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Closing sales = the endgame. You’ve made your pitches, you booked the meetings, and you’ve presented a killer demo. So, deal? Or no deal? It all lies in the closing. A salesperson’s closing is the ultimate decider, the culmination of months of effort. So, how do you close more sales and rack up the win rate? Find out from this post. 

There are different kinds of selling styles. Empathetic, engaging, relatable, FOMO-inducing… the list goes on. There’s a time, place, and prospect for every kind of sales tactic to be employed. But ultimately, it all boils down to the closing. And we know how important that is. In fact, 71% of sales professionals say their top priority is to close more deals.

There are different styles for this too. There are tried and tested sales closing techniques for closing sales that salespeople rely on to chalk in more wins. Today we're listing the top 10 of those for you.

How to close a sale - top 10 sales closing techniques

1. The Now or Never Close

This sales closing technique is for the prospect who is so close to the finish line but, for some reason, isn’t able to make the final push. The "Now or never" technique involves creating a sense of urgency in the customer. 

This can be done by offering a limited-time discount or by stressing the importance of making a decision quickly due to a time-bound factor. This technique is designed to get the customer to commit to a purchase without giving them time to think about it too much. Setting a deadline, if you will. 

Example

  • I think you’ve got everything we’re looking for. Give another week to think this through with my team.
  • Sure, but our festive 25% off sign-on discount ends this Friday, and I wanted you to benefit from that offer.

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Puppy Dog Close 

Have you seen that episode of Friends where Phoebe’s birth mom lends her a puppy to teach her the impact of attachment? For those who didn't get the reference, the puppy dog sales closing technique is the one where you offer a taste of your product - for free - to help customers understand how much they’ll benefit from it. 

SlackThe intention is to get your customers to enjoy the outcome of using your product or service so much that they cannot imagine going back to the pre-you situation. And this will get them to hop on board as a paying customer.

Example 

How about a 14-day free trial - with no credit card details - of our Growth Plan. You’ll get to experience everything from our multi-channel sequences to our Chrome extension, our slack integration, and so much more. 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Empathy Close 

The empathy technique is a sales closing technique that involves establishing a rapport with the customer and understanding their needs. This technique can be used to close a sale by showing the customer that you understand their situation and can offer a solution that meets their needs. 

This technique is most effective when the salesperson is able to establish trust with the customer and build a relationship of mutual respect. Rather than pressuring the customer to make a decision, the empathy close ensures that you give them the space to figure it out.

Example 

  • I’m not sure I’m ready to make a decision yet. Can I get back to you after evaluating this a little more?
  • Of course. It’s a big decision to make. How about if I circle back to you by the 20th of this month to see where you’re at and if you need any more resources from me?

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. The Summary Close 

The "summary" sales closing technique is when the salesperson summarizes everything they went over during the entire sales cycle with the prospect, with a view to remind them of all the great features and benefits you have to offer. 

The summary method, in essence, is reiterating or reminding the prospect about everything they loved about your offering. It shows them why they decided to come this far into the process and why the purchase is a good decision for them.

Example

Andy, during your 14 day trial of Outplay, you were able to get the platform up and running in exactly two days without any trouble. You’ve managed to increase your pace of prospecting 1.5 times AND you’ve already booked more meetings than the last 14 days. So how about it? Ready to seal the deal?

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. The Sharp Angle Close 

Your prospect is going to negotiate. You know that. They know you know that. And they’re well within their rights to use that as leverage. 

In the Sharp Angle sales closing technique, you agree to their demand for a discount or whatever perk they want and then counter it with a demand of your own - sure, we can do that for you if you’re willing to hop on board today

Example

  • If we decide to go with you, we would want priority support for my team at no cost. 
  • Sure, I can convince our management to make that happen for you if you’re willing to sign on with us today. 

 

 

 

 

 

6. The Analytics Close 

Your prospect is probably busy making a pro-con list for everything they’re evaluating, including your offering. 

In the Analytics sales closing technique, you make the list for your own product and present it to them to make it simpler. That way you control what goes on the list, and you’re able to highlight why the pros outweigh any con.

