When is the right time to close a sale during a pitch?

1 Know your audience

Before you start your pitch, you need to do some research on your prospects and understand their needs, pain points, goals, and decision-making process. This will help you tailor your pitch to their specific situation and address their objections. It will also help you gauge their level of interest, urgency, and readiness to buy. You can use various tools and methods to gather this information, such as online sources, referrals, surveys, or pre-pitch calls.

3 Identify buying signals

One of the key skills to master in outside sales is to recognize the signs that indicate your prospects are ready to buy. These can be verbal or non-verbal cues, such as asking about the price, features, benefits, or availability of your product or service, showing enthusiasm or excitement, nodding or leaning forward, or agreeing with your statements. When you notice these buying signals, you should start preparing for the close and move to the next stage of your pitch.

4 Create urgency and scarcity

Another way to increase your prospects' motivation to buy is to create a sense of urgency and scarcity in your pitch. You can do this by highlighting the benefits of acting now versus later, such as saving money, time, or resources, solving a problem, or achieving a goal. You can also use limited-time offers, discounts, bonuses, or guarantees to incentivize your prospects to make a decision. However, be careful not to overdo it or sound manipulative, as this can backfire and damage your reputation.

5 Ask for the order

The final and most crucial step in closing a sale during a pitch is to ask for the order. This is where many outside sales professionals hesitate or fail, either because they are afraid of rejection, they don't want to appear pushy, or they don't know how to phrase their request. The best way to overcome these challenges is to use a closing technique that suits your style, your product or service, and your prospect. Some examples of closing techniques are the assumptive close, the alternative close, the trial close, or the summary close.

6 Handle objections

Even if you follow all the previous steps, you may still encounter some objections or resistance from your prospects before they agree to buy. This is normal and expected, and you should not take it personally or give up. Instead, you should see objections as opportunities to clarify any doubts, address any concerns, or provide any additional information that your prospects need to make a decision. You can use various strategies to handle objections, such as acknowledging, empathizing, questioning, or reframing.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?