The Real Reason Your Close Rate Is So Low! | Donald C. Kelly - 1985

Many sellers ask the same question: how can I increase my close rate? Often the challenge is not the product or the prospect but hesitation at the moment when it is time to ask for the business. I’m sharing a few ideas that can help you confidently ask for the close and move deals forward faster.

Stop Waiting Too Long

1. One common mistake is waiting too long to ask for the close. Sellers may say something like “let me know what you think” instead of clearly asking if it makes sense to move forward.
2. A more effective approach is to be direct. For example, you might ask whether the prospect prefers to start implementation next Monday or Tuesday.
3. When you have already completed a strong discovery and demonstrated a clear solution, this type of question feels natural and keeps momentum moving forward.

Make Sure the Buyer Sees the Solution

1. Another issue occurs when the seller tries to close before the buyer fully agrees that the solution solves their problem. Even the best demo will not matter if the buyer does not clearly see how it addresses their specific challenge.
2. Before presenting a proposal, confirm that the prospect believes the solution will solve their problem. When both sides are aligned, the closing conversation becomes much easier.

Keep the Close Natural

1. Closing should not feel like a dramatic event. When you clearly understand the problem and present a solution the buyer believes in, the next step becomes a simple and natural conversation.

“When the buyer sees the problem clearly and believes in the solution, the next step becomes easy.” — Donald C. Kelly

Resources

Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.

Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.

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Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

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Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.