Example 

Sure we’ve not been around as long as Outreach. And we might not offer certain revenue op capabilities. But on the other hand, you currently don’t have a use-case for them and you’d just be paying for something you never used. Besides, we at Outplay offer all the engagement functionalities you need, at the fraction of the cost. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. The Visual Close

We’ve heard the cliche. A picture speaks a thousand words. But it’s only a cliche because it’s true. The Visual sales closing technique is exactly that - a visual representation of everything you’ve covered with your prospect so far. 

This can be in the form of a presentation deck, a video recording, or documentation with charts and timelines. It’ll help your prospect absorb all the information at hand and (hopefully) come to a decision faster. 

Example

We’ve been having a lot of great conversations over the past few weeks. I thought I’d take the liberty of putting all our thoughts together in this presentation. I’ve added a checklist of all the activities we’ve completed so far, with a quick summary of each right under.  Hope you have all the information you need to sign on the dotted line!

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. The Assumptive Close

The Assumptive sales closing technique is all about confidence and positivity. You assume, right from the beginning of the interaction, that this engagement with the prospect is going to end up in a sale. 

You project this intent into your conversations with the prospect, and you might just end up willing it into happening.

Example

  • I had a great chat with you. Have everything you need to take back to your Vice President?
  • So glad you loved your trial experience. When would you like to sign on - today? Or would you like until Monday?

 

 

 

 

 

9. The Take Away Close

You know how you want something more if you can’t have it? That’s the principle behind the Take Away sales closing technique. 

When your prospect finds themselves unwilling to commit and is still trying to work a bargain in, the Take Away close is the perfect way to show them what they could be losing. You use this to highlight what they could have, and what they’re going to lose.

Example

We’ve given you the best deal possible at this time because we truly believe you’ll see the returns faster than you can imagine. What I could do is, offer you a further reduction of X% without our amazing lead sourcing feature. 

 

 

 

 

 

10. The Question Close 

The Question sales closing technique is a great way to anticipate and preempt objections and eliminate all obstacles to a deal closure organically. In this method, you ask your prospect probing questions at each stage of your engagement to get a pulse check of where they’re at. 

And most importantly, what blockers stand in their way (and in their mind) to take them to the next step. Doing this organically can do either of two things. A. Get your prospect to sign on because their objections have been overcome. Or B. 

You’ll be able to clearly understand why you might not be a good fit for the prospect at this time or in general, and you’ll be able to move on with more data that’ll make your next engagement go better.

Example

  • Is there anything you think we haven’t addressed at that point?
  • Do you think what I’m demonstrating makes sense for your business?
  • Is there anything that is holding you back from signing on?

 

 

 

 

 

What happens after closing a sale?

You’ve learned sales closing techniques. Now what? Move on to the next? You totally do that. But there are some things you need to wrap up first. 

  • Update your sales tools - Make sure you log your deal details and status in your CRM and Sales Engagement Software for accurate performance tracking and sales projections. In a tool like Outplay, the data sync happens automatically and seamlessly between SEP and CRM thanks to our library of bi-directional integrations. 
  • Introduce your customer to the onboarding team - Help pass the baton to your colleagues who will be taking this relationship forward. Make sure you introduce your new customers to the person who’ll help them implement and set up the product and who their go-to will be from now on. You’re the welcome committee, and it’s on you to make this transition seamless. 
  • Check-in - I’m sure your Customer Success team is already on it, but it’s nice to check in on your customer from time to time. It goes a long way in establishing a real relationship, not just a transactional one. In fact, 50% of customer loyalty is based on the sales experience, according to research by HBR.

Sales Closing Techniques to Close More Deals 

This list of sales closing techniques is one that sales pros swear by. Hope it helps you, ABC! But you know what also helps? 

Having a great sales engagement platform that lets you prospect, engage, track, and sell from a single place. 

In fact, companies that have a defined sales process and stack in place have seen a 33% increase in high performance in their team.  Sales are hard. Let Outplay make it easy for you. Explore Outplay today.