How to Close a Sales Call Successfully

So, you’ve built a rapport with the prospect and you’ve given your pitch.

How do you seal the deal and end your sales call with a new client?

Learning how to close a sales call the right way takes time, but there are some simple closing techniques you can use to turn a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’.

While I do think closing a sales call well takes some practice, I think anyone can get better at it with time. As always, preparation is key. So the more you prepare, the better chances you’ll have at success.

If you’re ready to close more deals, keep reading to find out how I close my own sales calls, and how I coach my clients (and my sales reps) the same proven closing strategy.

Preparing for the Close

There are a few things you can do as a sales rep before you even pick up the phone.

Spending a little time on pre-call prep is key for a few reasons, but a big one is confidence.

You’re more likely to come across as competent, and this will make the prospect feel prepared to trust you. Thorough research can make a huge difference.

Whether you’re trying to end your first call on a high note or you’re calling back to close a sale, preparation will help you in closing calls, even if you’re used to doing things in a more spontaneous way, which is why I believe in making a sales call plan.

So what does pre-call prep look like? For me, it’s this:

Go over your previous conversation

I believe in taking notes during a sales conversation. If you’ve had any previous contact with your prospect, keep it close by.

If you’re calling back to close the sales deal, make sure you review your notes from the previous call. Hopefully, you took a few post-call notes as well and you can go over these before you start.

This will also make them feel that you’ve remembered them and you really are invested in them and their needs.

Keeping an up-to-date list of the right prospects will have you closing more prospects that are impressed you remember their goals and challenges.

Make a closing call checklist

Before you make a call, it’s good to have a checklist nearby with some basic information, like:

Has the prospective client completed the pre-call assessment?
What solutions can I offer them?
What are the client’s main goals and pain points?
What have their objections been so far?
Were there any tricky moments in the previous conversation?

This might vary depending on the type of sales call. It’s good to have your own closing call checklist nearby to make sure you’ve run through everything before you try to close the call.

Go over your goal for the call

If you’re calling back to close a sales deal, ask yourself again: what are your call objectives? If you’re offering several different services at different price tiers, it’s important to focus on the one you really want. For coaches this is typically your high-ticket offer.

But you should also have your downsells ready.

Sometimes if a sale doesn’t go through, you might be able to offer them a secondary product or service that is just right for them.

Practice with a colleague or friend

I request my sales staff to role-play the closing call at least once per week. You can practice with a colleague or trusted friend. See it as part of the sales process to perfect your closing strategy.

This is a super easy thing to do, and shouldn’t take long. Your friend might be able to spot some objections you hadn’t thought of, and the practice should give you some confidence going into it.

You can also practice on your own. Record yourself on Zoom to get used to the closing script. I know it sounds crazy, but speaking it out loud before you begin gives you confidence. So don’t worry about talking to yourself! All sales reps can do with a bit of practice.

Know your negotiation limits

You should expect your prospect to haggle for a lower price. So you need to be prepared beforehand. How will you handle this? Are you willing to offer a discount? Or will you stack extra bonuses?

Rather than give discounts, my sales team will offer a fast action bonus or a payment plan.

Again, it’s really useful to know this before you go in. You should have a firm answer to give if your prospect wants to negotiate.

Prepare for negative responses

I’ll go over some useful phrases a little later, but if you’re trying to close and your potential prospect isn’t receptive, you do need to be prepared for a ‘no’.

So, what will you do in case of a ‘no’?

Ideally, you want to get to the root of the ‘no’. So the simplest thing to do is this: ask them!

Ask them what it is that is causing them to have reservations. Is it the price? The services? Are you asking at the wrong time for their budget? It’s an easy thing to do and it will give you some valuable answers.

Because once you have answers, you can work around it. You might be able to reassure them, or bring up some features you hadn’t been covered in the call yet. Or, you might be able to offer a discount.

I’ll give you some bonus tips near the end of this article if you’re facing a ‘no’ and you need some last-minute tricks to try, so keep reading for that.

How to Close a Sales Call Over the Phone

Okay, so let’s go through how to actually close sales during a phone call.

