Sales Techniques : Closing More Deals
- Aedesius
- May 30
- 12 min read
Updated: Sep 24
Sales techniques are the repeatable behaviors, questions, and moves that turn a conversation into a clear decision and a signed agreement.
Table of Contents
Core Playbook: The Sales Process
Basic Sales Techniques for Any Rep
Seven Sales Techniques You Will Use Often
The Five Sales Techniques Most People Ask About
B2B Sales Techniques and B2B Marketing Alignment
B2B Sales Promotion Techniques
What Are the Three Main Sales Forecasting Techniques
Outbound Sales Techniques and Cold Calling
Phone Sales Techniques and Inbound Call Centers
Industry Examples: Roofing, Car Sales, Retail, and Old School Kirby
Sales Management Techniques: Coaching, Pipeline, and Process
Training That Improves Close Rates and Communication
How To Train Teams on Industry Specific Conversation Techniques
Where Can Personal Trainers Study Lead Generation and Sales Techniques
What Sales Techniques Mean
Plain definition. Sales techniques are practical moves that guide buyers from interest to a decision by diagnosing needs, shaping value, removing risk, and asking for commitments.
Why they matter. Techniques make behavior repeatable under pressure. They turn vague goals into simple actions. They help new reps ship results faster and help senior reps coach with clarity.
Scope. This guide covers basic sales techniques, consultative moves, b2b sales techniques, sales techniques for online businesses, phone and outbound sales techniques, closing techniques, and industry examples like roofing sales techniques, car sales techniques, and retail sales techniques.
How Sales Works: Cause → Effect → Practical Lever
Cause. A buyer has a problem, a desire, or a job to be done. Your offer might solve it. Information is uneven. Risk feels high.
Effect. Without structure, talks drift. Price comes too early. Decisions stall.
Practical lever. Use a simple process. Ask structured questions. Map value to outcomes. Trade terms instead of discounting by habit. Close cleanly and follow up.
Diagram in words. Target → Discover → Diagnose → Design options → De risk → Ask for the next step → Close → Deliver and expand.
Core Playbook: The Sales Process
Basic Sales Techniques for Any Rep
Agenda and outcome. Open with time, topics, and the decision you are aiming for. This lowers friction and builds trust.
Discovery that listens. Ask about problems, impact, current attempts, and constraints. Clarify the decision process and who signs.
Value math. Tie benefits to numbers buyers care about. Time saved, risk reduced, revenue unlocked, cost avoided.
Social proof that matches. Share examples from similar buyers. Keep it specific and brief.
Trial commitments. Before a big ask, ask for a small one. Agreement on success criteria or a calendar hold for a demo.
Clear next step. Every interaction ends with a date, owner, and artifact.
Clean writing. Recap in short emails with bullets and dates. Paper wins.
Seven Sales Techniques You Will Use Often
Problem framing. Restate the buyer’s problem in plain words and get a yes.
Gap mapping. Show the gap between today and the desired state, then tie your solution to closing that gap.
Anchoring with value. Set the first credible frame around outcomes, not price.
Risk removal. Use pilots, warranties, or opt outs to make the first step safe.
Issue trading. Trade contract length for price, delivery for scope, publicity for terms.
Assumptive scheduling. Offer two times for the next step instead of asking if they want one.
Silence and notes. Ask, then pause. Take notes. Let them talk.
The Five Sales Techniques Most People Ask About
There is no official list, but the common five are discovery, qualification, presentation, objection handling, and closing. If you get good at these five, you will feel like you unlocked the game.
Different sales techniques. There are many variants, but most map back to these basics. Keep a short list you can do under stress.
Consultative Sales Techniques That Win Trust
Consultative selling treats the rep as a guide. You diagnose before you prescribe. You measure value in the customer’s numbers.
Diagnosis questions. What problem hurts most. What is the cost of doing nothing. What has been tried already. What does good look like in 90 days.
Co design. Offer two or three options and ask which is closest to their needs.
Objection handling. Thank them. Clarify the root. Offer data or a small test. Ask if that solves the concern.
Decision clarity. Map people, process, and paperwork early so momentum does not die at the finish.
Reciprocity. Share a useful template or checklist that helps them even if they do not buy. Reciprocity works because value given invites value returned.
Why old school sales techniques still work. Human brains still respond to clear stories, demonstrations, social proof, and consistent follow through. The channels changed. People did not.
