Sign on the Line: 5 Steps to Closing the Sale

5 steps to closing the sale

While the sales process itself has a fairly standard format, there’s no one way to close a sale.

“The sales process will be different for everyone, but the one that I like to follow is [whether] the lead is generated through inbound or outbound marketing techniques,” said Holden Andrews, founder of Helpful Home Group. “For inbound, think: They are coming to you like a referral — SEO, pay-per-click, seeing your brand somewhere like on a billboard or company vehicle. For outbound, think: You are reaching out to them. For example, cold calling, cold emailing, or LinkedIn messages, to name a few.”

Your approach may need to vary depending on who you’re talking to. But, if you’re new to sales, the following steps will get you started on the right closing path.

1. Start with a preclose.

The preclose approach allows you to develop a rapport with your prospect and understand their needs better. It involves asking short, open-ended questions to get the prospect talking.

“After the lead is generated it is about getting them on the phone or a Zoom call so you can hear their problems and see if you are a good fit at potentially solving them,” Andrews said. If you can’t solve their problem, he added, it’s better to point them in the right direction rather than trying to force a sale that won’t work for them.

The most critical part of the preclose approach is to do more listening than talking. After you ask a question, listen to everything the prospect has to say — don’t interrupt or comment. Your only goal is to engage with them and make them feel part of the process.

2. Qualify the prospect.

The discovery stage is where you’ll qualify your prospect and determine whether they’re a good fit for your product or service. You’ll ask questions about them and determine what problem they’re trying to solve. This involves more back and forth between you and the prospect.

“It’s about asking the right questions to get them to let their guard down so they would be open to changing their current situation,” Andrews said. “If you don’t get them to reveal how much the problem is affecting them, it will be very difficult to get them to change — especially if it is a large investment.”

You’re still asking questions. But, you’re always trying to demonstrate your expertise and that you have a high-level understanding of their needs. The ultimate goal of this step is to show your prospect why they need your product and how it will benefit them.

3. Give your presentation.

Now that you’ve warmed up and qualified your prospect, you’ll move into the presentation stage. This could be a slide deck or a product demo. Whatever the format, make sure your presentation is compelling, informative and rooted in fact.

“Once they’ve said they want to change, then it’s about going through your offer and showing how it is going to solve their specific problems they talked about earlier,” Andrews said.

Your objective is to show the prospect how your product or service is the answer to their problem without overselling it. It’s a tricky balance but one that’s possible to achieve. However, if you haven’t provided a clear solution by the end of your presentation, it was a failure.

“Remember, people are not buying the product or service, they are looking for a solution to a problem or issue,” Smith said. “Your product serves as the answer to it. So, present it as such with the benefits offered by choosing it.”

4. Handle objections.

One of the most common issues with closing a sale is handling objections. Most people will not buy a product or service without at least asking some questions or voicing some concerns to the salesperson. Make sure to respond to these objections calmly and politely. Address objections head-on and provide facts that show the prospect their objection should not be a concern.

“After you present, typically, there is going to be some kind of objection … like, ‘I need to think about it,’ ‘The price is too high’ and ‘I need to talk to my spouse,’” Andrews said. “Then it’s about figuring out if the objection is real or just a smoke screen by asking the right questions. A lot of the time people are just scared of making the decision.”

You can prepare for this by going over your presentation with a colleague or friend beforehand. Any objections or problems they raise are areas you need to prepare answers and solutions for. You can also look at past presentations — whether yours or someone else’s on your sales team — and identify objections to prepare for similar situations.

5. Seal the deal.

Your closing words to the prospect should be powerful and show you’re providing them with a solution to their problem. Be confident when you close without coming across as arrogant.

“Finally, to close a lot of sales, one must create a lot of opportunities,” Smith said. “Continually prospecting is required. You are going to get told no 75 percent of the time. Be prepared for it — it’s part of the process.

“There are hundreds of names in the Baseball Hall of Fame that made an out seven out of 10 times they came to bat,” Smith added. “You have to keep swinging and you will get your share.”

Most crucially, make sure you ask for the sale — you want to receive a clear “yes” or “no” so you know what steps to take next. It’s OK if you can’t close the sale that day; that just means you need to follow up with the prospect at a later date.

“If you close, congrats. If not, I go into my follow-up process, and my goal with every follow-up is to bring value to the person each time I talk with them so they are more likely to pick up my call,” Andrews said. “For example, when I was selling digital marketing, I would share whatever strategy was working well for us. I would give free tips on how to optimize their website or errors in their ads that could be improved upon.”

This five-step sales process can help you cultivate a relationship with your prospect that will turn them into a client. The key to its success? You aren’t giving them a hard pitch from the jump. Instead, you’re taking the time to get to know the prospect and building toward the close.

Give a great amount of attention to each of the above steps for every deal you attempt to close. Your prospects will appreciate your preparation, professionalism and want to do business with you.

Tips for closing the sale

The specific product or service you’re selling could necessitate a tweak to the sales process. Or, you may have to alter your closing technique to fit the prospect you’re dealing with.

Even so, there are some general practices you should follow across the board:

• Opt for in-person interactions: A phone call can be a good way to initiate the sales process. But, the five-step sales approach outlined above tends to be more powerful when applied to in-person sales meetings and presentations.
• Make eye contact: Look decision-makers directly in the eye to show you are speaking with them, not at them. Gauge their body language to determine whether they are engaged with your sales pitch.
• Balance your needs with the prospect’s: Your goal is to make a sale and your prospect’s goal is to make something in their own lives better. Strike a balance between closing the deal and making the prospect aware of why they need your services. You both should be getting what you want.
• Consider extra sales training: All salespeople, even those with high closing rates, should embrace a growth mindset. You should always work on refining your skills, especially when it comes to business-to-business (B2B) sales. Business owners are likely to see through common sales tactics, so B2B sales can be even more challenging to close than other types of sales. By continually sharpening your skills and staying up to date on sales and marketing trends, you can maintain momentum.

What not to do when closing the sale

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when you’re trying to close a sale:

• Not asking for the sale: Many salespeople will go through the entire sales process without ever asking for the sale. This is often because they’re nervous or don’t want to hear “no.” But asking for what you want brings clarity to the conversation and helps you know what to do next — start filling out the contract or schedule a follow-up meeting.
• Failure to create urgency: As a salesperson, your goal is not only to show the prospect that they need your product or service but why they need it right now. Helping them identify their pain points isn’t enough; they need to understand why they must take action quickly.
• Trying to trick the prospect: There’s a reason why many people have negative impressions of salespeople: because too many sellers try to rely on tricks and manipulation to close deals. Strive to provide value to the prospect and build a relationship with them, not just meet your quota.
• Delaying answering objections: You should address objections as they arise throughout your presentation. Don’t wait until the close to try to answer every question; at that point, it’s probably too late.
• Not following up: It takes roughly six to eight touchpoints to close a sale, which is why following up is so important. The better you get at thoughtfully following up with prospects, the more deals you’ll close in the long run. The easiest way to make sure you’re following up with prospects is by collecting information about every interaction with them in a customer relationship management (CRM) tool. Check out our picks for the best CRM software, which are great tools for sales pipeline management.

Max Freedman and Jacob Bierer-Nielsen contributed to this article.