We’ll presume for this that you’ve just pitched your product. If you’re calling back after a previous call, the steps are pretty similar, but remember to:

Reintroduce yourself
Recap the last call and the value proposition
Use a phrase similar to ‘So, ideally, we’d love to get you started with our product/services today: where do you stand on this?’

So after you’ve pitched your offer, here’s what I suggest you do next.

Give them space to ask questions

This brings the conversation to a natural conclusion and allows them to bring up any queries they might have.

You should know your product and service information inside out, but you could also have that info on your desktop or on paper so you can go over the finer details if you need to.

Handle objections

Now, your potential client may bring up some last-minute objections they have. This is where your pre-call prep kicks in.

The most common sticking points for prospects tend to be:

The product or service is too expensive for them
You haven’t met one of their needs or pain points
They’re not quite sure whether they can trust you or your company just yet
The functionality of your product doesn’t fit what they want
The timing is wrong

You should be able to counter these points in the closing process.

You want to approach each call with the attitude of success, and that will require you to be able to handle any objections that come your way.

Negotiation

Now the negotiation begins! This can be a tough but fun part of the closing strategy as you try to settle on a price that works for you both.

Your potential client will ask for a discount; this is totally normal. But because you’ve already prepared, you should know your own limit and be ready for it.

Of course from your perspective, you’ll want to get the most out of this deal. But so will they! So meeting in the middle is a key skill, and you’ll get better at hitting that sweet spot that benefits both of you.

Don’t worry if it feels a little awkward at first. The more closing calls you do, the more you’ll get used to this part.

I actually look forward to it now, but I know some clients I’ve coached that struggle with the negotiation part. This is where the top sales reps earn the big bucks. If you’re prepared, it’s so much easier.

Close the deal

Now’s the time to close the deal. You’re at the final decision stage.

Once they’re satisfied with the price, you’re good to go. You can use some of the following phrases:

It looks like our service is perfect for you!
If you’re ready, I can send over the contract right away.
If you don’t have any more questions, I think we can move forward with this now.
So it looks like we’re on the same page here?

You’ll need to point them to your onboarding process if applicable, and then you’ll need to get them to sign the contract.

And then you’re done! Congratulations on sealing the deal. Tell the client you’re looking forward to working with them, go over the next steps quickly, and the call is done.

Sales Closing Phrases to Use for Success

I train my clients on how to improve their closing statements, and how to handle tough objections. When I’m mentoring my clients, I teach them some key phrases they can use, and I want to share some of these with you.

These closing sales statements can be just the thing you need to turn the call around and hit your sales quota, so make a note of the ones that work for you and keep them nearby.

Objection: Too expensive

Compared to what?
What’s the cheaper alternative?
My coaching (our services) are cheaper than Starbucks! (Use comparisons to break down the cost)
No one’s gotten less than X when working with me.
Sure, but you’re paying for years of expertise and knowledge

Objection: Don’t have time

When is the right time?
New things require a shift in your priorities
This training will save you time by … (list time-saving features briefly here)

Objection: Need to check with partner

Can you bring them on the call right now?
What further concerns do you think they’d have?
Do you think they’d tell you no?

I have a list of the best sales closing phrases that I teach to my clients when coaching them on how to improve their closing calls.

I think having these stock phrases ready is so useful, and you can customize them to suit specific phone calls.

Bonus Tips for Getting a ‘Yes’

All this sounds easy, but some prospects are tougher to convince than others.

There are a few things I turn to when I find myself on a tricky call.

And while it’s simple to write this all down for you, I get that it’s hard to do. Your tone, your confidence, and your rapport with people over the phone takes some time to develop.

But you’ll get there. I started from scratch too, and I’ve had some big wins over the years, so you’ll refine your closing technique too.

The biggest tip is to keep practicing, remember you can role-play with a colleague.

Add a sense of urgency

Urgency is key for closing any sale.

You know those banners you see on websites offering you a time-limited deal? There’s a good reason for them. Psychologically, people are more likely to go through with a purchase if they think they might miss out.

