All your team’s efforts boil down to successfully closing a sale.
If your AEs spend weeks or even months with a lead and it all ends in a dead end, it can be very discouraging.
Yes, rejection is a massive part of sales, but what if your team could get a leg up?
(Pause for intrigue)
What if there are certain sales closing lines and techniques that could help them seal the deal?
(Pause for more intrigue)
What if there are mistakes they’re making that are hurting their chances of closing the sale?
We interviewed one of our sales managers here at Mixmax and she gave us some juicy insights about what works–and what to avoid–when trying to close a sale.
In this post, you’ll learn:
Let’s take a look.
These sales closing phrases will give your team the boost they need to move the sale along. They can be added to your email sequence templates and personalized for each prospect.
1. Do you see how [COMPANY NAME/PRODUCT] can help solve [PAIN POINTS]?
Why this works: You’re making a clear connection between their pain points and the fact that your company/product is the solution.
Why this works: You’re not leaving any room for ambiguity. You’re giving them a clear deadline to close the deal so they can have their solution up and running by their desired date.
Why this works: This puts pressure to move things forward. If they have concerns, you’re forcing them to tell you about them, and if not, there shouldn’t be anything else holding them back.
Why this works: You’re committing to give them what they want, which should satisfy them and lead to a closed sale.
Why this works: You’re encouraging them to voice any concerns they may have, and if they don’t have any, you can start concluding the sale.
Why this works: You’re letting them know that you understand their objection and that you’re willing to negotiate/compromise to move forward with the deal.
7. Are you thinking of going with X Tier or Y Tier?
Why this works: You’re forcing them to choose between the different options you have available, which makes it easier to discuss the next steps.
Why this works: You’re moving the sale along while reducing some of the risks by bringing up ROI.
Why this works: You’re reiterating that they will have a successful next quarter if they invest in your product/service by a certain date, which nudges them toward closing the sale.
Why this works: This is a casual and friendly approach to closing a deal, and it gives prospects the impression that there isn’t much risk involved by agreeing to it.
13. “Is this a more profitable approach that fits your budget? If yes, I’m more than glad to make follow-up plans.”
Why this works: You’re showing that you’re flexible and have made arrangements to fit their budget. And since the budget concern has been resolved, you can move forward with the deal.
Closing a sale doesn’t happen overnight. Not for us mere mortals, anyway.
There are many hurdles along the way, but if you coach your team with the proper sales techniques from the start, they’ll be better equipped to lock in the deal.
Here are a few sales techniques our sales manager swears by.
A strong start makes for a strong end. Even before they hop on the discovery call, your AEs should do thorough research to understand the prospect’s unique challenges. During the call, they should get as much information about the prospect as possible to really understand what their specific needs are.
Check out this Discovery Call Checklist for more information.
Your AEs shouldn’t end a call without a plan to follow up. They can use the info they’ve gathered in the discovery to set realistic timelines and ensure they have a hard date and time set for the next steps to stay on track.
Pro tip: Calendaring tools such as Mixmax’s one-click meetings will help your team insert specific timeslots directly into an email message so it’s easy for prospects to book a follow-up call.
One of the sales techniques that is often overlooked is asking the prospect about their security and procurement process. Discussing this in the beginning stages of the sales process ensures there are no unexpected roadblocks when it comes time to closing.
Your AEs should always be prepared to a) understand and b) overcome common sales objections. The key is active listening and validating the prospect’s objections and concerns. Then they can move on to reassuring the prospect with relevant rebuttals.
If your AEs don’t actively follow up with non-responsive prospects, they are missing opportunities. They should try to re-engage prospects to get things back on track, even if it means looping the SDR back in and enrolling the prospect in a re-engagement sequence.
Pro tip: If your team isn’t getting answers from follow-up sales emails, try using Mixmax’s one-click polls to make it easier for prospects to respond. Here’s an example of a follow-up poll:
Your AEs can have the biggest and baddest sales techniques under their belts and the best sales closing lines this world has ever seen. BUT if they’re making these mistakes, it’s hurting their chances of closing that sale.
Don’t get us wrong, assumptive close questions work. But if your AEs are pushy/overly confident too early in the game, it can turn prospects off. Assumptive closing questions should only be used if your sales rep is actually confident that they can close the sale.
If your team isn’t clearly discussing next steps after key touchpoints (after a demo, for example), they will end up in a situation where they’re trying to get the prospect to close but it doesn’t coincide with his/her plans.
Your AEs should not only interact with one contact person. You want multiple stakeholders involved in the sales cycle, because you’ll have more people to get the evaluation done and close the sale. Plus, more people in the company will be invested in using your product.
Note: If you’re only dealing with one person, they can easily leave the company and your AE will have to start the whole sales process again with someone new.
>> Your reps when they find out they have to start over with someone new:
The problem with giving too many options is overwhelming potential customers. And when that happens, the sale is as good as dead. Your AEs should offer the best fit for the prospect based on the information they gathered during the discovery call.
Your team should use ALL the info they’ve gathered during the discovery process to offer the prospect a customized demo instead of a generic one that doesn’t speak to their pain points. The more focused the demo, the more likely the sale.
A common mistake that AEs make is pitching product features instead of value/benefits. Prospects want to know the results they’ll be getting by adopting your product, so your team should demonstrate value instead of boasting about features.
If you want to keep prospects engaged and close more sales, our sales engagement solution can help your team get there.
With Mixmax as your secret weapon, you can:
Not convinced? See how Mixmax helped this SaaStr sales leader close over $1 million in revenue in just 90 days.
Rita Melkonian is the content marketing manager @ Mixmax with 7+ years of experience in the world of SaaS and automation technology. In her free time, she obsesses over interior design and eats her way through different continents with her husband & daughter.