'Always Be Closing' Is Hurting Your Sales. Here’s What to Do Instead.

You can spot them a mile away. The salesperson who asks one qualifying question and then immediately launches into a ten-minute monologue about their product's 'synergistic value proposition'. Their every word, every gesture, is aimed at one thing: getting you to sign.

'Always Be Closing' Is Hurting Your Sales. Here’s What to Do Instead.

It’s the ghost of ‘Always Be Closing,’ a sales mantra from a bygone era that, in 2025, isn’t just outdated—it’s actively killing deals. The modern buyer is sceptical, well-researched, and has zero patience for a hard sell. If your team is still operating with a ‘closing’ mindset, they aren't just working inefficiently; they are damaging your reputation.

The Buyer Has Changed. The Pitch Hasn't.

The ‘Always Be Closing’ (ABC) philosophy was born in a time when the salesperson held all the cards. They had the product information, the pricing, and the industry knowledge. That power dynamic has been completely inverted.

Today, your prospects have already done their homework. Before they even think about talking to you, they've read online reviews, watched comparison videos, asked their peers for recommendations, and probably know more about your competitors than some of your junior reps.

When they finally agree to a conversation, they are not looking for a pitch. They are looking for an expert who can help them make sense of the information they already have. Showing up with a pushy, closing-focused attitude is the fastest way to confirm their worst fears and get yourself ghosted.

The Price of Being Pushy

This isn't just theory; it has a real-world cost.

I watched a sales team at a promising SaaS start-up in Singapore burn through their lead list last year. They had a great product, but their playbook was straight out of 1995. They hammered every prospect with demo requests without ever taking the time to understand what problem the prospect was actually trying to solve. Their activity levels were high, but their connection rate was abysmal. They were busy, but they weren't being effective.

Another company I advised was so focused on upselling a key client during their contract renewal that they never stopped to ask why the client had only ever used 40% of the product's features.

The client, feeling like a walking wallet instead of a valued partner, ended up signing with a competitor who had taken the time to understand their real workflow. The aggressive focus on the close cost them the entire account.

The New Mantra: Always Be Helping (ABH)

Shifting from ‘closing’ to ‘helping’ isn't about being passive. It's about being strategically generous. It’s about aligning your sales process with how people actually want to buy today. Here's what that looks like in practice.

1. Your Job Is to Teach, Not to Pitch.

Your first interaction should provide value, not ask for a sale. Instead of leading with your product, lead with insight. Share a relevant industry report, a guide that solves a common problem, or a case study that speaks directly to their situation. Companies like HubSpot built their entire empire on this principle, earning trust with free tools and education long before a sale was ever mentioned.

2. Be a Doctor, Not a Sales Rep.

What does a good doctor do? They ask smart questions and diagnose the problem before they ever write a prescription. Your sales team should do the same. Train them to listen more than they talk. By focusing on diagnosing the prospect’s true pain points, they can prescribe a solution that genuinely fits. The decision to buy then becomes a logical conclusion, not a pressured choice.

3. Make Every Follow-Up a Gift.

Stop the "just checking in" emails. They provide no value and are instantly deleted. A helpful follow-up should feel like a small gift of information. It could be an article you saw that's relevant to your last conversation, an introduction to someone in your network who can help them, or a new piece of data that might impact their business. This positions your salesperson as a valuable resource, not a pest.

4. Have the Guts to Say, "We're Not the Right Fit."

The most powerful way to build trust is to be honest when your product isn't the solution. It might feel like you're losing a sale, but you're gaining immense credibility. That prospect will remember your honesty. They might come back when they are a good fit, or better yet, they'll refer others to you because they know you can be trusted.

5. The Real Work Starts After They Sign.

The ABH mindset doesn't end when the contract is signed. Check in with your customers to ensure they are getting the value they paid for. Are they using the product correctly? Are they happy? Happy customers who feel supported are the most reliable source of repeat business, positive reviews, and high-quality referrals. Just look at the loyal community Shopify has built by offering continuous support and resources.

This Isn't Just a Sales Problem

This shift requires the entire commercial team to be on board. Marketing needs to move beyond just generating top-of-funnel leads and focus on creating educational content that helps buyers at every stage of their journey. They need to provide sales with the case studies, competitor comparisons, and ROI calculators that help salespeople be better teachers and consultants.

Let’s be clear: revenue is still the goal. The lights don't stay on with good intentions. But the path to that revenue has fundamentally changed. Pushing for the close is now the least effective way to get there. In a world where every buyer is two clicks away from finding an alternative, the only sustainable advantage you have is trust.

And you don't build trust by closing. You build it by helping. Do that well, and the closing takes care of itself.