5 Sales Closing Techniques: Roleplays and Templates to Grow Your Pipeline
Choosing the right closing techniques can be the difference between a done deal with a satisfied customer and a client left feeling uncertain. And since 70% of SDRs claim their quota has increased, a strong close is more important than ever.
Implementing the right strategy at the right time can alleviate concerns while organically leading a customer to choose your product or service.
To help with this, we examine five of the best closing strategies. We discuss how they work, when to use them, and how they look in training and practice.
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Closing strategies in the context of the sales cycle
Closing is the pivotal moment of the sales process. It’s the final step where value promotion, relationship building, and timing all come together to secure a commitment from the customer—and make weeks of work pay off.
But before moving on to sales techniques, consider whether it is time to close the deal. Qualifying the sale before moving forward is paramount to avoiding obstacles down the line and minimizing the risk of fall-throughs.
According to Dave Wilkins, Founder of SDR Leaders of EMEA, “Before you can start enacting the close plan, you need to understand if the person you're talking to has decision-making authority. Often, it’s decided by a committee or a manager.”
So many people will say, “I can make this decision.” Without proper qualification, this can change to: “Sorry, my manager wasn't interested” or “We don’t have the budget” three months later. To avoid this, you need to ask them:
- Who else is involved in making this purchase decision?
- Has the procurement process officially started?
- Do you have a budget allocated for this project?
Now, let’s explore how you can push the sale through to close!
5 key sales closing techniques and templates
Here we look at five key closing techniques. We’ll also provide role-play examples for sales coaching and training, and template scripts you can customize to suit your ICP.
The assumptive close
The assumptive close leverages positive assumptions to guide the potential client toward sealing the deal. In this technique, you act as though the prospect has already decided on the purchase by saying something like: “Once we finalize the details, we can schedule the delivery for next week.”
Wilkins explains, “It’s best to talk about a go-live date rather than pushing for them to make a yes/no answer to the sale. This shifts the focus from whether they’d like to buy to how they would want the solution to work.”
You can guide the prospect toward confirming by framing the sale as a done deal. Since the conversation flows naturally toward a close, it feels organic for them to follow through and commit to the purchase.
This technique works best when an in-depth sales call or demo has gone particularly well, and the potential customer has shown sustained interest throughout. It taps into the principles of the ‘commitment-consistency’ theory, which shows that people tend to remain consistent with previous statements made in a conversation.
Closing template:
- Summarize benefits discussed: “Based on how [Product/Service] addresses your [Needs], it seems like the perfect fit.”
- Transition with assumption: “So, shall we go ahead with an implementation start date next week?”
- Provide reassurance if needed: “I understand this is a significant step, but I think we’re both confident [Product/Service] supports your goals.”
Roleplay scenario:
A salesperson finishes a demo or call and asks when they'd like to start the onboarding process instead of asking if the client is ready to purchase.
However, the prospect isn’t ready to commit yet.
The sales rep needs to outline the onboarding process clearly, making the next steps obvious for when the prospect is ready to decide. The rep should acknowledge the hesitation but maintain an assumptive tone without disrupting the flow.
The urgency close
The urgency close hinges on the psychological trigger of scarcity. This is when people are more likely to act if they believe the opportunity to do so will expire. In sales, this is often framed as a limited-time special offer or restricted availability. This increases the perceived value of your product/service by indicating that demand is greater than supply.
The urgency method is best used when the prospect is interested in the product and you’re confident it fits their needs, but they’re hesitating to commit. This can be as simple as a seasonal promotion or limited stock alert.
Be careful not to use it unless there’s a reason for a sense of urgency. This avoids coming across as pushy and insincere.
Closing template:
- State the limited-time benefit: “I just wanted to let you know this offer does run out on [date], and I’d hate for you to miss out.”
- Prompt for action: “Shall I lock in the rate for you while it’s this low?”
Roleplay scenario:
A salesperson reminds a customer that a discount on their product/service is ending soon. The customer seems hesitant, so the salesperson needs to find a way to ease the tension.
The customer says they need more time to decide or that the discount alone doesn't justify signing up right now.
The salesperson needs to reemphasize the urgency but more flexibly and shift the focus to the value added by the product.
