

can gauge the si tuat ion and the prospect to pick the

best way to close.Final ly , with these t r icks up your

sleeve, you are al l set and ready to ABC – Always Be

Closing.

AS WE CLOSE…

36

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