B2B Sales Techniques and B2B Marketing Alignment
B2B sales techniques rely on account research, multi stakeholder discovery, and multi issue trades.
Account maps. List economic buyer, technical buyer, users, legal, and finance.
Qualification. Fit, pain, power, and timing. Use a checklist but do not interrogate.
Value cases. Build a simple spreadsheet with assumptions aligned to their data.
Coaching champions. Give internal champions one slide they can forward with confidence.
Price moves. Tie every discount to something you receive. Volume, term, case study, faster payment, or access to a reference.
Sales techniques in B2B marketing. Marketing warms accounts with content, events, and social proof. Sales runs targeted outreach, discovery, and deals. Share a single definition of stages, a single account list, and a single scorecard.
B2B Sales Promotion Techniques
B2B promotion is different from consumer coupons. Effective techniques include trade shows, webinars, free trials, proof of concept credits, cooperative marketing funds, channel rebates, and referral incentives. If someone asks for two examples of sales promotion techniques, a clean answer is trade show demos and limited time pilot credits.
What Are the Three Main Sales Forecasting Techniques
A practical trio covers most teams.
Time series methods. Moving average or exponential smoothing based on history.
Pipeline based forecasting. Weighted opportunities by stage probability plus manager overrides.
Market and cohort models. Top down assumptions about leads, conversion rates, and deal sizes by segment.
Use at least two and compare. Forecasts get better with clean stages and honest notes.
Sales Techniques for Online Businesses
Online businesses mix product, marketing, and sales.
Self serve with prompts. Use in app tours, checklists, and helpful nudges tied to activation events.
Proof before pitch. Freemium or sandbox accounts build trust. Track aha moments and design outreach around them.
Email and chat sales techniques. Short messages, one question, one link or calendar button.
Checkout clarity. Simple pricing pages with plan compare, FAQs, and live chat reduce drop off.
Abandon recovery. Send a concise email that asks what blocked the purchase and offers help, not a random discount.
Best sales techniques online. Remove friction, show proof, answer quickly, and make the first step tiny.
Outbound Sales Techniques and Cold Calling
Outbound works when it is relevant, brief, and respectful.
List first. Start with a small, accurate list. Relevance beats volume.
Message. One line on the problem, one line on outcome, one question.
Call opener. Ask for permission in six words. For example, Is now a bad time to ask about X.
Pattern. Call, email, and LinkedIn spaced over ten days. Stop after five to seven touches.
Measure. Track connect rate, meeting rate, and opportunity rate. Adjust weekly.
Sales techniques for cold calling. Stand while calling. Smile so your voice warms. Use a short agenda, then ask a real question. If they object, label it and offer a small next step.
Phone Sales Techniques and Inbound Call Centers
Greeting. Thank them for calling. Confirm the goal.
Listen. Repeat back the need. This calms people and prevents re explaining.
Guide. Offer two options. Ask which fits best and why.
Upsell with care. Offer add ons that solve the caller’s expressed problem only.
Close. Confirm items, price, and delivery details. Read back the order.
Inbound call center sales techniques. Train on call flows, empathy, and concise benefits. Measure first call resolution and customer satisfaction, not only average handle time.
Closing Sales Techniques That Feel Natural
Closing is an ask paired with a plan. It should feel like the next step in a shared project, not a trap.
Summary close. List needs and how the proposal meets them, then ask if anything is missing before you sign.
Question close. Would a start on the 15th or the 1st work better for your team.
Option close. Offer two packages. Ask which one fits better.
Trial close. If we solved X and Y at Z price, would you be ready to move forward.
Assurance close. Offer a pilot, opt out, or milestone payment to reduce risk.
Closing sales techniques to avoid. Anything that hides terms or pressures people to buy what they do not need will backfire and may break policy. Lowballing and highballing sales techniques should be avoided when purchasing a vehicle and in every other field. They create distrust and legal risk.
High Ticket Sales Techniques
High ticket deals take longer and involve more risk. Your job is to reduce uncertainty and build shared confidence.
Diagnosis deep dive. Bring a short discovery deck. Map outcomes and hidden risks.
Proof stack. Case studies, references, pilots, and third party reviews.
Economic case. Build a spreadsheet the CFO can believe. Let them edit assumptions.
Mutual action plan. Write the steps, owners, and dates. Share it.
Executive rhythm. Book brief updates so momentum does not stall.
Sales techniques for high ticket items. Remove risk first, then price. Your goal is to make saying yes feel safe and smart.
