How to Hire a High-Ticket Closer: My Step-by-Step Process

A good closer takes the calls your marketing books and turns them into cash, so you can spend your time on the rest of the business. Finding one takes some work, mostly because closers are good at talking, so a résumé and a quick chat won't tell you much.

This is the process I use, step by step.

Step 1: Write down what the role needs

Before you look at anyone, get clear on these:

• Ticket size and offer. Someone who does well on $2,000 coaching offers may not be ready for a $15,000 B2B deal.
• Lead source. Warm inbound leads from content, cold outbound and paid-ad leads are different jobs. Some closers are great at one and struggle with another.
• Call volume. How many calls a week will they take? If a rep expects 25 and gets 6, they'll leave.
• Pay. Commission percentage, any base, and when they get paid. (I go through common setups in my guide to closer commission.)
• Hours and timezone. Match them to when your leads book.

Good closers ask about this on the first call, so it helps to have the answers ready.

Step 2: Look where closers spend their time

Good closers are usually busy working, and they hear about new offers from other reps. The best places to find them:

• Sales communities and Discord servers where reps talk about their offers and results.
• Referrals from closers you trust. Good reps tend to know other good reps.
• Your own network and audience. Sometimes a past customer who believes in the offer turns into a great hire.

A post in a big group will get you a lot of applicants, so plan how you'll sort through them before you post. If you're weighing Upwork or a recruiter instead, here's how the three options compare.

Step 3: Screen with a short video first

Before you get on a call with anyone, ask them to record a short Loom introducing themselves: about a minute, two at most. Ask them to cover who they are, what they've sold, at what ticket sizes, and their results.

A minute of video tells you a lot: their tone, their pace, how confident they are and how clearly they explain things. I wrote a full breakdown of what to look for in a sales rep's Loom. Save the pitch and the objections for the live roleplay in step 4.

Some applicants won't record one. That's useful to know too, since following simple instructions is part of the job.

Step 4: Interview live, with a roleplay

With your shortlist, do a live interview and spend a good part of it on roleplay. Play a realistic prospect and use an objection your leads actually say.

Pay attention to:

• Discovery. Do they ask a follow-up question, or jump straight into the pitch?
• Objections. When you say "I need to talk to my partner," do they find out what's holding you back, or offer a discount?
• Their numbers. Ask for their close rate on their last offer, then ask how many calls that was based on.

Here's my full list of interview questions for high-ticket closers, with what good answers sound like.

Step 5: Plan the first 30 days

Even a great closer needs time to learn a new offer. A simple first month:

1. Week one: call recordings, learning the offer, and listening in on live calls.
2. Week two: taking calls, with you or a senior rep reviewing their recordings every day.
3. Weeks three and four: full call volume, with a weekly call review and clear numbers.

Agree upfront on the numbers you'll track, like show rate, close rate and cash collected, so you're both on the same page by day 30. I go through this in more detail in how to train a new sales rep.

Things to watch out for

• Hiring whoever seemed most confident, without seeing how they actually sell.
• Hiring a closer before you have enough calls for them. (Here's how to tell if your offer is ready.)
• Skipping onboarding.
• Waiting months to make a change when it's clear by week three that it isn't working.

If you'd rather not do all of this yourself

This process works, but it takes time. That's what I do at Ardenique: I find closers, watch their Looms, talk to the best ones one-on-one, and introduce you to the few who fit your offer. You pay nothing upfront. The flat fee is only due once your closer brings in 5x it in cash collected, or is still with you on day 30, whichever comes first.

Frequently asked questions