3 Winning Techniques for Closing the Sale

The B2B selling process is a complex series of events that leads to the sale closing, which is about gaining the agreement of the buyer to make a purchase or take a mutually beneficial decision. In B2B marketing, a closed sell creates the winning score. It transforms prospects into customers. However, it is important to understand that not all selling efforts lead to closure. Often times, salespeople are required to deal with rejection and redo the whole process in order to convince a prospect to take their desired action.

While the entire selling process requires skills and experience, closing is the most crucial stage that requires attention to detail, perfect times, and confidence. This is the stage where the buyer is contemplating over whether they should invest in a product or service and the salesperson is worried about facing a rejection. By utilising the right sales closing techniques, salespeople can convince the buyer in a consultative, non-threatening way that the decision they are about to make is a good decision and close the sale on a positive note.

In this post, we are listing 3 best sales closing techniques that salespersons can use to effectively close the deal.

The Assumptive Close

Assumptive closing is about removing the responsibility of decision-making from the buyer and making the purchasing decision on their behalf. It makes use of the buyer’s natural inertia to compel them to take the desired action. This involves asking questions that make an impression that an agreement has already been made by the prospect. For example: “when is the best time to come and see you?”, “how is your diary looking next week?”, “when will be the best time to come and see you?“ or “what’s your email address so I can send you over some information?”

The Alternative Close

Often times, the buyer may hesitate in agreeing to the next stage of the buying process. For such customers, it is advisable that you use this sales closing technique, called the alternative close, which allows the buyer to invest in the product with minimum risk involved. For example: “shall we meet next week or the week after?”, “would you like an email with more detail rather than an appointment at this stage?”, “which of our three packages would be best for you?”.

Just like many other techniques used for closing the sale, alternative closing is not suitable for all buyers. It can be used to convince the customers who seem genuinely interested in the product but are showing reluctance due to the risk involved. Providing these customers the option to make a smaller decision can persuade them to make a purchasing decision.

The Pressure Close

As the name implies, this technique involves use of certain tactics to put pressure on the buyer and to compel them to make a favourable decision. For example, you may offer them some special offers, such as discounts or free shipment for placing the order right away or agreeing to the next step. You may also consider associating the sale with certain penalties. “The discount is only available for a short period” is a type of outcome that’s often time associated with the sales process to make the offer look lucrative to the customer.

Using these sales closing techniques, you can increase your chances of closing the sale efficiently and effectively. However, remember the using these techniques for closing the sale alone doesn’t guarantee success. It’s all part of the selling process. Good luck!