The length of a sales cycle varies greatly from industry to industry, from customer to customer and from sales rep to sales rep. Some sales cycles can last years and some can last only moments. Outside of the retail industry where consumers usually have already made a buying decision when they speak to a sales associate, most sales professionals need to learn how to manage a sales cycle effectively.

In some industries, a sales rep usually gets one and only one chance to close a sale. This is called a "one call close" because the entire sales cycle, including the close, happens during the same customer-sales rep meeting.

Industries that use the One Call Close

While a one call close is not exclusive to any particular set of industries, there are a couple that rely on one call closes more so than most others. 

Home Improvement Industry - Think about the last time you invited a replacement window sales professional into your home. The focus of the sales rep was probably to show you the many benefits you, as a home owner will realize once you replace your drafty, hard to clean, energy inefficient existing windows with their amazingly easy to clean, highly efficient and home-value increasing replacement windows.

Once the benefits are delivered and understood, the rep knows, based on experience, that he either closes you right then and there or the sale will either never happen or his competitor will have an easier job closing since you are already excited about all the benefits of replacement windows.

Financial Services Industry - Believe it or not, financial planners know that they usually have one shot at making a sale. For many in the industry, getting an appointment with a possible client takes an awful lot of effort. After putting in the effort to get a client appointment, not walking away with a sale means that their efforts were wasted.

It doesn't matter if the sales professional wears a $2,000 suit or a pair of khakis and a polo shirt, the one call close is used in industries that may surprise you.

How to use the One Call Close

First and foremost, unless a prospect is ready to make a buying decision, you need to build an overwhelming amount of "client perceived" value before attempting to close the sale. So while most sales are lost because a sales rep doesn't ask for the sale, a whole lot of possible sales are lost when a rep tries to close too early.

You also have to understand your industry and how long typical sales cycles last. If you are new to your sales position, ask your sales manager and tenured members of your sales team about a typical sales cycle. If it is common to close a sale on the first call, be prepared to try closing on your first call.

Also, the better you understand your prospect - their needs, wants, must haves and nice to haves - the better you will be equipped to judge whether a one call close is possible or not.

"Is a One Call Close just Another type of Hard Closing?"

While one call closes can get intense, they differ from a typical hard close because of urgency. Hard closes are often done by sales professionals who simply prefer closing hard over any other type of close and not because they feel they only have one chance to close a sale. One call closes should be reserved for times when you know or strongly believe that you will only get one chance.