How to increase your closing rate in B2B sales?

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Several techniques, tools and skills make it possible to facilitate Closing of a sale. As a reminder, this is the final phase of the commercial process. For it to be successful, it is important to master these various elements. In the long run, you will then be able to quickly create relationships of trust with your interlocutors and this will prove beneficial for your business.

What is a good closing rate for sale?

It is considered that the closing rate of a company is high starting from 57% of sales opportunities transformed into signed contracts. If you are a salesperson, you know that getting half of the prospects to the final phase of the sales cycle is not easy. Each interaction with a potential customer must be carefully considered in order to lead to a favorable outcome.

Upstream work

Before even signing a contract, several steps are necessary to Understand the problem the business is facing of a prospect and the type of solution they are looking for in order to offer him a product or service proposal adapted to his needs and expectations.

Know the decision maker well

Know who is making the buying decision within a company and how to get closer to this person is a major step in the success of a closing. Indeed, it often happens that the interlocutor we talk to during the interview is not in fact the one who signs the contract at the end of the sales process. By inquiring on LinkedIn or on the company's website, it is entirely possible to obtain the name of the decision maker but also crucial information for adapt its marketing strategy and its customer approach.

Understand the major challenges and needs of the prospect's business

For a customer to accept an offer, it must necessarily constitute a solution to a problem encountered by the company. The role of the salesperson is thus to find out about this problem, its origins and the consequences it causes so that he can make an adequate proposal by presenting the prospect with a product or service that allows him to solve it or simply avoid it in the future. To do this, it is absolutely crucial to ask questions and to discuss strategically: this can be done in particular through FOCA-type methods or to a commercial technique of Spin Selling, for example.

Have a great presentation pitch

Know your product or service like the back of your hand, be able to answer the objections of the prospect, master theActive listening and being dynamic and caring are the keys to the success of a commercial speech. First impressions are very important in sales, and that is why it is important to look after your image and to be eloquent from the start of the interview..

Inform the prospect well

For the prospect to understand that the solution you are offering him is the best, it is essential that he has a large amount of information on the product or service offered. Taking the time to explain all the benefits to him without being boring, inviting him to ask questions and preparing answers to his objections are good ways to inform him amply. At the end of the exchange, Encourage him to rephrase what he understood and retained also makes it possible to clarify or add certain points that could be supported.

Establishing the moral contract

More implicit and tacit than the sales contract, it is a involvement Between the salesperson and the prospect based on transparency and goodwill. On the customer potential side, it's about being honest about their buying intentions and providing correct information, while on the sales side, it's expected that they are honest in presenting the product and determined to work for the good of their customers. A true cornerstone of more ethical selling, it is a way for both parties to establish a real relationship of trust.

Develop a relationship of trust

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Knowing how to gain the trust of a prospect is not innate - it is rather a skill that can be learned by following methods and a few tips, but also thanks to experience. So here are our tips to more easily develop a good relationship with your potential customers:

Use Social Proof

Social Proof is a concept from psychology that is based on the fact that Human beings imitate each other and tend to behave like their loved ones. In marketing, this idea can be used to push for a purchase: if a prospect realizes that many other individuals (or a member of their family/friendly circle) have trusted a particular company, they will be more likely to become a customer of that same company. Use the number of customers, a authority argument (such as a celebrity or an expert) or even a Friend recommendation can be a good way to get the attention of prospects.

SONCAS cap

Inspired by Maslow's pyramid, the SONCAS method focuses on 5 basic human needs (and of the consumer!) What are safety, pride, novelty, comfort, money and sympathy. Used in the commercial field, this technique makes it possible to decipher the expectations and needs of a potential customer in order to then adapt their sales script and help them feel understood. Quite complex, it is a method that, however, requires training to be well mastered by salespeople.

Finding the balance between speaking times and silence

Every successful salesperson knows this: do not monopolize speech is absolutely crucial for building strong relationships with a prospect. From the discovery phase to the Closing phase, it is important to Know how to listen attentively and practice active listening : this not only allows the potential customer to feel that we are not simply trying to sign a sale but rather to help them find a solution; but it is also a good way to gather essential information to adapt their sales pitch and make them an offer adapted to their needs.

Know how to negotiate

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The art of negotiation is a must to master for all salespeople who want to improve their closing rate and multiply their number of customers. To negotiate successfully, however, there are a few rules that must be respected. Discover our tips to boost the efficiency of your commercial exchange :

Don't oversell

Repeat the same arguments over and over again, be pushy and ignore objections of the person you are talking to is certainly one of the worst ways to sell. The customer will feel trapped and will not have the feeling of being listened to - as a result, he will quickly end the exchange and will most likely not want to sign a sale.

Demonstrate the benefits of the solution or product

It is important to clearly state the advantages of the offer you are making to your prospect, especially targeting those who appear to be a Real solution to the problem that he is used to meeting. If you want to make sure that your interlocutor has entered them correctly, do not hesitate to suggest that they summarize them at the end of your exchange.

