LinkedIn InMail for Sales

Which Sales Closing Techniques Still Work in the Digital Era?

Sales still close all the time. It’s just how they close that’s changed.

For modern sellers operating in the digital space, the old convention of closing a deal by adding your personal, persuasive touch and a firm handshake has faded. Reps now must often find a way to push deals across the finish line without the luxury of a face-to-face conversation, which can be tough in the case of a purchase that will cost thousands or even millions. This modern dynamic may explain why more sales seem to be stalling – 53% of B2B buyers have admitted to postponing decisions on at least half their purchases.

In an era when closing the sale has become less of a tactic and more of a culmination of proof and due diligence, here are five ways to encourage your buyer to sign the contract and get started.

5 Sales Closing Techniques That Still Work Today

Use Case Studies to Reinforce a Successful Outcome

Don’t just share your most persuasive and relevant case study or testimonial content, tailor it to your buyer’s concerns and interests. When sharing a case study, make it easy by highlighting or calling out parts that will interest the decision maker in question. Which previous-state scenarios will your buyer be able to relate to? Which solutions and outcomes will they find pertinent?

Consider carving up multiple case studies to create a relevant, compelling, and believable narrative. In other words, put in the work to say, “These companies in a similar situation really thrived.”

This gesture is appreciated because it saves your buyer time and effort, but it also helps you ensure that your most convincing case study and testimonial content gets seen by the right people.

Don’t Take My Word for It

After demonstrating the plausibility of success, offer to put your buyer in touch with a happy existing customer whose situation the prospect might relate to.

Chances are, your buyer will ask for references anyway. By providing references and testimonials proactively, you achieve three goals. First, you’re providing proof at the very moment it’s likely to have the greatest impact on your buyer’s attitudes and beliefs. Second, by helping your buyer complete their due diligence during the process, you make it possible to close the deal sooner. Third, providing references and testimonials unprompted can help you outpace competitors who aren’t backing up their claims with proof.

The Closer Presentation

More and more today, sales reps who’ve sold one or two people at an account become relegated to the sidelines while those people attempt to sell other members of a buying committee. Not knowing what’s going on behind the scenes – who’s talking to whom, who’s sharing what, how claims are being represented – can leave you feeling powerless and without a strategic next step.

In situations like these, provide your most compelling LinkedIn PointDrive package and encourage your contacts to share it throughout the buying committee. PointDrive presentations make it easy for buyers to access and share your information from anywhere. The major benefit as it relates to closing is that you’ll gain insight into whom your content is getting shared with and who’s actually reading it. Using this context, you can move beyond “just checking in” to follow up with the right people at the right time regarding the right matters. If nothing else, having this context empowers you to ask action-inducing questions of your tighter contacts within the buying committee.

Put Time on Your Side

This one’s tricky because if you manufacture urgency, your buyer is likely to see right through it. And in the end, a slick stunt is more likely to hurt your cause than help it.

The key here is to establish a sense of timely urgency without making your buyer feel unduly pressured. If you legitimately have a timely discount or a limited supply, it’s okay to use these factors to your advantage.

Often, the best way to do this though is to lay out a case using facts. For instance, an ROI exercise might reveal a significant monthly savings, with the product paying for itself in about nine months. When all the other boxes have been checked and the buyer committee is dragging its collective feet, demonstrating the cost of delaying the decision might be just what you need to finally move pen to paper.

Ask for Input

I love it when sales teams share their success stories because it serves to remind us just how many factors are at play in each deal, and how even the smallest gestures can make all the difference in the most massive of deals.

If you have a sale that’s stuck in the final stages of your pipeline and you’re not sure of the next step, ask around. Managers, colleagues, even senior leaders (if you have the benefit of being able to bend their ear) might have suggestions that haven’t occurred to you.

Getting help isn’t a sign of weakness, but rather intelligence. The longer your deal sits in the same pipeline stage, the less likely it is to close. You’ve already put in much of the work. Why not capitalize on the expertise and experience of those around you to help you seal the deal?

For more advice designed to put you in the closer’s seat, subscribe to the LinkedIn Sales Blog.

Join the Buyer First Movement. Right in your inbox