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UK-based. Working with sales teams across Europe.

Closing

Recognise buying signals, resolve final objections and ask for the business with calm, credible confidence.

You own the number, but not every part of the buying decision. Research competes with meetings, discovery can stay on the surface, and a promising demo can still end in silence. We understand the pressure to create pipeline, earn trust and keep a complex opportunity moving without pushing the buyer. The AE Lab gives you space to sharpen the conversations and judgement behind the result.

Two sellers role-playing a customer conversation while a colleague observes
The Sales House
Explore. Practise. Perform.

Duration

Half day · 3.5 hours per half day

Group size

8–10 delegates

Format

Online or face to face

Price — Face to face

From £1,150

+ VAT

Price — Online

From £900

+ VAT

where understanding becomes useful —

Why this course matters

A credible close is a shared commitment, not a date the seller hopes will happen.

What you’ll explore in the Lab

Closing should feel like a natural next step, yet uncertainty about buyer readiness and last-minute objections can leave promising deals stalled at the finish line. This half-day course helps sellers at every level, from new starters building confidence to experienced teams managing late-stage opportunities, approach the close with greater clarity.

Delegates learn to recognise buying signals, use trial and final closes, handle remaining concerns calmly and create urgency honestly, without resorting to high-pressure tactics. Through peer-to-peer practice, they build the confidence to ask for the business naturally and develop practical approaches to reducing avoidable delays at the final stage.

a real challenge. a purposeful response.

The challenges this addresses

  • Positive buyer feedback mistaken for genuine readiness to buy
  • Final buyer approvals or agreed next steps left vague
  • Sellers avoiding a direct commitment question despite clear buying signals
  • Last-minute concerns surfacing after the seller assumes agreement

What this can change at work

Make closing a conversation about readiness and commitment, not pressure. Sellers practise recognising buying signals, asking for the business naturally and exploring the concerns that remain. Managers can coach late-stage deals around what the buyer has actually agreed, rather than a hopeful finish date. That helps the business distinguish genuine progress from positive sentiment and address avoidable delays before an opportunity drifts at the final hurdle.

Readiness checked directly

Sellers use trial closes to test whether the buyer is ready, rather than interpreting encouraging feedback as a commitment to proceed.

Remaining concerns surfaced

Before asking for final agreement, reps invite outstanding questions and discuss the concerns that could prevent the buyer from moving forward.

Commitments made explicit

Late-stage reviews capture what the buyer has agreed, which approvals remain and the next conversation needed to move towards a decision.

Explore. Practise. Perform.

Less theory. More application.

What participants will practise

Realistic sales scenarios, role-play and peer feedback around recognising buying signals and trial and final closes. Where helpful, participants work on their own live (or anonymised) opportunities.

What they’ll take away

Take-away materials with the questions, frameworks and techniques covered, plus a short personal action plan for the next customer conversations where the skill matters.

How we help it stick

Reflection and action planning are built into the session. Reinforcement such as manager guides, follow-up labs or coaching depends on the programme you choose and is agreed with you.

How we make learning stick

Inside the workshop

Working in a small group of 8–10 delegates, the half-day session combines focused input with interactive breakouts and peer-to-peer learning. Delegates practise recognising buying signals, testing readiness with trial closes and responding to last-minute objections before making a clear closing request. They leave with practical closing approaches and language for creating honest urgency and asking for the business confidently.

Make Closing relevant to your business

Tell us where you want to make progress with recognising buying signals. We can discuss suitable workplace examples, priorities and access needs before agreeing the scope. Choose live online or face-to-face training for your UK or European team, with delivery arrangements agreed before booking.

Discuss a customised version

What the training covers

The scope below sets out the subjects covered. Workplace examples and practice are shaped around your team within the booked format.

  • Recognising buying signals
  • Trial and final closes
  • Handling last-minute objections
  • Creating urgency honestly
  • Peer-to-peer closing practice

What’s included in your booking

Your booked time and format
Half day · Live online or face to face, agreed before booking · 8–10 delegates.
Included in every course
  • Interactive, facilitator-led learningLive, hands-on sessions built around practice and participation.
  • Group discussionsShared conversations about real situations, so people learn from each other as well as the facilitator.
  • Breakout exercisesSmall-group practice, role-play and problem-solving, online or in the room.
  • Take-away materialsCourse materials, tools and templates to use back at work.
Facilitated learning and practical application
The subject coverage, exercises and facilitator feedback described above, with space to connect the learning to relevant workplace situations. The workshop description sets out the specific plans, prompts or tools developed in this course.

