Closing Techniques for Sales

Most sellers misuse discounts. They drop them too late. Talk to the wrong person. Add pressure. Miss their number. I’ve taught 1,000s of reps how to do it right. Here are 7 ways to use incentives without looking desperate: I’m not anti-incentives. I’m anti-commission breath. And that’s exactly what shows up when sellers drop a 30% discount on the 29th of the month…only to find out their champion still needs two more approvals and a legal review. It doesn’t close the deal. It just creates pressure. On you and your buyer. Here’s a better way. 1. Incentives are not discounts Don’t pitch 30% off like a used car dealer. Offer something valuable with a story behind it: → A month free → Preferred pricing → Bonus feature access It has to be legit—and tied to a reason (like quarter-end, new logo program, etc). 2. Talk to the decision maker If your buyer can’t actually sign, an incentive won’t help. You need someone who can say yes—or who can push it through. 3. Ask about their process first “What’s your timeline for getting this done?” If it’s next quarter, ask if an incentive would help them pull it forward. If they say yes, you might have a deal to accelerate. 4. Don’t offer anything if the timing isn’t natural You’re not trying to force urgency. So say: “I don’t want to show you this if it’s not something that’s realistic for you.” Let them opt in. 5. Always qualify timing “If we were able to offer something strong, do you think you’d be able to move forward this month?” You want buy-in before they see price. Not after. 6. Map the path to signature Lay out the mutual action plan: - Who needs to review the proposal? - When does legal need it? - How long does procurement take? If it’s not doable, don’t offer it yet. 7. Bring it up early in the month Waiting until the end will kill the deal. Even motivated buyers run out of time. So if you’re going to offer an incentive—do it with 2–3 weeks to spare. Not 2–3 days. TAKEAWAY Discounts don’t create urgency. Timing does. Know their process. Earn the yes. Stay out of panic mode. Close without pressure. Sell with trust.

I advise a bootstrapped Founder who stopped trying to sell to people that were never going to buy. ***keep scrolling for 7 sample scripts to help you close more**** 👉The change? He doesn’t wait until the end of his calls to find out if prospects are ready to move forward. He doesn’t ask, “Any questions?” or let himself get "happy ears." I taught him how to use trial closes instead. 👉 A trial close is a way to test the waters during your sales conversation. It confirms alignment, uncovers objections, and ensures the prospect is engaged throughout the call. The most effective way to structure a trial close is by using an IF:THEN format. The gist of IF:THEN is IF I can do X, THEN will you do Y. 👉 Here are 7 examples of IF/THEN trial closes you can start using today: 1. If we could help your team save 20% on [specific cost], then will you set up a meeting with your CFO next week? → This connects the solution to a tangible outcome and involves the right decision-maker. 2. If I could show you how we’ve helped a similar company improve [specific metric], then would you include your VP on our next call? → This builds credibility by leveraging social proof and makes the next step clear. 3. If we could roll this out by [specific date], then would you make email introductions to the rest of your team this afternoon? → This ties the solution to their urgency and pushes for clarity on timing. 4. If I share an analysis on [specific pain point], then would you review it and provide feedback before our next call? → This secures a buyer-initiated action and keeps the momentum going. 5. If we can deliver [specific outcome], then would you feel confident in bringing this to your leadership team next week? → This trial close checks if the prospect is ready to champion the solution internally. 6. If I send over a proposal that aligns with [specific need], then would you feel comfortable committing to a decision by [specific date]? → This frames the proposal as actionable and ties it to a decision deadline. 7. If we can offer 14 months for the price of 12, then would you be able to sign the contract by Friday? → This uncovers any remaining objections and pushes to closed/won. 👉 Here’s the most important part: The single biggest predictor of whether a deal will close is having a mutually agreed next step where the buyer takes action. A next step is not: 🚫 You sending an email. 🚫 You following up in a few weeks. 🚫 You waiting with commission breath to hear back. A true next step involves the buyer doing something specific to move the deal forward. IF - your buyer refuses a buyer-initiated next step (calendared meeting, meaningful action on a specific timeline, etc) THEN - they are not that interested. 📌 How do you avoid wasting time with prospects who are not ready to buy? Enjoyed this post? Let me know in the comments & follow Leslie Venetz

