B2B Sales Closing Techniques: How to Seal the Deal
Michael Edwards
This post was originally published in May 2020 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
B2B sales closing techniques are about more than delivering a strong final pitch. They require building trust and maintaining alignment with the prospect’s goals throughout the entire sales process. And throughout that process, sales reps must consistently demonstrate ROI and position their solution as the obvious choice, making the decision to move forward feel not merely beneficial — but inevitable.
In this section, we will cover how to successfully navigate the critical closing stage of a sale. You will learn how to guide the deal to a signed agreement by focusing on three essential actions.
Closing Technique #1:
Leverage opportunities
Closing Technique #2:
Engage key stakeholders
Closing Technique #3:
Address pain points
1. Leverage opportunities
Leverage is key to guiding prospects through the closing of a sale. Throughout the sales discovery process, take note of moments that reveal readiness, interest, or urgency. These signals can be referenced later to reinforce value and guide the prospect toward a confident decision.
For instance, if a prospect expresses urgency in implementing a solution, you can leverage that by offering a discount if they purchase before a certain deadline. This addresses their need for a timely solution and reinforces your product or service as a smart, cost-saving choice.
Of course, offering a discount is not the way to go if you feel it would cheapen your product or service. There are other ways to leverage value without impacting your profit margins.
Some proven points of leverage to consider:
- Prioritize their implementation by moving them to the front of the queue
- Provide a complimentary premium support package for a limited period
- Extend their payment terms, such as offering net 60 days instead of net 30 days
Leverage in sales isn’t about pushing prospects to buy something they don’t need. It is about helping them take the next step toward a solution they already want.
The Essential Guide to Sales Pipeline Management
Learn our strategic approach to tracking prospects throughout the pipeline, forecasting revenue, and closing more deals.
2. Engage key stakeholders
A lack of involvement from key stakeholders can significantly delay – or even derail – the closing of a deal. Ideally, stakeholders should be looped into contract details during the negotiation stage, or around the halfway point in your pipeline.
Involving decision-makers across departments ensures alignment and buy-in, reducing the risk of surprises or objections late in the process. The more you can foster collaboration and transparency among all stakeholders, the smoother and faster your path to closing will be.
One critical group to engage early is the prospect’s legal team, which can introduce last-minute hurdles if not consulted in time. Sharing contract terms proactively helps identify concerns early, allowing you to address them before they become obstacles.
3. Address pain points
It’s natural for a prospect to be cautious and want to address every potential challenge on the way to the sale, but by this point, you should be prepared with considerate responses to their concerns. When doing this, lean on the core challenges your prospect is facing to guide their decision. Rather than risking the impression that you’re just after their money, remind them how your solution will make their daily work easier and positively impact their bottom line.
Common pain points you might address include:
- Time Efficiency – Lengthy workflows and manual tasks slow down productivity, causing delays that impact deadlines and time-to-market.
- Revenue Growth – Missed sales opportunities, low conversion rates, and ineffective lead generation hinder the ability to grow revenue and scale marketing efforts.
- Risk Mitigation – Compliance challenges, security vulnerabilities, and poor customer service put the business at risk of regulatory penalties and client loss.
- Quality and Consistency – Product defects, inconsistent service, and a lack of standardization across teams lead to customer dissatisfaction and increased churn rates.
- Scalability and Growth – Current solutions may not support business expansion, with inflexible platforms and bottlenecks restricting the ability to scale operations and support.
Of course, these are just some common pain points. Your prospect’s challenges may be broad and familiar or highly specific to their industry. The key is to actively uncover these pain points throughout the sales process, document them in your CRM for reference, and strategically address them when it’s time to close the deal.
More Proven Sales Closing Techniques
Sales is all about strategy. It is about knowing how to frame your solution in a way that makes it challenging for the prospect to decline. Thankfully, strategies can be practiced and proven. The following established approaches are designed to guide prospects to the conclusion that they need a solution, and yours is the best fit.
Closing Technique
Now or Never Close
WHAT IT IS
Creates a sense of urgency by presenting the offer as a limited-time opportunity, highlighting that the deal or benefit won’t be available later.
EXAMPLE
“Because we’re offering a 15% discount exclusively for contracts signed by the end of this week, this is the best time to move forward.”
Closing Technique
Alternative Choice Close
WHAT IT IS
Offers two positive options leading toward a sale, which guide the buyer’s decision by focusing on how they want to buy, rather than if they want to buy.
EXAMPLE
“Would you prefer to start with the standard package or the premium package that includes the additional support services?”
Closing Technique
Ben Franklin Close
WHAT IT IS
Creates a pros and cons list with the prospect to help make an informed decision when they are undecided or hesitant.
EXAMPLE
“Let’s review the benefits and concerns together to clearly assess the value this solution provides relative to the risks.”
Closing Technique
Scale Close
WHAT IT IS
Asks the prospect to rate their interest on a scale from 1 to 10 as a means to uncover objections, gauge commitment, and identify what needs to be addressed.
EXAMPLE
“On a scale from 1 to 10, how ready do you feel to move forward with this solution? What would it take to move you closer to a 9 or 10?”
Closing Technique
Summary Close
WHAT IT IS
Recaps the key benefits and agreed-upon points discussed during the sales process to reinforce value, build confidence, and ease the path to closing.
EXAMPLE
“To recap, our solution will reduce your operational costs and comes with 24/7 support. Given these benefits, are you ready to move forward?”
The Essential Guide to Sales Pipeline Management
Learn our strategic approach to tracking prospects throughout the pipeline, forecasting revenue, and closing more deals.
Let EBQ’s expertise close the sale
Mastering the art of closing is essential for driving revenue and maintaining a healthy sales pipeline. By utilizing a variety of proven closing techniques, sales professionals can adapt to different buyer behaviors and guide prospects confidently toward a final decision.
With expert guidance and a consultative approach, we help you close more deals by tailoring proven sales techniques to each unique interaction. EBQ’s Inside Sales Team delivers consistent results by adapting to buyer behavior and optimizing every step of the closing process. If your business is looking to increase leads through proven and effective closing techniques, EBQ is here to help you achieve that goal.
About the Author:
Michael Edwards is one of the founding members of EBQ and currently serves as EBQ’s VP of Sales, where his intersection of sales strategy and people management has fueled his success in scaling teams across all industries. With more than 20 years of experience, he has worked on hundreds of projects and is a master at identifying how to run effective sales operations.