Remote closing fits into the current economic landscape, where more companies and businesses want to close deals without flying out to meet sellers. Closers don’t need to be present to make a sale: they can hop on Zoom (or similar) to make sales.
With 35% of sellers stating that closing is their biggest challenge, hiring a remote closer with the experience to close high-value sales can transform the sales pipeline.
Post-pandemic, the role of remote closing as a leading sales professional is even more important. We’re going to outline:
- What a remote closer is
- Basic job description of a remote closer
- Skills you’ll need to step into this role
- Salary
- What makes a good remote closer
- Much more
What Is Remote Closing?
A remote closer gets contracts signed for deals without being physically present with the customer. The closer may be responsible for:
- High-ticket sales
- Inbound sales
If a customer enters a business’s sales funnel and already shows interest in a product or service, one of these sales pros may be called in to close the deal. Closers are often brought in for high-ticket sales where a lot is on the line if the sale falls through.
Your typical sales funnel may vary, but this type of closer will enter the equation during the closing stage by:
- Highlighting the key benefits of the product or service
- Demonstrating how the product or service will solve the buyer’s pain points
- Masterfully answering concerns and questions that push a lead to a sale
Remote closing often takes place on Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or similar platforms. The closer enters the meeting prepared to negotiate with the buyer and showcase the product or service with presentations and demo products.
A remote closer uses all of the tools at their disposal to provide a streamlined closing, such as e-signature tools, digital notaries and anything else necessary to finalize the deal.
If businesses want to recruit more sales reps and work with a skilled closer, they will need to craft their job descriptions differently.
Let’s look at what the job description for a remote closer looks like.
Remote Closer of Sales Job Description
Job descriptions for this position will vary, but the general role is to persuade potential customers to become customers by purchasing a product or service. Current job postings state closers will need to handle:
- Inbound calls: Companies hiring remote closers want you to be taking inbound calls and often set a certain daily goal that should be met. For example, one company wants their closer to take 4 – 5 calls per day, five days a week.
- Meetings: Closers will be required to hold internal and external meetings. A closer should have their metrics available, such as sales projections and current pace, to provide key stakeholders with a better understanding of how their closing rates are holding up.
- Reports: Projections, number sheet, team tracking and appointments.
- Data entry: Remote closers must perform some form of data entry, whether this be adding buyers into the CRM, recording fees or entering other crucial, company-specific data.
Remote Closers will coordinate closing schedules, prepare documents for closing and provide daily reports. You’ll find many companies hire remotely, but you may need to reside in the same state as the company in question.
Experience requirements may vary by industry, but it’s not uncommon for job listings to demand 3+ years of experience in the field.
A remote closer’s main job entails:
- Answering questions
- Taming concerns and handling objections
- Getting prospects to purchase
If you have the personality and skills to turn would-be buyers into customers, you’ll excel in this position. Commission models are in your favor, helping you earn potentially thousands of dollars per high-ticket sale.
Honing certain skills can help you excel in this position, which we’ll discuss next.
Skills Needed for A Remote Closer
Remote closers have certain skills in common that help them close deals better than most sales reps. You’ll need a wide range of skills to exceed in this position, including:
- Communication: Sales closers must have impeccable communication skills so that they can close deals and communicate key features to customers.
- Negotiation: Objections will come up from potential buyers, and it’s your job to negotiate with the buyer to push the sale. If you can’t negotiate, you won’t succeed in this position.
- Problem-solving: Natural problem-solvers will excel in this position because every potential customer is seeking answers to their problems. You’ll need to put yourself in the shoes of the buyer, understand their problems and determine how to solve them with the products or services you’re trying to sell.
- Presentation: You’ll need to be comfortable and confident when meeting with leads. Present the product or service, demo it and be able to show the key reasons why the lead must buy it now.
- Adaptability: Change in the conversation is going to happen. You’ll face rebuttals and potential pushbacks from a lead, and you need to adapt to it to maintain control of the sale.
- Time management: Quotas, reports and meetings are time-consuming. Top closers have strong time management skills that empower them to maximize their time, close more sales, and excel in the industry.
Working remotely is not for everyone. You’ll need to be comfortable being isolated and motivated to remain on track. Discipline to steer clear of distractions and meet quotas is a must-have because no one is looking over your shoulder throughout the day.
You’ll need to manage your time properly, take and hold meetings and have the discipline to stay on track when no one is there to push you.
If you have the skills to succeed in remote closing, you can move through this career path and transition into higher roles.
Sales Career Path of a Remote Closer
If you’re interested in a career as a remote closer, it’s important to understand what kind of training you’ll need, how to get your foot in the door and the outlook for this role.
How to Become a Remote Closer
There are no formal training or education requirements to become a remote closer. However, most companies will expect you to have experience in the sales industry. Some will even prefer that you have a bachelor’s degree in marketing, sales, business or a related field.
The road to becoming a remote closer may look different for everyone, but generally, you will need to follow this path:
- Gain Sales Experience
In many cases, remote closers start as appointment setters. Setting appointments and qualifying leads will give you valuable experience and skills that you will need as a closer.
Setters don’t typically need experience in sales to land this role, and it’s a great way to get your foot in the door.