Every single sales team I have ever evaluated has their lowest score on the closing competency.    This really boils down to really crappy proposal meetings and sales pitches.    First we should never be doing a discovery meeting and a proposal meeting at the same time.     If a sales person does split their discovery and proposal meeting, they usually show up with a boiler plate deck completely focused on why the company is so great.    They present every single capability that the prospect doesn't care about, so somewhere within the first 5 minutes the deal is lost.    Here are five things I teach my clients to do when presenting a proposal:    1) Customized each proposal to the client.     2) Start with an objectives slide.     This should be the 3-5 problems you extracted from the discovery call.    After presenting this slide, ask the client if you captured their needs.    It's pretty amazing to see how prospects lean in immediately because you have summarized their challenges so well.    This is a sign you have them hooked.    3) Connect each problem the client has with one of your solutions.    You could sell a 250K piece of equipment that has 100 different "cool" things    The only cool things that matter are the ones that solve the prospects problems.    Only share a maximum of five solutions.    4) Add in a maximum of two slide about your company.    This should be your company's unique value proposition    5) Drop in a testimonial or two that is relevant to that prospect    Always have a strong testimonial on the slide right before you share the pricing    The key to deliver flawless pitches and improving your close rate is about stepping into the prospects world.    I can guarantee you if you follow only one of these steps you with see your close rate increase by a few percent.    If you follow them all you can easily double your close rate    You will realize the problem with your proposal meeting is you don't actually have the information you need to properly present your solution to your client.    And you need to go back and do real discovery meeting to extract the prospects challenges.    Closing starts at the beginning of your sales process, not the end.     #wesleynewisdom 

Yesterday, I delivered my final workshop of 2024 to my favorite client, G2. AEs & AMs brought Q4 deals at-risk for losing to status quo. We worked through tactics to reduce deal risk + re-engage execs at stalled opportunities. Here are the 4 Qs we worked through on their deals: 1) Can I quantify the cost of inaction (COI)? This is not ROI. This is not, "Every day you wait, you're missing out on the opportunity to improve X by 425%". Humans make stupid decisions constantly. Buyers are humans. We rarely assume risk to realize a benefit. ROI = by doing something, you MIGHT see this return. COI = by changing nothing, you ARE seeing this unintended cost/risk. 2) Do I know what other priorities and categories of spend I'm competing with? This is not "which of our competitors am I up against?". This is, "What other investments/priorities might take precedence over this one?". Ask your buyer this question directly. Make it easy for them to be honest with you. Don't rush to convince them to prioritize yours, before you deeply understand the others. 3) Do I know the 11.2 stakeholders involved in making the decision? Sometimes it's more. Sometimes it's less. But it's rarely just 1 person. Do you know who they are? More importantly, does your BUYER know who they are? We should be having this candid convo with our buyers. "In other companies i've worked with, here is how and where CXO tends to get involved, and here are the places where they typically push back. How might that look different with your CXO?". 4) Does my buyer have the skill and will to rally those other 10.2 stakeholders to give a sh*t about this spend? We could have the perfect solution to an expensive problem. But, our success/failure often lies in the hands of the messenger (our champion). Do the heavy lifting to help your buyer craft a narrative that will inspire them to advocate COI effectively. The key here is effort reduction. Job #1 is for the buying group to agree that this is a problem worth solving, and worth solving now. A big part of being great at Sales is being willing to put our egos aside. The reason I call G2 my favorite client is because there is ZERO ego on this team. They want to learn. They don't cut each other down. They're not stuck in "but this is how we've always done it". They APPLY what they learn (same-day in their sales calls). We laugh a lot in our workshops. A big part of that has to do with the learning culture G2 has created for their commercial org. It reminds me a lot of where I grew up learning how to sell (CEB). And, a ton of that credit goes to the women pictured below. When I think of the BEST of Sales Enablement leadership - I think of Emily Hyde. It's no surprise her team is just as A+. Eric Gilpin - thank you for being a CRO who invests in their Sales team's development and sets the bar high for what great leadership looks like. Now for a 3 week break before SKO (sales kickoff) season kicks off!

I’ve closed several multi-million $ deals in my career that came from a top down initiatives and closed big six figure deals from the bottom up - 5-10-15K deals at a time...grind Enterprise deals come in many forms but here are the three universal truths to master if you want to be an epic enterprise seller. 1. Stop pitching the big deal out of the gate. Enterprise organizations want a proof of concept first - then a proof of scale - and maybe then they will go all in. Just accept it and show you are smart and get it. The key is to make sure you have budget agreement to move forward in the process after you achieve key milestones. 2. Everything boils down to understanding each stakeholders different priorities. Too often people hold onto something they hear from one person and stick with that throughout. A final presentation looks more like a collection of ideas and unified solution than anything. 3. Divide and conquer. Assume every organization sucks at coordinating internally and your job is to project management every meeting, make things crystal clear to each department what’s in it for them outside of big group meetings, and then bring it all to together in the end. If you do this…I promise you can close the big deal too but make sure you follow the path to get there that fits the CUSTOMER and not how your VP of Sales tells you to pitch 1,000,0000 out of the gate….doesn’t work that way #innovativeseller

