How to Close Sales

# Sales Closing Training

Close deals or close your business.

That's the brutal reality most sales teams face. Yet somehow, here we are, in 2024, still watching salespeople stumble through conversations like they are meeting customers for the first time.

The other day l watched a salesperson literally ask a customer "So... do you want to buy this?" after a twenty minute conversation. Not kidding. The customer actually laughed and walked away. Painful to watch. Even more painful when you realise this stuff happens every single day across Australia .

l have been in sales for longer than l care to admit. Started when mobile phones were the size of bricks and somehow still here, watching the same mistakes happen again and again. The thing about closing sales: it is not magic, it is just conversation that goes somewhere instead of nowhere.

## Why Most Salespeople Cannot Close

Your average salesperson thinks closing is about pressure. Push harder. Talk faster. Use more words ending in "tion". Wrong.

The real problem? They never actually listen to what people are saying. They are too busy thinking about their next clever line or waiting for their turn to speak. Customer says "l need to think about it" and the salesperson immediately jumps into objection handling mode instead of asking "What specifically do you need to think about?"

Basic stuff. Yet most people get it wrong.

You are not trying to trick anyone into buying. You are not trying to manipulate or use psychology tricks. You are having a conversation with someone who has a problem, and you might have a solution. That is it. Keep it simple.

## The Foundation Nobody Talks About

Before you worry about closing techniques, fix your opening. Most sales conversations are dead before they start because the salesperson sounds like every other salesperson the customer has heard that week.

"How are you today?"
"What brings you in?"
"What can l help you with?"

Boring. Predictable. Instantly forgettable .

Try this instead: notice something real about their situation. Ask about something specific. Show that you are actually paying attention instead of running through your script.

Customer walks into a furniture store looking at sofas. Instead of "Are you looking for a sofa today?" try "Noticed you checking the measurements on that one, tricky space to fit?"

See the difference? One question shows you are watching and thinking. The other shows you are just waiting for your turn to talk.

## Three Things That Actually Work

**Stop assuming readiness**

Most sales training teaches you to assume the customer is ready to buy. Terrible advice. Assume they are still figuring things out. Ask better questions. "Where are you in your decision process?" gets you real information instead of polite deflection.

**Create small agreements first**

Get them saying yes to little things before asking for big things. "Does that make sense?" "Can you see how that would work for your situation?" "Is this the kind of thing you had in mind?" Build momentum with small wins.

**Make the next step obvious**

Do not ask "So what do you think?" at the end of your presentation. Of course they need to think. Give them something specific to think about. "The delivery time is three weeks, would that work with your timeline?" or "This comes with a two year warranty, is that important to you?"

## When Customers Say No

Here is what most salespeople get wrong: they hear objections as rejection instead of requests for more information.

"It is too expensive" does not mean they cannot afford it. It means they cannot see the value yet.

"l need to talk to my partner" does not mean they are not interested. It means they need help explaining it to someone else.

"l want to shop around" does not mean you lost. It means they need more confidence in their decision.

Stop defending. Start asking. "What would need to change for the price to make sense?" "What questions do you think your partner will have?" "What else are you considering?"

You are not trying to overcome objections. You are trying to understand them .

## The Close That is not a Close

The best closes do not feel like closes. They feel like natural next steps.

Instead of "Are you ready to buy today?" try "What questions do you have before we move forward?"

Instead of "Can l write this up for you?" try "Should we get the paperwork started?"

Instead of "Do you want to think about it?" try "What else do you need to know to feel good about this decision?"

You are not asking them to buy. You are asking them what they need to buy. Big difference.

## Timing Matters More Than Technique

You can have the perfect closing line, but if your timing is wrong, it will not work. Most people try to close too early because they are nervous. Others wait too long because they are scared of rejection.

Watch for buying signals instead of guessing :
- They start asking about delivery, warranty, payment options
- They use ownership language: "When l have this" instead of "lf l get this"
- They bring up implementation details
- They ask about next steps

When you see these signals, test for readiness. "Sounds like this could work for you?" "Are you comfortable moving ahead?" "What do you need from me to make this happen?"

## Common Mistakes That Kill Deals

**Talking past the sale**
Once they say yes, stop selling. Get the paperwork done. l have seen salespeople talk customers out of purchases by continuing to pitch after the decision was made.

**Making it complicated**
The buying process should be simple. If your customer needs a law degree to understand your contract or a engineering background to understand your product, you have already lost.

**Forgetting to ask**
Some salespeople are so afraid of rejection they never actually ask for the business. They hint. They suggest. They imply. Just ask. "Shall we get started?"

## What About Difficult Customers?

Some people are just difficult. Accept it. Not every conversation will end in a sale, and that is fine. Your job is not to convince everyone. Your job is to help people who want to be helped.

The customer who argues about everything, questions your credibility, and treats you poorly? Let them go somewhere else. Life is too short.

Focus on people who have real problems you can solve. They are easier to work with and more likely to buy. They also refer other customers who are easy to work with.

## Training That Actually Works

Most sales training programs teach techniques without context. Fifty different ways to close without teaching you how to have a decent conversation first.

Start with the basics: listening, asking good questions, understanding customer needs. Master those before you worry about advanced closing techniques.

Practice with real situations. Role playing is fine, but it is not the same as dealing with actual customers who have real money to spend and real problems to solve.

Record your conversations when possible. Listen back. You will hear things you missed the first time. You will also hear how you sound to customers, which can be eye opening.

## The Truth About Sales Success

Good salespeople are not born. They are made through lots of uncomfortable conversations with people who do not want to buy what they are selling.

You will get rejected. You will lose deals you thought you had won. You will make mistakes. That is part of learning.

The difference between successful salespeople and everyone else: they keep having conversations even when they do not feel like it. They ask for business even when they are scared of hearing no.

Most importantly, they treat customers like human beings instead of targets or quota numbers.

Do that consistently, and closing becomes the easy part. Because when people trust you and believe you can help them, asking for their business feels natural instead of awkward.

## Final Thoughts

Sales closing is not about pressure or manipulation. It is about helping people make decisions they already want to make.

Listen more than you talk. Ask better questions. Make the buying process easy. Treat people well.

The rest takes care of itself.