Are you at a crossroads, with numerous potential paths stretching out in front of you?
Seems like you are attracted to sales, and that means you also want to earn big bucks.
Today, let me be your guide as we delve into one specific role that’s been gaining attention lately – the inbound closer.
What does this job entail, and why does it matter so much to businesses today?
We’ll explore the essential skills required to excel in this role and understand the considerations at each phase of the inbound sales cycle.
If you’re considering a career shift or just want more insight into effective sales strategies, stick around. You might see things from an entirely new angle by the end!
Understanding the Role of an Inbound Closer
The inbound closer is an important contributor for any company that is committed to an inbound marketing strategy.
Their main job? Take inbound calls and messages from prospects who have become curious due to marketing messages, and turn them into customers.
Sounds straightforward enough?! Well, it’s not as simple as it sounds.
Picture this: A stranger walks into your store, browses around but looks unsure. That’s when the inbound closer steps in – like a friendly guide showing them what they need and persuading them why they should buy it.
Inbound closers are not just skilled communicators; they’re detectives too.
They dig deep to understand customer needs, using these insights to tailor pitches that hit home.
Just as chefs use spices for flavor, inbound closers understand customer needs, seasoning their conversation with relevant solutions with a healthy pinch of friendly rapport.
They also handle objections adeptly, turning potential deal-breakers into opportunities for further engagement.
Above all else though, the real magic of an inbound closer lies in their ability to seal the deal smoothly, with a willing and excited new customer.
Skills Required to be an Inbound Closer
Being a successful inbound closer requires a set of skills that you should have (to some degree), and that will be honed on the job:
Process Orientation
Becoming comfortable following a process is important because the path to closed deals will generally follow some repeatable steps.
Whether you’re closing massive high-ticket sales that require numerous meetings, or trying to close prospects on the very first call, following a repeatable process is necessary.
Analytical Abilities
Inbound closers aren’t just smooth talkers; they’re observers and thinkers too.
When on sales calls, being able to process and analyze information quickly can help you identify opportunities or threats as early as possible.
Creativity
The inbound sales strategy, systems, and frameworks are important, but applying one’s own special touch to inbound closing is the magical element.
The opportunity to express yourself creatively will also make selling more enjoyable.
Your personality, belief, and ideas need to be on full display to connect with others and win hearts and minds.
Communication Skills
The cornerstone of any sales role is effective communication.
An inbound closer needs to articulate value clearly and convincingly.
You must also master active listening to understand your prospect’s needs fully and then relate properly.
Persistence & Resilience
The sales rollercoaster ride is full of highs and lows. These are more traits than sales skills, but they will be refined the more you practice.
Successful inbound closers need persistence when faced with challenges, but also resilience by bouncing back from setbacks without losing morale.
The best way to develop any skill is to learn, try, fail, reflect, adapt, and try again.
Confidence
Confidence is one of the most valuable sales skills that any top-performing salesperson must have and exhibit.
You must have confidence in yourself and your offering.
You must be confident in your ability to listen and understand your prospect’s needs.
You must have confidence in your ability to pitch and communicate benefits.
And you must have confidence in leading prospects, creating discomfort when necessary, and ultimately closing.
Confidence is something you need early on, even when you aren’t yet entitled to have it!
In those early days of your inbound sales career, gain confidence through your willingness to learn, try, fail, reflect, adapt, and keep trying.
Your willingness to take it on the chin and keep improving will see your abilities grow and your confidence right along with it.
Inbound Closer Sales Process
An inbound closer has a unique role for any organization.
They are responsible for taking an inbound lead generated through much organizational effort and transforming it into a paying customer.
Let’s walk through this journey, from the moment the lead comes in.
Remember, these sales process stages can bleed together in a single meeting or across multiple meetings.
Also, there could be extra steps. This is simply a general guideline of typical stages.
1. Prospecting / First Contact
Leads generally come in through the efforts of an inbound marketing strategy, often by filling out a form on the company’s website or occasionally through direct inbound calls.
Some leads will schedule themselves directly onto the inbound closer’s calendar.
More often than not, the inbound closer or an appointment setter needs to follow up and get the meetings scheduled.
Many inbound leads are premature, so there is often some chasing required to get appointments booked.
2. Qualification
Once contact is made and the prospect is ready to talk, it’s time to qualify them in or out.
The inbound closer must ascertain whether the prospect is an appropriate fit for the offering.
At this stage, time is of the essence. Nobody wants to waste time if the fit isn’t there.
A great way to do this is to ask an open-ended question about why the prospect connected and follow that up with more qualifying questions.
Listen actively, and share summary statements about what you are learning, to gain confirmation and determine if this prospect is a good fit.
If you are unsure, consider sharing those feelings with your prospect… often they will help clarify, and even turn the tables and sell you on the fit.
3. Discovery / Needs Assessment
Up until this phase, the inbound closer has it pretty easy. But it’s about to get more challenging.
This is the stage of the inbound sales process where it becomes evident that the prospect is considering various options.
They know they have a problem that requires help but are unsure how they want to proceed.
They are meeting to understand if you have the best solution.
Qualification continues happening at this (and every) stage. You must constantly gauge whether you are the right fit, and have a good chance of winning the deal.
Another way to think about discovery is as a deeper form of qualification.
Here you are learning more about needs, expectations, budget, the competitive landscape, and other relevant details.
4. Presentation / Demo
An important sales strategy is to never pitch or present without feeling confident you can win.
Often inbound sales leads will try to rush the process and see your offering immediately.
When they try this, control the frame and get through your other sales process stages first.
When it’s time to present, you should be confident you can help AND can win.
Make personalized connections during your presentation. Customize your pitch to their unique requirements.