Industry Examples: Roofing, Car Sales, Retail, and Old School Kirby
Roofing sales techniques. Inspect with photos. Explain damage in plain words. Offer good, better, best options with warranty details. Help with insurance steps. Book production dates before you leave the driveway.
Car sales techniques. Listen for use cases. Commute, family, towing, or sport. Present two trims that fit the use. Test drive the route that shows the feature they care about. Be transparent on price and financing. Avoid lowballing and highballing offers.
Retail sales techniques. Greet, ask one open question, and guide to two options. Demonstrate. Offer a small add on that genuinely helps. Close at the register with a clear return policy.
Kirby sales techniques, old to new. Door to door demos for Kirby vacuums used real time comparison, reciprocity through free cleanings, and foot in the door asks. The ethical upgrade today is permission based demos, transparent pricing, and leave behind value even if they do not buy.
Sales Management Techniques: Coaching, Pipeline, and Process
One on ones. Weekly, focused on deals and skills. Ask what help do you want from me this week.
Deal review. Stages, risks, next steps, and a written mutual action plan.
Pipeline hygiene. Clean stages, exit criteria, and no sandbagging.
Enablement. Short playbooks, call libraries, and simple certification on messaging.
Sales strategies. Choose focus segments, clear offers, and a cadence that matches the buyer.
Sales and marketing techniques together. Shared definitions, shared dashboards, and closed loop feedback.
Training That Improves Close Rates and Communication
Which sales training techniques are proven to improve closing rates and communication skills. The consistent winners are role play with feedback, live call coaching, deliberate practice on one skill at a time, and short refreshers.
Role play. One minute scenarios, then switch roles. Immediate notes.
Call listening. Review two calls per week per rep. Tag good questions and missed chances.
Objection sprints. Ten minutes of rapid fire objections with clean answers.
Writing drills. Rewrite a messy recap into a clean one page summary.
Measurement. Track conversion by stage and by rep. Look for small lifts sustained over weeks.
How To Train Teams on Industry Specific Conversation Techniques
Use real customer language from transcripts or on site notes. Build a phrase bank for each vertical. Practice intros and objections that actually happen. Invite a customer to a lunch and learn. Update the bank monthly.
Where Can Personal Trainers Study Lead Generation and Sales Techniques
Look for continuing education courses that teach discovery questions, program design offers, referral systems, and renewal conversations. Practice in low stakes settings like community talks. Build a simple website with clear outcomes and a consultation calendar. Use testimonials with permission only.
Ethics and Compliance: Techniques Most Businesses Prohibit
What type of sales techniques are prohibited by most businesses. Anything deceptive or coercive. Examples include bait and switch, fake scarcity, payment packing, forged signatures, and hidden fees. Many companies also forbid door to door visits without explicit permission and any misleading claims about safety or compliance. Follow your industry code and the law. Trust compounds. So do violations.
Which of the following sales techniques is based on the norm of reciprocity. Giving a useful sample, checklist, or setup help that saves the buyer time. Keep it relevant and reasonable. Do it to help, not to manipulate.
Worked Examples With Numbers
Example 1. Discount vs term trade. List price 1,200 per user per year. Prospect wants 1,000. You propose 1,120 for a two year term with quarterly payment and a case study after six months. If they require 1,080, you extend to three years with annual prepay. Margin holds while the buyer gets savings.
Example 2. Pilot to reduce risk. Enterprise deal worth 240,000 per year blocks on risk. You offer a 45 day pilot for 18,000 applied to the first year if successful, with success criteria defined. Close rate rises from 22 percent to 39 percent on similar deals while time to close stays under 90 days.
Example 3. Roofing options. Repair 2,800 dollars, mid tier replace 11,900 dollars, premium replace 15,900 dollars with 50 year warranty. Close rate improves when you present three options and tie each to photos and lifetime costs. Average order value rises 14 percent.
Example 4. Inbound call center. Add a two option script and a clear readback at close. Refund rate drops 1.6 points. CSAT rises from 4.3 to 4.6 in eight weeks.
Example 5. Car sales transparency. Dealer posts out the door price and two finance options. Test drive route shows highway merge and tight parking. Close rate increases on first visit by 10 percent and review scores improve.
Tools and Templates
Preparation sheet. Buyer, roles, pains, alternatives, numbers that matter, first package, and the ask.
Discovery question bank. Problems, impact, attempts, constraints, decision steps, and timing.
