Closing The Sale Checklist

To generate revenues for your business you need to be closing your sales. Sales prospecting, cold calling, and product demos are all attempts within the sales funnel to bring potential new clients to this point. 

In this checklist, we’ll provide some advice on closing techniques and then guide you through the process of checking all documentation is in order and relaying the necessary information on to the relevant teams.

You can use the form fields provided throughout this checklist to record your steps and important information.

The first step before you close a sale is to identify the likelihood of the sale.

You will have demonstrated the need the customer has, how your solution solves their problem and why it is the best at doing so, and you will have probed for objections and subsequently countered them. 

You will have them ready to purchase without a reason to say no.

Use the form field below to record why you felt this client was ready to be closed.

The key sign you will be ready to close is when you notice a closing signal being given from the client. Zig Ziglar discusses here his CHEF method. 

• C – Chin or cheek. When the client begins touching their face in this way this is a sign they are pleased and are struggling to think of further objections.
• H – Hands. When the client’s body language becomes more relaxed they may begin to open their hands up, potentially with their palms raised. A further signal is when clients begin to rub their hands together in some way, which Ziglar suggests is symbolic of the client taking ownership of what you are offering. 
• E – Eyes. This could be when the client’s eyes are dilating or when their smile begins to be reflected in their eyes through the appearance of crow’s feet, or similar. These physiological signs demonstrate genuine happiness rather than politeness. 
• F- Friendly. When the conversation with the client becomes more relaxed and jokey this acts as a very simple sign that the client is comfortable with you. This comfort usually comes from a decision having been made.

Date of the meeting: {{form.Date_of_the_meeting}}

Closing a sale seems to be a simple process on the surface.

If you have an interested customer who would benefit from your services it seems natural that they would wish to make a purchase or hire your services. However, sales rarely go as smoothly as this.

Your success rate and ease of success will depend on your industry and the nature of your services.

Use the form field below to record how you closed the sale, or scroll down for a range of closing techniques.

Below, we’ll list a number of potential closing techniques  to optimize the final step of your sales pipeline. 

If you’d rather watch some video demonstrations, here are two videos discussing closing. The first is from The Big Book of Sales and will run you through 3 key methods of closing. 

The second is broader and looks at persuasion in more detail. Here’s an accompanying article about Dr. Cialdini’s theories on persuasion.

HubSpot recommends three particular closing techniques:

1. Now or never – This is where you present the opportunity of purchase as having a restrictive timeline. It might be used if there is a sale on for a limited period of time, or if someone else is also bidding on a product like a house where supply is limited.
2. The summary close – In this technique you summarise all the key deliverables together to show value and then follow with a call to action: "So, we have a fully responsive web app based on the document we drew up together, an SEO analysis and implementation, a full-service pre-launch marketing campaign, and we’ll attempt to partner you with our previous clients, CompanyA and CompanyB. Shall we schedule a meeting for tomorrow to sign the contracts and get started?"
3. Question closes – If the salesperson has handled the pre-close conversations properly by exploring the customer’s needs and searching out potential objections and countering them, then the close should be treated in a simple manner. A question such as "Is there any reason why we can’t proceed with the shipment?" is concise and to the point. The honesty of the question is appreciated and the question directly probes for further objections which the salesperson can counter, leading us back full circle to the question again. 

For further closing techniques, you can see this article on Top 10 Sales Closing Techniques or this article from The Balance on their recommended methods. 

If you need a little inspiration, put that coffee down and watch this scene from Glengarry Glen Ross.

Keep a record of all the relevant details for future reference.

Use the form fields below to record key information.

Review with the client the exact deliverables agreed. Draw up a document to accompany the contracts to record specifications. Include any milestones where applicable.

Upload the finalized document in the form field below.

If your company works with a commission structure, take this opportunity to list any relevant stakeholders in the success of this deal.

Document their contributions and their rate of commission below.

Double check the agreed payment plan with the client. Include exact figures for how much will be paid along with the dates of payment. Include figures for further work outside of the agreement and hourly costs. 

Upload the agreement in the field provided.

Agree upon the method of payment. If this is an international sale, ensure the chosen method of payment will not negatively impact on any amounts received due to high conversion rates.

Note the details of the payment methods below.

Discuss with the client how they will be receiving the product on completion, where applicable.

Record this information and include it within any contracts drawn up.

Present to the client any insurance or support options which your company provides.

Detail this discussion below.

Before signing any document, it is important to have your legal team review documents, particularly any customized content. 

Use the email widget below to notify the legal team of your company that you are drawing up contracts with a client.

Sign all documents which need to be signed, or get the relevant individual to sign them off. 

Send the contracts to the client for them to sign. Check all contracts have been double signed before moving forward.

Collect the payment for the product, or any agreed advance for services.

Use the dropdown form field to record this information.

You’ve closed the sale.

Congrats!

It’s always important to congratulate yourself when you seal a deal.

Contact your product team and arrange a meeting to discuss the new project, its deliverables, and the next steps forward. 

You can use our email widget to reach out to them.

Contact your customer wellbeing team to assign an account manager to this project to provide communication throughout. 

Use our email widget to contact the team.

Doug Dvorak – Sign on The Line: 5 Steps to Closing the Sale
Dr. Robert Cialdini & Steve Martin – Science of Persuasion [Video]
HubSpot – 3 Sales Closing Techniques, and Why They Work
Big Book of Sales – Top Sales Closing Techniques
Thomas Metcalf – Top 10 Sales Closing Techniques: Learn How to Seal the Deal
The Balance – Closing Sales Techniques
Boundless – Closing the Sale
Gerhard Gschwandtner – How Closing Signals Can Help You Close More Sales
Doug Dvorak – 5 Steps to Closing the Sale

• Sales training process checklist
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• Sales presentation template
• Sales pitch planning checklist
• Order processing checklist
• Monthly sales report