My #1 tip in negotiation is to make the other person feel like they've won by giving the illusion of choice. I really can't believe how powerful this has been for me personally, professionally & for my sales team. BACKGROUND: I've noticed something over & over again in any negotiation - people feel good when they have control. No one likes to feel out of control or that their fate is not in their own hands. So when I go toe-to-toe with a colleague, a prospect or my mother I think about how I can make them feel like they're in control by letting them choose the outcome. Only the outcomes they're choosing between, are options I presented to them because I'm cool with any of the outcomes. EXAMPLE 1: Here's an example. Let's say I quote the prospect a $20k deal and they push back for $15k. I know I won't go below $17.5k so I say: --- Hey - I've taken this back to my team since I know a more affordable service is important for you given your budget. You're really crushing me on the negotiation so I know I need to meet you halfway. I'm excited to share a few different options we came up with and I need your help deciding which is the best one for you so you can feel really good about this deal: (1) $20k deal with the 13th month free (2) $18k deal where you do a case study with us (3) $17.5k deal but it's a two-year commitment --- Prospect now has the illusion of choice. And always expect a good negotiator to collapse your choices by asking for the cheapest one with no strings attached. I know they're going to counter with $17.5k, one-year deal which I expect and am ok with. EXAMPLE 2: Second example, attached, is me negotiating yesterday with a LinkedIn Social Selling coach I just signed with (I've never tried one but think I could use one). My highest willingness to pay was $10k cash for 3 months. Just like in the first example I gave 3 options for the illusion of choice. They countered, collapsing my options to $10k + the references. Smart move and a tad beyond what I wanted but I signed and we both walk away feeling good. I'm amusing myself writing this because this new coach will both hate & love this post ;) #negotiation #saas #tips

Over a 24-month period at a startup, I closed $5.5 million in ARR. Want to know a secret? I used the same 5-step negotiation framework every time. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟯-𝟱 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 These can be based on: • Volume • When the deal closes • Length of the deal (e.g. 2-year deal vs. 3-year deal) • When you get paid (Net 30, 60, 90) I use a slide to present these items. Give them options (besides discount) 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 Throughout the deal process, gather information from them that you can use in negotiations later. Example: “My VP really cares about adoption” In this case, you can make a price adjustment on professional services around adoption. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝟭 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 Too often we see reps trying to finish a negotiation in 1 call. This tends to lead to reps negotiating with themselves. Don’t give anything away without getting something in return. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Executives would prefer negotiating with other executives. Leverage other executives in a negotiation when possible. Before adding them to a negotiation call, brief them. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟱: 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱... 1. Get all negotiation items out (steps 1-4 above) 2. Repeat/Ask what you heard. "So if I got it right you want ____ Is there anything else?" 3. Prioritize the issues. "Let me ask, what is most important to you price or..." 4. Qualify the decision maker. If we come to an agreement today can you make the decision by (today)? 5. Make the offer. Be clear, confident, and concise. 6. Listen and repeat their counter-offer. 7. Ask for the deal and add an expiration date. 8. Agree to consequences if the expiration date is not met. 9. Confirm your conversation with an email: "Per our conversation, we agreed to ____ did I get that right?" 10. Once they've agreed in writing follow up with contract: "As discussed in the email in which we agreed to" 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁! My 5-step Negotiation Framework. Two final thoughts: • Don’t rush the process, you’ll end up negotiating against yourself • Understand your negotiation levers ahead of time P.S. The waitlist for our 4,000+ member LinkedIn Growth Accelerator is now open: https://www.brand30.io/

61% of sales reps say selling is HARDER than it was 5 years ago. And that stat came BEFORE the recent tech layoffs, budget freezes and buying committee chaos. According to Salesmate, the top sales challenges of 2024 include longer deal cycles, budget freezes, and decision maker ghosting. Sound familiar? Most reps are panicking. But I’ve seen this before. I sold through the Great Recession. Got promoted 12 times in 8 years. Closed over $700 million in contract value. Hit President’s Club almost every year. Managed a team of 110 before I turned 31 (I’m 41 now). Now I train reps at Google, Zoom, Salesforce, and more on how to thrive in ANY environment… not just when the pipeline’s hot. If you want to be the AE who earns $250K–$500K while everyone else just survives, you have to master this: 👉 How to handle objections without triggering defense mechanisms 👈 (We are in a LOW trust environment in 2025. Layoffs, inflation, interest rate whiplash. People are cautious. Buyers are nervous. Budgets are tighter. That creates friction and with it, skepticism.) Because objections are higher now. Resistance is higher. And if you show up with commission breath, it’s game over. Instead, use this: The HEART Framework This is how top reps turn objections into opportunities. (H) Heard Don’t rush. Don’t rebut. First, make your buyer feel safe. Acknowledge their concern without trying to “solve” it immediately. Example: “I totally appreciate that. Thanks for being honest.” (E) Elaborate Go deeper. Ask questions to surface the root issue, not just the symptom. Use soft tone and pacing to create psychological safety. Try: “Can you tell me more about that?” or “What’s behind that concern for you?” (A) Aside from that Isolate the objection. You want clarity, not confusion. Ask: “Aside from [X], is there anything else holding you back from feeling 100% confident?” (R) Reclarify Value Shift focus. Bring them back to what they liked about your solution. Ask: “Before we dive back into that concern, what stood out to you the most about what we’ve discussed so far?” (T) Transition Now you address the root objection with context. Pull from earlier discovery. Reference past failed solutions. Let them convince themselves. “You mentioned trying X for 6 months with no results. What do you think would change if you kept going down that path?” This isn’t persuasion. It’s precision. Done right, your buyer talks themselves into the close. But here’s the deeper point: If you can stay calm, curious, and service driven when everyone else is pushing discounts, you win. And not just this quarter. You win for life. — Hey Sales Leaders… want to get your team through this TOUGH market? We should talk. I can train your team with our proven repeatable sales systems: https://lnkd.in/eaibeK8q

