Salespeople want to close more deals. Managers want shorter sales cycles. Buyers want to feel like they aren’t being sold to by someone auditioning for Wolf of Wall Street: The Regional Manager Cut.

And that’s the catch. Most salespeople are taught to close harder when things get tough: overcome objections, pile on value, handle the “we need to think about it” stall like it’s a prizefight. But in 2025, buyers are more informed, more skeptical, and *frankly* more allergic to pressure than ever before.

If you’re tired of pushing prospects who keep pulling back, this one’s for you. We're going to break down how to close more deals—without chasing, convincing, or acting like a salesy robot.

We’ll go deep into the Sandler Pain Funnel and Up-Front Contracts because that’s where the *sales* magic happens. And as a franchise that’s trained thousands of sales reps (and fixed just as many broken pipelines), we're telling you: this works.

Let’s Start With the Real Reason You’re Not Closing More Deals

Here’s what we’ve seen over and over again: salespeople rush to propose before the buyer is emotionally committed. You’re quoting prices, sending proposals, and demoing like it’s your job—but the buyer still has one foot out the door.

It’s not that you didn’t sell well.
It’s that you sold too soon.

Step 1: Use the Pain Funnel to Get to the “Why Now?”

If you’ve ever heard “We’re going to wait until Q3” or “This is interesting, but not urgent”, it means the buyer hasn’t emotionally connected with the pain yet.

The Pain Funnel is your tool to get them there (without sounding like a therapist or a used car dealer).

Here’s how it works:

You start by identifying surface-level pain.
Then, with a series of open-ended questions, you drill deeper until you hit real, emotional, action-driving pain.

Start broad:

“Tell me more about that.”
“Can you give me an example?”
“How long has that been a challenge?”

Then, narrow the focus:

“What impact has that had on your team?”
“How is that affecting your goals for the quarter?”
“What happens if this doesn’t get solved?”

Eventually, the buyer says something like:

“If we don’t fix this, I’m going to lose my top two reps.”

“Our churn rate will put us under water.”

Boom. You’re in. Now you’re not pitching features. You’re solving a real problem.

Step 2: Set an Up-Front Contract (So You’re Not Chasing Ghosts)

Nothing drags out a sales cycle like vague next steps and false hope.

You finish a great call. The prospect says all the right things.

Then?

Radio silence.

The Up-Front Contract fixes that. It’s a simple framework you use before every meeting to set expectations, eliminate surprises, and agree on what happens next.

What it includes:

Time: “We have 30 minutes scheduled—is that still good for you?”
Agenda: “Here’s what I’d like to cover. Anything you’d add?”
Outcome: “By the end, let’s agree if this is worth moving forward. If yes, we can discuss what that looks like. If not, we’ll part as friends. Sound fair?”

This is how top-performing reps control the process without coming across as pushy. It’s professional, respectful, and gets you out of endless follow-up limbo.

Not sure how to build yours? Grab our Up-Front Contract Builder so you can have a perfect UFC every time.

Step 3: Don’t Handle Objections—Prevent Them

Here’s the thing about objections: most of them come up because the rep skipped a step earlier.

Price objections? You didn’t uncover budget.
Timing objections? You didn’t uncover urgency.
“Let me talk to my team” stalls? You didn’t qualify decision-makers.

The more thoroughly you use the Pain Funnel and set clear expectations with an Up-Front Contract, the fewer objections you’ll hear at the end.

And when you do get objections?

Don’t get defensive. Stay curious. Ask questions like:

“Help me understand—what’s holding you back?”
“Is it that this isn’t the right time, or that the solution doesn’t feel like the right fit yet?”

Salespeople who stay calm and neutral build more trust than those who jump into debate mode.

Step 4: Differentiate By Making It About the Buyer (Not the Product)

The easiest way to blend in with every other rep in your space is to lead with product.

The easiest way to stand out? Lead with insight.

Show the buyer that you understand their world better than they do. Ask smarter questions.

Challenge assumptions. Bring data. Reference trends.

Buyers don’t want another features pitch. They want someone who makes them feel:

– Seen
– Understood
– Safe to make a big decision

That’s how you close in 2025.

Step 5: Run Every Meeting Like a Professional

If you’re still winging it on calls, you’re leaving money on the table.

Prep in advance.
Write out 3-5 strategic questions.
Clarify your goal for the meeting.
End every call with a defined next step.

Sales cycles shrink when you guide the buyer through the process, not when you keep checking in and hoping they get back to you.

Grab our most popular Sandler tool, the Pre-Call Planner. Rock every meeting throughout your sales process.

Final Thought: Closing Isn’t About Pressure. It’s About Clarity.

Buyers don’t need to be convinced. They need to feel clear, confident, and in control.

If you’re doing most of the talking, if you’re rushing to pitch, if you’re leaving calls without next steps; those are the things killing your close rate.

If you want to close more deals in 2025, you don’t need new tricks.

You need a repeatable, buyer-first process built on trust, clarity, and emotional connection.

That’s what the Sandler Pain Funnel and Up-Front Contract deliver.

And if you want to master these techniques like the pros?

Crash a Sandler class (for free). See how we coach real sales teams to use the Pain Funnel, Up-Front Contracts, and a repeatable process that actually closes.

Save Your Spot – Your next deal might just thank you for it.

The Ultimate Guide to Closing More Deals in 2025 (Without Feeling Pushy)