The summary close
The summary close recaps key points to remind a prospect of all the reasons they were initially invested. This reinforces their positive first impressions and re-emphasizes the value added by the sale.
This type of close can help overcome last-minute indecision as people are more likely to say yes when the benefits of your product are front of mind. It’s especially effective when a positive first impression has been changed later in the sales process due to conversations around implementation or more often, cost.
Wilkins recommends, "working backward from pain points when summarizing benefits.” For example, if a solution saves someone five hours a week, you can equate this with the monetary value of your product/service to make the cost seem less significant. You can also use case studies and testimonials to exemplify this.
Closing template:
- Recap top benefits: “So, to sum things up, you’re getting: [Benefit], [Benefit], and [Benefit]. That’s going to let you [Goal].”
- Prompt for final agreement: “I think we’ve covered everything there, haven’t we?”
Roleplay scenario:
An agent is tying together a call by recapping how the benefits of the service outweigh the costs.
The customer isn’t convinced the service has every feature they need.
The agent needs to go deeper into specific benefits and provide real-world case studies.
The question close
The question close is a soft close approach that invites the prospect to voice their needs and concerns. This creates a more client-centered experience and is useful for building trust and creating a collaborative atmosphere.
Wilkins talks about how this looks in practice: “You can ask an open-ended question to accurately gauge commitment and readiness to purchase.” This could be something like, “What would be stopping you from implementing X into your tool stack?”
Closing template:
- Ask for feedback: “Is there anything you need more information on or aren’t sure about?”
- Encourage agreement: “If everything sounds good should we arrange set up?”
Roleplay scenario:
A consultant feels their solution closely aligns with a prospect’s business goals. They ask what obstacles would be in the way of implementing the solution.
The prospect raises objections around budgeting.
The agent should offer to work with the contact to help them gain budget approval by putting together a detailed cost/benefit analysis.
The alternative close
Where the assumptive close makes the closing decision about logistics over-commitment, the alternative close shifts focus onto selection over-commitment. This means presenting the prospect with two choices that both lead to a sale.
The alternative close is based on a decision-making theory that suggests people find decisions more manageable with only two options on the table. By offering alternative pathways you remove the stress and perceived gravity of a ‘yes or no’ decision while also making the prospect feel more in control of the situation.
Use this approach when both options offer similar benefits, and the choice comes down to smaller factors, like minor features or payment plans (monthly vs. annual).
Closing template:
- Present two choices: “So, do you want to start with our X package or the Y option?”
- Prompt selection: “Which feels like the best fit for you?”
Roleplay scenario:
After concluding a product would fit a client's use case, a sales rep asks if they would prefer to move forward with X or Y option.
Here the client might state they aren’t sure which is best, or that they think they should ask their team first.
This would require the sales rep to guide them to the most suitable payment method or keep the momentum of the sale by booking a follow-up call.
Integrating closing roleplays and templates into your sales strategy
While the templates we’ve provided are a great starting point, it’s important to continuously refine your closing strategy. This means testing different closing techniques in roleplay scenarios and using analytics to evaluate how effective your scripts are in real selling contexts.
One of the best ways to do this is with a live conversation platform. Orum offers extensive analytics to track the effectiveness of your closing strategies. It also automatically transcribes calls and flags objections so you can spot which strategies are working best.
Since Orum integrates with your CRM, you can access real-time data about customer preferences and behavior directly in your dialer. The increased visibility of this data means sales reps can make better decisions when choosing the right strategy for each customer.
Meanwhile, parallel dialing and automatic lists mean that salespeople can spend more time in conversations closing sales deals and less time on admin.
Optimize your closing techniques with Orum
Arm your sales team with clear insights into what works and what doesn’t.
Request a demo
Frequently asked questions about closing strategies
What are some closing strategies in sales?
Common closing strategies include assumptive close, urgency close, summary close, question close, and alternative close. Which approach is best will depend on the client's objections and their unique reasons for hesitating.
What are some sales closing strategies on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn closing strategies often require sales professionals to build rapport through organic engagement with a client's online presence. This approach also relies on social proof from factors like mutual connections or shared interests. Remember, while reaching out with a LinkedIn message is an effective way to introduce yourself, it’s best to get the client on a call as soon as possible to effectively build trust before closing deals.
