Always be closing – ABC. If you are in sales, you’ve heard this phrase over and over. Closing is one of the most important and challenging parts of the sales process.

It’s often difficult to know when and if a client is ready to move forward. Rarely will a client agree to close a deal outright.

The bigger the deal is, the more challenging it will be to close. It’s called a sales process for a reason. You won’t get new business on day one. You need to progress toward the close. This is why trial closing techniques are such a valuable sales tool.

You can use certain phrases and ask certain questions to see where a customer is in the buying cycle, understand their level of commitment, and get them to agree to terms to progress the deal.

“Heading into a closing conversation with a prospect is always nerve-wracking. No matter how impressed they seemed during your demo or how enthusiastic your champion is, there’s always a chance you’ll lose to the competition, they’ll decide to postpone their decision until next quarter, or they’ll ask for a price you can’t deliver,” says Emma Brudner on the Hubspot blog.

“A ‘yes’ or ‘no’ hinges on far more than just the specific closing sentence or question. But as you’ve probably seen, using the right words can definitely make a difference,” she adds.

In this blog, Toronto sales recruiters outline some of the best phrases to use while trial closing to get a commitment from your customers:

1. “How Can I Help?”

This is a great question to ask, especially during the early part of the sales process. It can help establish you as an expert advisor. You will be able to learn a lot about the customer’s issues, and if they are comfortable divulging information to you. You can use this information to understand their situation better and determine the best potential solutions. It’s a trial close in the sense that if they answer the question about how you can help, you are getting a commitment that they are interested in working with you.

2. “How Would You Like To Proceed?”

Rather than focus on the next steps you would like to accomplish, it’s important to focus on the customer. Asking questions such as, “How would you like to proceed?” and “What would you like to do next?” makes a customer feel like they are in control. It will also teach you a lot about where the customer is, their intentions, as well as the next step they would like to accomplish to move closer toward the final close.

If the customer answers with some suggested next steps, it’s a sign they are still interested. You didn’t lose the sale. You will also get more insights into the issues the customer is having, allowing you to better shape your offer and plan accordingly.

3. “Sign Up Now, Save X”

Creating a sense of urgency is important once you’ve laid the groundwork for the deal. If you are at the point where you have taken time to understand the customer and have positioned your solution well, it’s time to start nudging the customer along to make a decision.

Creating a sense of urgency will also help you uncover unaddressed obstacles or hesitations the customer may be having about closing. Bringing these to light will help you understand the barriers you face to closing the deal.

You can create a sense of urgency in many ways. Putting a timeframe on a discounted rate, telling the client the price will rise at a certain date, or offering additional value or features if they sign up now as opposed to a future date.

4. “We’ve Resolved Problem X, Now We Can Move Forward”

Addressing issues, problems with the proposed deal, and identifying custom solutions is part of the process. Once you help your customers address these barriers, it’s important to make it clear. Communicate you have removed previous issues that got in the way of progressing and closing the sale. Address the pain points, offer solutions for them, and then ask for the close.

5. “Which Product/Solution Do You Prefer?”

It’s important to avoid yes/no questions. When you ask them, it gives the customer an out. They can easily say no and kill your progress. Rather, ask open-ended questions that give your customers various options to consider. Based on what you know about them, you can suggest a number of products or solutions. Ask them about which ones they prefer. If the customer chooses an option, you’ll know where to focus your efforts. Overall, it encourages the customer to think about their options. This can help them make a decision and you can get a greater commitment to moving the deal forward.

6. “To Summarize…”

As you get toward the end of your meeting with the customer, it’s important to circle back and get them to commit to the talking points you’ve agreed to. Review where you are with the deal, outline the proposed solution, and then ask for the close. If the customer is not ready to make a decision, you have the opportunity to follow up with questions about why they are hesitant. If they are satisfied with what you outlined, you can follow up with creating a final closing agreement.

Use these phrases while trial closing to get important information and a commitment from your customers. It will help you gain deeper insights, and more importantly, close more sales.

Get More Sales Tips From Toronto Sales Recruiters to Improve Your Closing Rates

Are you a skilled closer? Looking for more ideas to improve your closing rates? Check out these related blog posts from Toronto sales headhunters to get ideas and new insights into closing sales more effectively:

Guarantee the Deal With These 4 Trial Closing Questions

5 Sales Recruiter Secrets to Closing Tough Sales Customers

The 8 Best Sales Trial Closing Questions to Guarantee the Deal

6 Ways to Come Back From a Drop in Sales

How to Own Your Negotiation Skills to Close More Deals

5 Clever Ways to Get a Buyer’s Attention in Less Than 10 Seconds

SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. We recruit salespeople in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. Find the right salesperson for your organization, start your search here.