Helping the prospect to plan

It is always easier to make a purchase when you already imagine using the product or service presented by the seller. To help the future customer project themselves, several solutions are possible: allow them to take a prototype in their hands, use augmented reality software to help them imagine what they will look like. offer a service Or a free trial for a limited time...

Using FOMO to create urgency

FOMO or Fear Of Missing Out (the fear of missing out, in French) is a frequent syndrome that is present in many individuals. It is characterized by a kind ofAnxiety at the thought of missing a great opportunity or to lose its social prestige as a result of its inaction. Emergency marketing, when used wisely, is an effective way to create fear in consumers by making them feel like they are going to miss out on a golden opportunity if they don't accept an offer made to them. To do this, for example, it is possible to make a limited-time proposal - with a prize discount or bonus offered.

Know how to read between the lines when dealing with objections

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Mastering negotiation and being eloquent is not enough to convince a prospect to buy: you still need to know decipher his attitude to understand at what stage he is positioned in the sales cycle and if he is really ready to sign.

Understand the stages of reflection that the prospect goes through

The commercial discussion is never a long and easy one: it is rather a path full of pitfalls caused by the objections and doubts of the prospect. However, these obstacles can be overcome... provided they are identified! It is crucial to understand the fears and questions raised by a potential customer at each phase of the sales cycle. He will first try to find out if the products or services offered will be useful to him, then if their price will seem right, and finally if he could find better elsewhere. Each of these steps will certainly be punctuated by several questions that the salesperson must know how to answer while supporting him as best as possible in his thinking to make him an adapted offer.

Determine if the prospect is ready to close

A prospect who is about to become a customer is generally recognizable by both its verbal language and through its non-verbal language. In his speech, he is asking more and more specific questions and seems to be already planning: he no longer really has any doubts but wants to have more precision on the functionalities of the products, for example. He is himself in the negotiation and wants to turn the situation to his advantage, proof that he is ready to make the purchase. More relaxed, it also shows a more open posture and especially nods in agreement and interest. Finally, if the prospect no longer objects and a Long Silence is being felt, it's a pretty good sign! He is in the process of thinking and is certainly getting ready to sign.

Know how to rule out prospects who don't want to make decisions

However, sometimes some prospects seem to multiply the signs of interest before retracting or hesitating for several weeks. While this is not necessarily predictable, it does not mean that you should remain in a fuzzy situation for an indefinite period of time. Also, if a potential customer seems to take the plunge unexpectedly, try to understand the reasons that prevent him from making the purchase: he may not be a decision-maker and does not have the agreement of his hierarchy to sign; he is possibly hampered by the price; he is probably not sure of the benefits he can derive from it.

If all the signals are green on your side and there seems to be no valid reason for its retraction, keep in mind that it is entirely possible to close this sales cycle - some prospects will never sign for reasons that escape us, so it is better to devote your time and energy to other future customers.

What tools can help you close your deals?

Several tools are available to salespeople to make it easier for them to close their sales:

• First, the method of Try and Buy consists in giving the prospect the opportunity to test the products before buying them: it is often said thatTo try is to adopt, since this will easily allow him to project himself and discover by himself all the advantages that he could no longer do without.
• Call on a TCommercial technique is also useful for simplifying the conclusion of a sale: the “false alternative” (which gives the illusion of a choice to the potential customer and therefore respects their concept of free will) or a incentive bonus (such as a price reduction, for example).
• Finally, call on a CRM software is particularly important to ensure a good closing rate: it makes it possible to monitor the progress of each sales cycle and to analyze exchanges throughout the process to provide recommendations and tips to the salesperson.

Training in closing to master several techniques

La B to B selling can be particularly long and requires a certain commercial expertise that is difficult to acquire on your own. To progress and better control your attitude and your speech at each stage of the sales process, it may be interesting to follow a closing training course online or directly within a training organization. This training will allow you to acquire technique and to review several sales scenarios to know how to address each type of prospect.

What mistakes to avoid during commercial closing?

When you are new to sales or lack technique, you tend to multiply mistakes by being urgent with the prospect and by not giving the right speech at the right time. So we have listed the 3 most common mistakes and give you some tips to avoid them:

Talking too much and forcing the sale

Do not give the prospect time to think and be too pushy in his commercial arguments often leads him to refuse to sign, and for good reason: he has the impression that we are trying to force him to buy and that we simply want to reach his sales goals without worrying about his needs. Also, in a BtoB framework, the products and services for sale are generally more expensive than in a BtoC framework, so it is natural for client companies to hesitate a little longer before accepting an offer, but this does not mean that they should To rush them in their thinking.

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Don't ask to go to the final stage of the sale

To close sales, however, it is necessary to clearly signal to prospects that you are trying to reach a deal with them by asking them if they are ready to buy. Indeed, finishing your commercial pitch by simply offering them to think about it and come back to you often proves to be ineffective since many of them will never contact you again.

Trying to close the sale at the wrong time

The sales process has several steps that you need to know in order not to burn them. So, the The moment of prospecting is, by definition, an initial customer approach during which it is not yet a question of selling, but rather to get to know the prospect and identify their expectations. So know that of Make an offer immediately upon first contact on LinkedIn or by email is therefore useless and very often ends in failure.

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