Closing Deals: 7 Proven Ways to Close B2B Deals Faster (Even in a Tough Market)
Zuzanna DoraWhat’s keeping your sales team from closing deals faster? If you’re like 67% of B2B sales reps currently struggling with hitting their targets on time, you’re not alone. The good news: you can significantly accelerate your deal closure rate with the right strategies and sales closing techniques.
What will you learn:
- How to identify and prioritize deals from your sales pipeline that are truly ready to close
- Practical techniques for creating genuine urgency without pressure
- Proven methods to transform deal reviews from interrogations into strategic planning sessions
We won’t talk about closing techniques like puppy dog close or a now or never close, but share truly impactful changes implemented by sales experts.
This article is based on insights shared by Bryan Mulry, Sales Coach and Strategist. Watch him talk about closing strategies that bring results faster: Bryan shares his favorite techniques to get more sales deals
How to close potential customers faster:
- Focus on decision-ready deals
- Use executive engagement strategically
- Transform your deal reviews
- Create genuine urgency
- Master the discovery process
- Optimize your communication
- Build quick-win momentum
1. Focus on decision-ready opportunities
Stop wasting resources on deals that aren’t ready to move forward: even the most effective sales closing techniques won’t bring effects here. Our analysis shows that deals with decision-ready prospects close 3x faster than those without clear buying signals.
Decision readiness shows itself through two key indicators:
prospects who understand their challenges and can articulate the cost of not solving them;
in a sales meeting, look for a direct decision-maker involvement, not just champion engagement: that signals real organizational commitment to finding a solution.
Sales methodologies, like BANT or MEDDIC, help sales reps assess customer readiness. Read our Complete Guide to Sales Methodologies to compare several options.
When you find prospects with clear timeline drivers, such as contract renewals or fiscal deadlines, you’ve discovered natural urgency that can accelerate the decision-making process. Combine this with confirmed budget availability and decision authority, and you’ve identified a truly promising opportunity.
Pro tip: Create a simple scoring system in your CRM to track these readiness signals and quickly identify your most promising opportunities.
2. Use executive engagement strategically
Many reps hesitate to bring in senior leadership, fearing it looks desperate. But executive-to-executive conversations can dramatically speed deals when used strategically.
Executive involvement can cut deal cycles in half. Many sales teams make the mistake of involving their executives too early or too frequently, diminishing the impact of this powerful tool.
Think of executive engagement like a powerful medicine – use it at the right time and in the right dose for maximum effect. Save these interactions for moments when they can remove specific roadblocks or influence decision makers.
Success in executive discussions depends heavily on proper preparation. Develop clear context briefs that outline specific objectives and desired outcomes. Keep conversations focused on strategic value rather than technical details – executives want to discuss business impact and long-term partnership potential.
3. Transform your deal reviews
In charge of running deal reviews? Focus on resolving the blockers instead of talking about all actions taken: you can find that info in your CRM.
Traditional deal reviews often become interrogations that demoralize teams and slow down the sales process. Instead, transform these sessions into strategic planning meetings that drive deals forward.
Create a framework that focuses on action and outcomes. Start each session by identifying specific next steps needed to advance the deal. Discuss potential obstacles and develop strategies to overcome them before they become roadblocks.
For deals approaching critical decision points, consider scheduling shorter, more frequent reviews. This approach helps maintain momentum and allows you to address challenges quickly as they emerge.
With Livespace, you can track down all activities and learn what transforms your sales deal into a customer. Share these insights across your team to build up shared sales experience and deliver a higher quality process for your leads.
For such reviews, use statistics and notes left on deals’ profiles.
4. Create genuine urgency
Forget artificial pressure tactics – they rarely work in B2B sales and can damage trust. Instead, help prospects recognize genuine reasons to make the purchase decision quick by quantifying the impact of delays.
Remember: sales is not just the product – it’s about enabling your buyers to reach their ultimate goal. And if the delay cost impacts their goal, it makes a non-negotiable argument.
For example, if your solution saves $50,000 monthly in operational costs, frame decision delays in concrete terms: “A three-month delay means missing out on $150,000 in cost reduction.” This tangible impact helps prospects understand the true cost of prolonged decision-making.
Beyond direct costs, help prospects understand other time-sensitive factors such as competitive advantage, market opportunities, or regulatory compliance. The goal is to illuminate natural consequences rather than create artificial pressure.
Use a limited time offer with caution. Offering discounts as the only way to push your deals won’t take you far.
Tip from Bryan here: sales tactics like “get X discount if you decide by Y day” might bring you a faster decision, but they need to be a piece of a bigger strategy.
5. Master the discovery process
Most deals stall because of incomplete discovery: when you don’t get precisely your deal’s pain points. Our research shows that deals with comprehensive discovery are 40% less likely to get stuck and close twice as fast.
Effective discovery goes beyond understanding basic needs. Explore all stakeholders’ objectives, including potential conflicts between different departments. Understand the complete decision-making process, including formal and informal influences that could affect the timeline.
Pay special attention to budget cycles and approval requirements: find out the right person to get the details. Aligning your sales process with the prospect’s organizational rhythms can significantly reduce unnecessary delays.
Opportunity cost is also at play here. You need to understand the alternatives your buyers are considering, and use this intel to close a deal.
6. Optimize your communication
The right communication strategy accelerates deal velocity while strengthening relationships. Success lies in maintaining momentum without becoming pushy – a delicate balance that requires careful planning.
Focus each interaction on moving the deal forward by addressing specific concerns, sharing relevant insights, or confirming next steps. Document key discussions and decisions to maintain alignment and prevent misunderstandings that could cause delays.
Form is also important: a generic follow-up message won’t cut through.
Use multiple communication channels based on prospect preferences, but maintain consistency in your message and value proposition. Track response times and engagement patterns to identify when prospects might need additional attention.
7. Build quick-win momentum
Want to accelerate larger deals? Break them into smaller components. This approach reduces perceived risk and creates internal champions who can help drive broader adoption.
Start with a test drive: like a pilot program or limited implementation that delivers measurable results quickly. Design these initial phases to require minimal risk while providing clear proof points for broader rollout.
Success in early phases creates powerful internal champions. Their firsthand experience with your solution provides compelling social proof within the organization, turning leads into buyers.
One final tip: Focus on quality over speed
While these sales strategies help closing sales faster, rushing the process can backfire. Deals closed too aggressively are 3x more likely to result in implementation problems and reduced customer lifetime value.
Learn to recognize each deal’s natural rhythm, influenced by organizational culture and business priorities. Remove unnecessary obstacles while giving prospects the time they need to make confident decisions.
Follow up!
Watch our exclusive webinar “One Last Push: Strategies for Closing Deals Faster” to get more details on these sales strategies. You’ll discover advanced acceleration techniques and get expert insights on modern B2B sales challenges.
Apart from the know-how, you need another thing to succeed in closing: tools. Use a CRM to observe how different closing techniques work with your leads, and come up with your own blueprint to effectively close a deal.
Hop on a 30-min call with our sales expert to see how Livespace helps in closing deals faster. No strings attached.
Remember, successful deal acceleration isn’t about pushing harder—it’s about removing obstacles and making it easier for prospects to say yes. Let us show you how Livespace CRM can help streamline your sales process and increase your closing rates.