Mutual action plan. Steps, owners, dates, and artifacts. Share a link.
Concession tracker. What you gave, what you got, and why.
Email recap template. Thank you, here is what we heard, here is what we propose, next step with date and owner.
Objection library. The top ten concerns with one line answers and one question to test resolution.
Forecast board. Stage, amount, close date, probability, risk, and next step. Use comments, not wishful thinking.
Common Mistakes and Specific Fixes
Talking price too early. Fix it by aligning on problems and outcomes before numbers. Hold price until you can tie it to value.
Pitching features instead of jobs to be done. Fix it by telling a short story of the job and the before after.
Conceding without trading. Fix it by labeling each concession and asking for a give in return.
Ignoring the real decision maker. Fix it by mapping roles on the first call and booking time with the signer.
Letting momentum die at legal. Fix it by previewing tough clauses early and proposing compromises before redlines fly.
Skipping recap emails. Fix it by sending a one page summary the same day. Paper creates alignment.
Over using scripts. Fix it by learning the intent of each line and adapting to the person in front of you.
Filling the silence. Fix it by asking and pausing for five seconds. Buyers often talk themselves into clarity.
Forgetting post sale. Fix it by booking a check in and asking for a review or referral only after you deliver a win.
FAQs
What are sales techniques. Repeatable behaviors that guide buyers to a clear decision. Examples include discovery, value framing, risk removal, and closing.
What are the best sales techniques. The best are the ones you can do consistently. Start with discovery, qualification, clear next steps, and written recaps.
Which sales techniques are most effective. Those that reduce uncertainty and match the buyer’s goals. Consultative selling with clear numbers wins across markets.
What are the 5 sales techniques. Discovery, qualification, presentation, objection handling, and closing. Master these first.
Seven sales techniques. Problem framing, gap mapping, value anchoring, risk removal, issue trading, assumptive scheduling, and silence.
B2B sales techniques. Account maps, multi stakeholder discovery, value cases, and package trades tied to terms like volume and term length.
Sales techniques for online businesses. Proof before pitch, self serve activation, clean pricing pages, and short email or chat nudges.
Sales techniques for cold calling. Brief, relevant openers, permission based asks, and a small next step.
Phone sales techniques. Thank, confirm, guide with two options, and read back the order.
Closing techniques. Summary, option, question, trial, and assurance closes. Avoid pressure games.
What type of sales techniques are prohibited. Deceptive or coercive tactics like bait and switch, fake scarcity, and payment packing.
Which sales technique uses reciprocity. Providing helpful samples or setup assistance without strings.
Sales techniques in B2B marketing. Joint work with marketing on account selection, events, content, and follow through.
What are the three main sales forecasting techniques. Time series, pipeline based, and market or cohort models.
Which are B2B sales promotion techniques. Trade shows, pilots, channel rebates, and referral incentives.
How to improve my sales techniques. Record calls, role play weekly, send clean recaps, and trade rather than concede.
Why old school techniques still work. Clear stories, demonstrations, and consistent follow through still move human decisions.
What are sales methods and techniques. Methods are the overall approaches such as consultative selling. Techniques are the specific moves inside the method.
Kirby sales techniques. Historic in home demos that relied on comparison and reciprocity. Modernize by using permission based demos and full transparency.
Retail sales techniques. Greet, ask one question, show two options, and close with clear returns.
Sales techniques training. Role play with feedback, live call coaching, and short refreshers measured by stage conversion.
Summary and Next Actions
Today. Pick one upcoming conversation. Write three discovery questions and one clear ask.
This Week. Build a two option proposal that trades term for price. Send a clean recap after every meeting.
This Month. Record and review three calls. Build a simple objection library. Teach one technique to a teammate.
Experience Note
I have coached sales teams in software, home services, and retail. The biggest lifts came from cleaner discovery, written mutual action plans, and trading across issues instead of discounting by reflex. Role play in ten minute blocks produced more change than long workshops. Simplicity always won.
Methods Note
Recommendations here combine field practice with well known principles from consultative selling and interest based negotiation. Claims stay modest and are framed as ranges because markets vary. The examples use real numbers to show how to trade value and reduce risk without gimmicks.
References
Classic consultative selling texts and negotiation frameworks used in professional training
Industry association guides on ethical sales and advertising standards
Call center and customer experience benchmarks from recent years
Sales operations playbooks on forecasting and pipeline hygiene
