Closing Once is Dead: Why Asking for "Next Steps" Is the Best Strategy in Modern B2B Sales
The way buyers buy has changed dramatically in recent years, and unfortunately, many salespeople are still using outdated tactics that no longer work. One of the most pervasive and damaging of these outdated concepts is the idea of "closing the sale."
For a long time, salespeople were taught that closing was a specific event that took place after presenting, handling objections, and pressuring the buyer to say "yes." The goal was to get the buyer to agree to the purchase in a single, tense conversation, often by using manipulative closing techniques like the "assumptive close," the "now or never close," or the "sharp angle close."
However, in today‘s complex B2B sales landscape, this concept of closing the sale as a one-time event is completely ineffective and even damaging. Here are a few statistics that highlight why:
- The average B2B sales cycle has increased by 22% over the past 5 years, now taking over 4 months to close a deal (SiriusDecisions)
- The number of decision-makers involved in a typical B2B purchase has increased from 5.4 in 2015 to 6.8 in 2022 (Gartner)
- 50% of buyers report that they are more likely to make a purchase from a salesperson who doesn‘t try to apply pressure or hassle them (HubSpot)
Clearly, the days of the "hard close" are over. Buyers have more power, more choice, and more access to information than ever before. They don‘t respond well to pressure tactics and one-sided conversations.
So what should modern salespeople do instead? The answer is simple but powerful: focus on asking for a series of smaller commitments and next steps throughout the sales process.
Why Asking for "Next Steps" Works
Asking for next steps is effective because it keeps the sales conversation moving forward without applying undue pressure. By securing small commitments along the way, you demonstrate your expertise, build trust, and earn the right to eventually ask for the sale.
Importantly, this is not about tricking the buyer or being sneaky. It‘s about truly creating value for them at each interaction and helping them feel confident about moving forward.
Here are a few reasons why asking for next steps is so powerful:
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It allows you to progressively build a relationship and demonstrate your credibility. Small commitments like agreeing to a short call, sharing information, or setting up a demo give the buyer a chance to get to know you. As David J.P. Fisher puts it in his book Hyper-Connected Selling, "Asking for the next step during prospecting might include asking for a business card at a networking event, asking for a 15-minute call, or asking for an introduction to someone else the customer knows."
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It keeps the momentum going and prevents stalled deals. We‘ve all had promising opportunities fizzle out because we didn‘t define clear next steps. Before ending each interaction, always agree on what will happen next and by when. Chris Orlob from Gong.io says, "The most successful salespeople are masters at securing next steps. They never leave a meeting without having scheduled a next meeting."
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It gives you a chance to collaboratively explore their needs and craft the right solution. Asking for a discovery call, requirements gathering workshop, or demo allows you to ask questions and understand the buyer‘s unique challenges. You can then tailor your pitch and offering, making it feel personalized and relevant.
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It lets you gradually earn the right to ask for the business when the time is right. By creating real value through a series of interactions, you build a solid foundation of trust. Then, when you‘ve helped the buyer complete all the necessary buying tasks, you can confidently ask for the sale without it feeling abrupt or pushy.
To illustrate, here are a couple real examples of how asking for next steps played out in successful B2B sales cycles:
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John, an enterprise software sales rep, started by asking a CIO for a short intro call to discuss her team‘s challenges. On that call, he asked if he could do a brief capabilities demo for her team the following week. After the demo, he suggested a technical discovery workshop to map their requirements to his solution. By the final proposal review meeting, he had earned the CIO‘s trust and the sale felt like a natural conclusion.
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Lisa, a financial services sales rep, met a prospect at a conference and asked for a 15-minute follow-up call. On the call, she offered to share a couple relevant case studies. After sending those, she asked to schedule a web meeting to discuss them. In that meeting, she suggested doing a collaborative ROI analysis to build the business case. After a couple months of these sequential next steps, the buyer was ready to sign.
The unifying thread here is that John and Lisa didn‘t jump straight to the close in their initial interactions. They focused on providing value through a series of small, appropriate next steps. This patient, customer-centric approach is what ultimately won them the deals.
How to Master Asking for Next Steps
Hopefully it‘s clear by now just how critical it is to shift away from thinking about "closing" and instead hone your skills at asking for next steps. But what are some actionable tips for doing this well?
Based on my years of sales experience and research, here is my advice:
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Always define a clear next step at the end of every interaction, no matter how small. This could be sending a follow-up email, scheduling a call, or assigning the buyer some "homework."
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Ask for a variety of next step commitments. Don‘t just default to "let‘s have another meeting." Mix it up by asking for introductions to other stakeholders, a brain-storming session, a site visit, access to data, or a capabilities presentation.
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Frame next steps as collaborative, not one-sided. Use language like, "What do you think makes sense as a next step?" or "To move this forward, I think it would be valuable to ___. What are your thoughts?"
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Be specific about the next step. Nail down the details of who, what, when, and how. Get it on the calendar. Saying "I‘ll send that to you next week" is not as powerful as "I‘ll send the proposal by 5pm on Tuesday and follow up on Thursday morning to discuss your feedback."
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Practice active listening to pick up on cues for appropriate next steps. If a buyer mentions another decision-maker, a past challenge, or an upcoming initiative, use those as openings to suggest a logical next step.
Here is a summary table of some common types of "next steps" you can ask for throughout the sales process:
| Early stage | Mid stage | Late stage |
|---|---|---|
| Intro call | Discovery call | Demo for decision-makers |
| LinkedIn connection | Solutions overview | Technical evaluation |
| Capabilities deck | Access to key data | Proposal walkthrough |
| Case study | Stakeholder introductions | ROI/business case |
| Industry insights | Requirements workshop | Proof of concept |
Ultimately, getting good at asking for next steps requires a shift in mindset. You have to genuinely care about guiding the buyer through their decision process and helping them feel confident about each step.
As sales expert Jeff Shore says, "The hard close assumes that the customer is going to say no and that they need to be convinced. Instead, adopt the mindset that your job is to help the customer make the best decision, and focus on guiding them through a series of micro-commitments."
Conclusion
The world of B2B buying and selling has undergone a massive transformation in recent years. Buyers are more empowered, sales cycles are more complex, and old-school closing techniques no longer cut it.
The most successful modern sellers have adapted by mastering the art of "next steps selling." They know that pressuring for the one-time close is ineffective and damages trust. Instead, they focus on providing value through a series of small, well-timed commitments that build a relationship over time.
By earning the right to ask for the sale through next step selling, these reps achieve win rates as much as 40-50% higher than those still trying to use hard closing techniques (Sales Hacker).
The takeaway is clear. If you want to thrive in sales today, you must shift your focus from closing to guiding the buyer in the direction of the sale with next steps. This means:
- Ditching manipulative closing techniques and adopting a mindset of truly helping the buyer
- Asking for small, low-pressure commitments that create value at each interaction
- Keeping the momentum going by always defining a clear next step
- Gradually securing bigger commitments as you earn more trust
- Letting the close be a natural conclusion only after you‘ve completed a series of successful next steps
Of course, this approach requires more patience, skill, and customer-centricity than the "always be closing" mentality. But it‘s so much more effective and rewarding. By embracing "next step selling," you‘ll build stronger relationships, smoother deals, and ultimately a far more successful sales career.
As David J.P. Fisher puts it, "Moving the prospect through this process is one of the ways that today‘s salesperson creates something new….A salesperson is the quarterback, always assessing the situation, giving instructions, and moving people toward the goal line. The final step of asking for the business is just one piece in an open format."
Don‘t get left behind still trying to "close once." Next step selling is the future. Master it, and you‘ll be closing bigger, better deals for years to come.
