You can be the best salesperson – and still feel nervous before every sales call.
It makes sense! Given what you say, how you say it, and when you say it can determine the outcome of the sales call, it’s only natural to feel nervous.
This is where relying on established closing techniques can come to your aid.
The inveterate principles that have worked for others can add confidence to your pitch and help you close more deals.
There are many well-known sales closing techniques out there. Here we have listed seven powerful ones that high-performing sales teams swear by.
1) The Ben Franklin Close
The Ben Franklin Close is a closing technique where you create a list of the pros and cons of the product with your prospect. The idea is to understand the prospect's objections, priorities, and other factors influencing their purchase decision.
This technique is often used when the conversation isn't going in your favor.
It's important to let the prospect make the list themselves; you can extend guidance as needed. Also, you should recommend them other pros that they may not have considered. The number of pros must outweigh the cons.
Once the list is ready, you would now know the concerns of the prospect. You would have an understanding of their reasonings for not buying the product.
Use these insights in your closing questions, as well as in the follow-ups.
For example, if they have concerns about the high price, you can tailor your follow-ups around this. You can offer them exclusive discounts or discuss your product’s additional benefits at this price point.
The Ben Franklin Close may not close the deal immediately, but it can help drive conversions in the subsequent follow-ups.
2) The Urgency Close
Marketers and sales agents have used this technique for long, and there's a big reason why.
The urgency close is essentially all about creating urgency in your sales pitch.
"Only 5 slots available" "Discount ends in 3 hours" "Offer valid only till the end of the day".
These statements put pressure on the prospect to take quick action. It speeds up their decision-making. And if your conversation went well, i.e…
…offering timeframes within which the prospect should act usually yields favorable outcomes.
3) The Assumptive Close
This is one of the popular sales closing techniques that highlight your confidence.
It involves using phrases that assume the deal is closed.
"When do you want your subscription to start?" "When do you want to receive your order?" "Do you want Plan A or Plan B?"
Assertive questions like these convey that the prospect is onboard even if they haven't explicitly mentioned it. It positively influences their decision-making.
The assumptive close technique works well when the prospect has checked all the important boxes and there are no significant objections from their end. It prevents them from sitting on your offer and speeds up the sales cycle.
4) The Ownership Close
If you can paint a picture of how the prospect's life will change/improve by using the product, the chances of conversions increase. That's what the ownership close technique does.
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It reinforces this idea that the person already owns the product by repetitively stating the benefits and helping them visualize those benefits.
For example, if you offer a product that helps save time, you can use phrases like "imagine spending more time with your family" or "you will now get more time to work on other projects".
These phrases encourage prospects to assume they are already using the product and visualize how their lives will get better. This increases the chances of them actually buying the product.
5) The Puppy Dog Close
This is one of the simplest closing techniques. It’s all about letting the prospects use the product for a few days before making the final purchase decision.
Software companies have mastered this sales closing technique by offering free trials of their products. Even consumer brands that offer products like mattresses and jewelry use this try-before-you-buy technique to drive more sales.
So, whatever you sell, allow prospects to use the product (with no obligations).
If your product is good and the prospect maps to your buyer persona, the puppy dog close can be very effective in closing more deals.
6) The Scale Close
If you can know how interested a prospect is in your product, you can tailor your pitch accordingly to be more effective. This is where the scale close technique comes into play.
You simply ask a question:
"On a scale of 1-10, 10 being "very much" and 1 being 'not at all', how interested are you in buying this product?"
(After they have mentioned a number, say 5, you can follow up with something like "is there any specific reason why just 5?")
This scale will help you identify how much work you need to put into the conversation to close the deal and how to go about it. It will navigate you in the right direction.
Anything less than five is a hard sell. The goal is to get that person to a perfect '10', which is where you'll make the sales.
7) The Take Away Close
The prospect is willing to purchase. But there's some nagging objection that they keep going back to. You can use the take away close here, which is essentially suggesting that you're willing to withdraw the deal.
This shows confidence. And if the prospect knows you're fine letting go of the deal and that they might miss out on buying this product, they may want it even more and respond in a positive way.
Another way to look at this closing technique is to take away parts of your offerings just to get the prospect towards a consensus.
For example, if a person has an objection to a high price, you can remove a feature or service from your offerings and present your product at a discount. Many people wouldn't want to lose any feature or service. So, they will agree to purchase at the original price.
Use the Right Closing Techniques (And Make More Sales)
There are many more such closing techniques. However, there’s no one “best” that will work for you all the time.
Different prospects have different needs, requirements, and preferences. These variables define which closing technique will be more effective.
On your part, you want to stay prepared with multiple sales closing techniques and use them as needed.
So, start learning more about these techniques, and implement them in your sales calls to gain real-life experience.
In the coming weeks, we’ll continue publishing more such newsletters on sales closing. If you found this helpful and interesting, you’ll love our upcoming newsletters. Subscribe and get notified every Friday we publish something new. See you soon!