Follow-up coaching, refresher sessions and additional delivery days are not automatic inclusions; any additions are agreed in your proposal. Travel, venue arrangements and any software licences are confirmed separately where relevant. Prices exclude VAT.

Outcomes

The capabilities delegates work towards through the training and practice:

  • Spot when a buyer is ready
  • Ask for the business naturally
  • Handle final objections calmly
  • Reduce deals that stall at the finish line

the next conversation is where it counts —

Take it back to work.

Choose a real situation where you want to apply the learning. Use it to turn an outcome into a manageable first step, then reflect on what changes.

Choose

Start with one priority: Spot when a buyer is ready.

Apply

Try the approach in a relevant task or conversation. Note what felt useful and what you would adapt.

Review

Reflect on what happened, seek feedback where appropriate and choose your next step. Follow-up support can be discussed separately.

Bring this topic to your next event

We can discuss adapting Closing into a keynote or large-group session, focusing on the themes most relevant to your audience. Depth, activities, timings and any follow-up depend on the format and package you choose; an event session is not a substitute for the full course.

Explore Speaking & Events

More from Account Executives Lab

Flagship programme

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Win More. Sell Smarter.

Five live online labs that sharpen how account executives plan their week, lead discovery, qualify with MEDDPICC, handle objections and keep deals moving.

5 × 2.5-hour live online sessions (12.5 hours)Maximum 8 participants

Course synopsis

Strong opportunities are built week by week — in the questions you ask, the evidence you gather and the next step you secure. AE Online Lab Part 1 equips account executives with the skills, confidence and commercial discipline to create stronger opportunities, improve deal qualification and win more business. Across five live online sessions, AEs take control of their sales week, move discovery beyond the surface, apply MEDDPICC with confidence, explore objections without becoming defensive and drive clear next steps. Each session is a small-group working lab with breakouts, role-play and personal coaching. Between sessions, AEs apply an agreed action and bring their experience back to the group.

5 live sessions · 2.5 hours each

Outcomes — you'll be able to

  • Plan a sales week around high-impact activity and routines
  • Lead discovery that uncovers and quantifies business pain
  • Use MEDDPICC to identify qualification gaps, deal risks and missing stakeholders
  • Respond to objections on pricing, timing, competitors and value
  • Secure clear next steps and mutual commitments

Included in every course

  • Interactive, facilitator-led learning
  • Group discussions
  • Breakout exercises
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Course details

Flagship programme

AE Online Lab Pt 2:
Advance, Negotiate & Close

Three live online labs to deliver proposals that win, protect your value in negotiation and close with confidence — without high-pressure tactics.

3 × 2.5-hour live online sessions (7.5 hours)Maximum 8 participants

Course synopsis

Late-stage selling is where value is tested — in the proposal, the negotiation and the moment a customer decides. AE Online Lab Part 2 strengthens the commercial skills account executives need to present compelling solutions, negotiate effectively and secure customer commitment. Across three live online sessions, AEs structure customer-focused proposals, plan negotiations around trade-offs rather than discounts, and build closing strategies aligned with how the customer actually decides. Practice uses real-world deal scenarios, role-play and personal coaching, so every participant leaves with a plan for a live opportunity.

3 live sessions · 2.5 hours each

Outcomes — you'll be able to

  • Structure a customer-focused proposal with a differentiated value proposition
  • Plan a negotiation with clear trade-offs and protected margins
  • Handle discount requests and pricing pressure confidently
  • Recognise buying signals and gain commitment without high-pressure tactics

Included in every course

  • Interactive, facilitator-led learning
  • Group discussions
  • Breakout exercises
  • Take-away materials

Live online

From £3,300 per group+ VAT

Course details

your sales team. your priorities. your programme. —

Build your own sales programme.

Combine courses, focus on your skills gaps and shape the learning around your sales cycle. Standard workshops run with 8–10 delegates; BDR and MEDDPICC sessions have a maximum of eight; Sales Leadership workshops run with 6–8. Smaller bespoke cohorts can be discussed, with pricing agreed for your programme.

Where better selling begins.

Your team doesn’t need more slides. They need skills that stick.

Know you need help? Book a relaxed, no-obligation 30-minute call. We’ll talk through your team and challenge, and you’ll leave with an honest view of the options — no brief or programme needed.