When a Doctor Says They’ll Use Your Product… and Then Ghosts You We’ve all been there. You walk out of a sales call thinking you just crushed it. The doctor said, “Yeah, we’ll start using it.” Maybe even threw in a “This looks great!” for good measure. You’re already mentally logging the win. And then… nothing. No orders. No follow-up. Just radio silence. You try to reach out, but they’re suddenly busier than a trauma surgeon on a holiday weekend. You start to wonder—Did they actually mean it? Or was that just a polite way to get me out of their office? Here’s the reality: They did say they’d use it. That wasn’t a hallucination (despite the lack of hard evidence). And your job is to make sure that happens. So what’s the move? 1. Honor your commitment to honor their commitment. They said yes, so act accordingly. Don’t treat this like a weak maybe—treat it like a done deal that just needs execution. 2. Make follow-up a favor, not a favor request. Instead of, “Hey Doc, just checking in…” try, “Doc, I’m here to make sure this rolls out smoothly for you. Let’s lock in the details.” Frame it as supporting their decision, not begging for scraps. 3. Create urgency without being pushy. Remind them why they said yes in the first place. Maybe it improves outcomes, saves them time, or prevents their competition from eating their lunch. Whatever it was, reinforce it. 4. Use internal allies. Sometimes the doc is all talk, but the real decision-makers (or blockers) are staff, procurement, or admin. Find your champions inside the clinic or hospital and work with them. 5. If all else fails, call it out—professionally. If they keep dodging, try something direct: “Doc, last time we spoke, you were excited to get started. Have things changed?” Sometimes a little nudge forces a real answer. Bottom line? They gave you the green light. Don’t act like it’s still a red light. You’re not being pushy—you’re being a professional who ensures things get done. If you back off completely, you weren’t closing a deal—you were just collecting compliments. And last I checked, compliments don’t pay commissions.

Struggling with prospects saying “It’s too expensive” or “We don’t have the budget”? Let me share how I handle these objections I tackle them with empathy and by becoming a trusted partner not “just another salesperson” 🤝 1. Active listening When a prospect says “It’s too expensive” I listen carefully. I don’t interrupt or rush to defend the price. I show I understand their concern - Tip: Instead of jumping to justify the price I validate their feelings. “I understand that budget is a big concern. Can you tell me more about what you're comparing this to?” 2. Ask clarifying questions     I dig deeper to understand the real issue. Sometimes “too expensive” means they don’t see the value yet - Questions I ask:   - “Can you share more about your budget constraints?”   - “What are your main priorities right now?”   - “How does this fit into your overall strategy?” 3. Demonstrate value I shift the conversation from cost to value. I explain how my solution can save them money or drive revenue - Value points:   - “Our lead generation services have helped clients reduce their customer acquisition costs by 20%”   - “Here’s a case study showing how we increased a client’s qualified leads by 30% in just three months” 4. Offer flexible options I show I’m willing to work with them. I offer flexible packages, discounts for longer commitments or trial periods - Examples   - “We can customize a package to fit your budget and goals”   - “How about starting with a 1-month pilot to see the results firsthand?” 5. Build Trust I position myself as a partner who’s there to help - not just sell. I share insights, provide value and show genuine interest in their success - Action steps   - I send relevant articles or resources   - I schedule follow up meetings to address their ongoing needs   - I’m transparent about what my solution can and can’t do Example dialogue Prospect: “It’s too expensive.” Me: “I get it budgets are tight. Can you tell me what your top priorities are right now? Maybe we can find a way to make our solution fit those needs” Prospect: “We don’t have any budget left” Me: “I hear you. How do you usually split up your budget? Let’s see if there’s a way to get the most value out of what you’ve got” Handling budget objections with empathy and a consultative approach not only helps me close deals but also builds long term relationships Remember it’s not just about the sale - it’s about being a trusted advisor P.S. What’s your go-to strategy for handling budget objections? Share in the comments and let’s help each other out!