How to Hire a Closer (And the One Question I Always Ask First)

By Zach Schleien

Hiring your first sales closer is one of the highest-leverage moves a founder can make. But hire the wrong one and it'll cost you months.

When I went from doing all my own sales to hiring a closer, my revenue doubled. But it took me two bad hires before I found the right one.

Here's what I learned - including the one question that separates real closers from pretenders.

Why Founders Need a Closer

Most founders are good at selling their own product because they built it. They know every detail, every edge case, every customer story.

But founder-led sales doesn't scale. Every hour you spend on sales calls is an hour you're not spending on strategy, product, or the work that only you can do.

A closer frees you to focus on what actually grows the business while ensuring your pipeline doesn't dry up.

The One Question I Always Ask

In every closer interview, I ask this:

"Walk me through the last deal you lost. What happened and what would you do differently?"

Here's what I'm looking for:

• Self-awareness: Do they take responsibility or blame the prospect?
• Process thinking: Do they diagnose what went wrong systematically?
• Growth mindset: Have they actually changed their approach based on losses?

Bad closers say: "The prospect just wasn't a fit." Good closers say: "I didn't establish urgency early enough and the deal went cold. Now I always confirm timeline in the first 5 minutes."

What to Look For in a Closer

1. They listen more than they talk. On a sales call, the best closers are asking questions 70% of the time. If your closer is pitching non-stop, they're not closing.

2. They follow a process. Great closers don't wing it. They have a framework: discovery, diagnosis, prescription, close. Every step earns the right to the next one.

3. They're comfortable with silence. After presenting the price, amateurs fill the silence. Pros wait. The first person to talk after the price loses leverage.

4. They track everything. Close rates, average deal size, time-to-close, follow-up sequences. If they can't show you their numbers, they don't have a process.

Compensation Structure

For high-ticket services ($5K-$50K deals):

• Base: $2,000-$4,000/month (keeps them committed)
• Commission: 10-15% of closed revenue
• Bonus: Additional 5% for deals closed within 7 days

The commission structure should incentivize speed and quality. Don't cap commissions - you want your closer to be hungry.

The Hiring Mistake I Made

My first closer was a smooth talker. Great in interviews. Terrible on real calls. He'd over-promise, under-deliver, and leave me cleaning up the mess.

My second closer was the opposite. Quiet, methodical, and focused on listening. She closed at 60% - double my own rate. The difference? She didn't try to be charming. She tried to be helpful.

When to Hire

You're ready for a closer when:

• You have a consistent pipeline (10+ qualified leads/month)
• Your offer is validated (you've closed at least 10 deals yourself)
• Your sales process is documented (not just in your head)
• You have enough time freed up to focus on growth

Ready to scale your sales team? Book a free strategy call and let's design your hiring and sales process.