- Advance Your Sales Techniques
Gaining experience in the field is important, but it’s also important to advance your understanding of sales techniques. Here’s where a formal education in sales or marketing can come into play, but you can also develop these skills on your own and through experience.
You can improve your understanding of sales techniques by:
- Reading books
- Enrolling in skill-building programs, such as online courses
- Learning from sales professionals on YouTube and other social media platforms
- Engaging in mock calls and roleplays to improve your persuasion and negotiation skills
Networking can help you make valuable connections with experts who can provide insights and advice.
- Choose Your Offer
Remote closers can work in a variety of industries. Some are more interesting or lucrative than others. And some products or services are more likely to sell than others.
Choosing the right offer is key to success.
Here are a few things to consider:
- Has the product or service already been sold at least 10 times?
- Does the business have a qualified inbound lead flow?
If a business already has a qualified lead flow, this means that they will send warm leads directly to you. Warm leads will be easier to convert, and you’ll save time by not having to go out and find them yourself.
Once you’ve landed a job as a remote closer, you can continue developing and improving your skills to move up the ladder.
The great news is that this career offers plenty of room for growth.
What Comes After a Remote Closer?
Remote closers may be an SDR/BDR who wants to move to closing, but you have a lot of opportunities for growth. You can remain a closer if you like the high-paced sales environment, but you can also opt to go into any of the following:
- Account executive
- Sales Manager OR Enterprise Account Executive
- Director of Sales OR Regional Vice President
- VP of Sales
- Chief Revenue Office (CRO)
Remote closing has a lot of upsides, allowing these professionals to transition into management and director roles. You can continue on the sales path, moving all the way up to CRO if you’re dedicated to your role and willing to advance.
What Does a Remote Closer Do?
A remote closer’s job is to close a deal – to transform a prospect into a paying customer. They deal with potential customers one-on-one and use the power of persuasion to sell them on the offer.
In order to close a deal, these sales professionals will answer questions and handle objections to convince prospects their solution is the best fit.
Remote closers are not setters. People often use the terms “setter” and “closer” interchangeably, but these two roles have different objectives.
- A setter’s job is to connect with warm prospects and set them up for a call with the closer.
- The closer’s job is to get on calls and close deals.
The setter and closer roles complement each other, and they work hand-in-hand. If a setter doesn’t pre-qualify prospects and pre-frame the offer properly, the closer may have a more difficult time doing their job.
Remote Closing Salary and Bonus
The salaries and bonuses of remote closers depend on a variety of factors, like which industry you’re in and the company you’re working for. However, data from ZipRecruiter shows that the average salary for this role is about $78,097 per year.
Some remote closers earn significantly more or less than this average.
Roles that focus on high-ticket closings can earn remote closers $5,000-$20,000+ per month. High earnings like this are not the norm, but they’re not entirely unheard of.
Typically, remote closers work on commission. Most companies pay 10% commission, but some will offer more.
Performance bonuses can add to your overall earnings, but these amounts will vary from one company and industry to another.
The role of a remote closer is not for everyone. You may be an exceptional SDR, but when it comes to closing sales remotely, it may not be your strong point. Certain skills make someone a good closer.
What Makes a Good Remote Closer?
Successful remote closers possess certain skills and qualities that give them an advantage in the field. Here are the most essential ones:
- Communication Skills
A remote closer’s job is to seal the deal and secure the sale. To achieve that goal, communication skills are essential.
The most successful remote closers are personable and have excellent written and verbal communication skills. They’re comfortable dealing with clients over the phone, via email or in person.
- Critical Thinking Skills
Remote closers use their critical thinking skills to:
- Understand the customer’s needs
- Effectively rebut objections
- Tailor their sales pitches to be more persuasive
- Negotiate more effectively
Remote closers also have excellent problem-solving skills. Together, critical thinking and problem solving help these professionals anticipate needs, meet demanding sales goals and handle high-pressure situations with ease.
- Emotional Intelligence
Remote closers possess a number of skills, but there’s one that’s often overlooked: emotional intelligence.
There’s more to closing a sale than just being persuasive and knowing how to negotiate. Successful remote closers have an innate ability to read and understand the customer’s emotions. They’re excellent at reading non-verbal cues, which allows them to craft their arguments carefully.
Having strong emotional intelligence skills allows remote closers to build trust with clients and understand their specific needs.
- Organization- and Goal-Oriented
Remote closers are under pressure to close sales and meet quotas. To stay on track and succeed in this role, you must be goal-oriented and organized.
Why?
- When you’re dealing with multiple clients, organization is crucial if you want to maintain the trust and interest of customers.
- Goal-oriented remote closers are motivated to keep going and can stay focused even when faced with challenges.
If you’re not focused or working towards achieving an end goal, you will struggle to get ahead as a remote closer.
Final Thoughts On Remote Closers
Remote closers play a critical role in the sales process. They answer questions, handle objections and ultimately, persuade prospects to make a purchase.
While this role is relatively new to the sales industry, demand for remote closers is growing. Having a deeper understanding of this role and the skills you need to succeed will help you determine whether it’s the right career for you. If you’re not ready to hire a remote closer, you may want to consider the idea of hiring sales reps.