Be mindful of your competition, and be sure to persuasively table your relative strengths.
5. Objection Handling
Naturally, questions and even full-on objections will arise during discussions, particularly in high-ticket sales situations.
When this starts happening, be excited!
Instead of seeing objections as roadblocks, view them as opportunities to address major concerns and keep deals moving.
If you sell simpler products or are pushing for 1-call closes, there will be a list of typical objections you can expect. Know them and memorize the silky-smooth responses you will need.
The more complex the products/solutions you sell, the more nuanced and challenging the objections may be. You will improve through experience.
6. Closing the Deal
The final step of the inbound sales cycle is closing – securing commitment from curious prospects who have been transformed into convinced buyers, ready for action.
In 1-call sales situations, this metamorphosis is rapid.
Understanding when and how to deliver compelling statements can play a crucial role in success or failure.
Becoming good at this sort of rapid sales is rewarding and leads to fast wins and quick money, which is very exciting.
In longer selling cycles, you should begin noticing buying signals well before any closing event.
It’s a different type of stress, methodically working through numerous steps and phases towards a close that could get disrupted by any number of developments.
Depending on your personality type, experience level, and goals, consider what length of sales cycle is right for you.
Getting Started as an Inbound Closer
Modern sales organizations seek to develop inbound sales channels, in large part because of the impression that this is how prospects want to buy.
If you’re a fresh-faced newbie, your goal should be to find an organization with an inbound selling process and infrastructure firmly in place.
A good framework, scripting, and training will help you develop rapidly.
Your focus in the early days should be on developing the necessary skills, work rate, dealing with pressure, and learning to accept and overcome rejection.
Learn from more experienced colleagues and commit to learning on the side, through books, articles, podcasts, etc.
I’m grateful for getting my start in sales with a company that helped me in those early days, through a clear sales framework, strong coaching and mentorship, and good software tools.
Eventually, I became qualified to field test and implement my own sales systems, for different types of organizations.
I’ve gone so far as to create entire end-to-end sales processes and develop new products and services through my work in the field.
Inbound Closers vs Other Sales Roles
The world of professional sales is rich and complex, with numerous roles often requiring different skill sets.
You can learn more about the big sales job categories here.
Generally speaking, all types of sales tend to follow the sales process outlined in this article; first contact, qualification, deeper discovery, pitching, objection handling, and closing.
Depending on the role or industry, some phases may bleed together, and some may require additional sub-phases. Some will require different time and effort investments at the various stages.
Inbound Sales vs. Outbound Sales
For example, an inbound closer invests less in prospecting and first contact, but more in discovery and the later stages. Outbound sales closers invest heavily in the early phases to prospect and generate leads and encounter less friction later on.
Inbound Sales vs. Account Management
An inbound closer is goal-oriented, in that they are trying to close the sale and move on. An account manager is both goal and relationship-oriented. They are trying to support the customer long-term while also upselling.
Inbound Sales vs. Channel Sales
Inbound closers focus on rapidly developing rapport and trust and are focused on closing quickly. Channel or partner managers endeavor to nurture and develop prosperous long-term relationships, so quick rapport is less important.
My favorite thing in the world is turning curious prospects into happy customers so a job that allows me to focus on closing is ideal.
Consider your skill set and interests to decide if inbound closing makes sense for you.
Finding Inbound Closer Jobs
In the era of technology, most inbound closer jobs are virtual.
These days, only super high ticket sales or some retail sales are done in person. Most forms of sales can happen over the phone or video call.
That’s great news for aspiring inbound closers. It means you can latch on with a company based almost anywhere.
Thanks to the power of the internet, small coaching, consulting, and product-based organizations are springing up everywhere, and are looking for inbound closers.
Some are looking to build legitimate sales teams, while others are looking for straight commission-based contractors.
An advantage of the latter is that you can sell for a few different organizations to learn, grow, and gain clarity on what you want.
The key when seeking an inbound closer job is to honestly assess your capabilities, identify your preferred environment (i.e. small startup, big company, or something in between), and determine what industries and products you are interested in.
Start searching online and my strong advice is to find an organization that has solid training, mentorship, and active management.
Learn more about getting started in sales here.
FAQs
Is inbound selling difficult?
Inbound sales can be challenging, especially at first, due to the various skills you must develop and the pressure that exists to perform.
Find an organization that invests in training and supports new inbound closers, and then work hard to improve.
How do you become an effective sales closer?
To become a successful closer, focus on building the skills outlined in this article.
Work hard to get yourself into closing situations and then learn from your failures and successes.
Understand this is a learnable skill so commit to training and practicing in the field.
Consider finding an inbound closer mastermind group, an inbound closer accelerator program, an inbound closer certification program, or an expert sales coach like me.
Are inbound closer gigs legitimate?
Absolutely! Think about it – most people are turned off by the idea of selling, and that includes entrepreneurs and most people in business.
Salespeople are well paid and the sales training industry is huge because there is a real need for businesses in all industries.
If you get good at inbound closing, you will always be able to find a job and make great money. This is ultimately a very high-demand skill!
Conclusion
The role of an inbound closer is more than just a title. It’s about understanding customer needs, navigating the sales process, and being the alchemist who turns curious prospects into paying customers!
Sharpening your communication and active listening skills can make you more effective as an inbound closer. Remember that every interaction is a chance to improve.
Tapping into training opportunities will let you upskill and boost your capabilities in this lucrative field. Always be open to learning.
Different sales roles require unique skills and talents. Does the idea of chasing down deals and pushing for the close excite you? If so, inbound closing may be the right sales gig for you.
Closing is one of the most valuable skills in the entire business world, so if you’re drawn to it, just know that beyond the thrill of the chase, the earning opportunities are incredible!