So, make your offer time-sensitive. Tell your client something along the lines of:

I can only hold this offer for you for 48 hours.
We’ve got a special offer on right now, but it’s only available until Thursday. I don’t want you to miss out.
We’ve only got two spots left, and I’ve got other clients interested, so please let me know your decision ASAP.
Clients who sign up by Friday get (insert perk here: maybe something like priority support), so make sure you don’t miss out!

A time sensitive close is a really useful tool to have. Make them feel that this is the final opportunity to get a great deal.

Last-minute offers

It’s always a good idea to keep a last-minute offer in your back pocket. Something like:

Okay, if you purchase today, I can offer you another 10% off.
If we can seal the deal today, I’ll throw in (insert perk here – maybe one month of an extra feature)
If we can sign the contract today, I can give you X add-ons as a free gift.

An added bonus might be just the thing that swings the client from a ‘no’ to a ‘yes’. A limited time offer is really hard to turn down.

Highlight the benefits

Do a brief recap of some of your client’s pain points, and remind them how you can help.

Ultimately, your potential client is looking for something that will make their life easier. So whatever their pain point is, you need to meet it.

So how can you do that? Can you get them more clients? Bring them more Instagram followers or subscribers? Make tedious admin tasks easier? Increase sales? What is it that you can bring them that nobody else can?

Give them something tangible that they’ll be missing out on if they say no. The key is to make it as irresistible as possible so you’ll be on the prospect’s mind even if they need a day to think on it.

Offer alternatives

So maybe the person you’re speaking to just isn’t interested in the package you want to offer them.

That doesn’t mean it’s game over completely, so stay positive. You can just offer them something else instead.

Maybe they’d be tempted by a lower price tier with fewer features. Or perhaps you have a package you want to offer them, and they can pick up some add-ons later.

You see, once you’ve confirmed the sales deal and they’re settled, you can always upgrade them later once you’ve built up a working relationship with them. So you might not be saying goodbye to your primary goal after all.

You want to be prepared for this and to be able to find something that perfectly suits their needs and your goals to successfully close the sales call.

Your prospect may need time to think about it, and if you can’t get the deal closed then make sure you schedule a follow-up call before you hang up.

And if it’s still a no? Make sure to send a follow-up email to thank them and to tell them it was great talking to them. You or customer service reps might be able to reach out with a different product later down the line.

Post-call notes

I’m a big advocate for taking crystal clear notes (if you couldn’t tell already).

Once you’re done with the sales call, whether it’s a yes or a no, note it down. Ask yourself the following questions:

Was this sales call a yes or a no?
What went well? What did I handle well in this call?
What didn’t go so well? How could I have done better in this call?
What are the next steps to take?

Being honest with yourself is the best way to develop as a sales professional.

And if it was a no, there are things you can improve.

Ask for further training

It’s worth looking into further training on how to make sales calls and enjoy a higher success rate.

If you’re an entrepreneur, there are training courses you can take online.

You can also go for some coaching. For example, I offer coaching on closing sales calls, and some of my clients have had great success. Our client Michael Morgan attended my workshop, and the next day he closed two clients and brought in $15,000 of revenue.

So coaching can have some tangible benefits. Learning from people who have done this stuff for years is really crucial if you want to learn and grow.

How to Close a Sales Call: Key Takeaways

Hopefully, you’re feeling pumped for your next sales call!

The key things to remember are:

Prepare. Preparation is key. Have everything you need to hand and be ready for objections, haggling over price, and special offers if the answer is ‘no’.
Negotiate. Be prepared to offer discounts and bonuses, but know your limits beforehand.
Be prepared for objections. Have a list of objections and solutions ready to go.
Have some stock phrases ready. I’ve given you a list of these, but you can probably think of some of your own too.
Use last-minute tricks to get a ‘yes’. Adding urgency, giving last-minute offers, and offering alternatives could turn that negative into a positive.

If you’re still not ready, come along to my workshop on how to close a sales call. I’ve coached many clients over the years to help them learn to close sales calls.

How to Close a Sales Call the Right Way