The Closer Trait Measures Understanding of How to Close a Sale
The Closer trait is one of the Sales Traits scored on the Sales Ability Test. It measures what a candidate knows about bringing a sale to a decision, which is the narrow half of selling rather than the whole job.
What Does the Closer Trait Measure?
The closer trait measures the degree of theoretical understanding of the best ways to close sales.
In other words, it scores what somebody knows about the end of the conversation, where a prospect either commits or does not.
What the closer trait is not
It is not the ability to market oneself, products or services. Consequently, a candidate can understand closing perfectly and still fail to create the opportunity in the first place, which is why the broader selling reading sits beside it.
What the Closer Trait Helps You Evaluate Before You Hire
Ask how their last deal actually closed. Listen for who moved it to a decision, and whether the candidate names a specific moment or describes the customer eventually agreeing on their own.
Why the Closer Trait Matters in Hiring
Closing is the part of selling that gets talked about most and measured least.
This score isolates it, which is useful as long as you remember how narrow the question is.
The Narrow Half
Closing is one part of selling, so this number tells you nothing about whether a candidate can create the opportunity.
Not a Marketing Signal
Marketing oneself, products or services sits outside this trait, and the broader general selling reading is what covers it instead.
Directness Sits Beside It
Assertive, Confront People and the fear reading all appear among the relations that this trait names on the report itself.
How a low Closer score shows up on the job
A weak closer often runs a busy pipeline. The conversations happen, the demonstrations happen, and then the decision quietly never arrives.
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How the Closer Trait Is Scored
Eight questions produce this score.
The report names six ranges for it, which the three bands below group together.
Low — under 38
A very poor to poor theoretical understanding of the best ways to close a sale.
Medium — 38 to 56
A borderline to OK theoretical understanding of the best ways to close a single sale.
High — 57 to 100
A good theoretical understanding of closing, which becomes an excellent one from 75 points upward.
Closer is one of the Sales Traits on the Sales Ability Test
Each trait in this set scores selling knowledge rather than personality.
However, the relations named here reach beyond sales knowledge, because asking for a decision takes a degree of directness as well.
General Sales
A named relation covering the whole job. Read the pair to see whether closing or marketing is the weaker half.
Assertive
A named relation, because asking somebody to decide depends on believing that a direct approach is the right one here.
Questioner
A named relation, because closing well rests on what a prospect already told you, which depends on valuing the question.
Confront People
A named relation, because naming an uncomfortable point is often what moves a stalled conversation toward an actual buying decision.
Managing Fear
Named here as Fear. Asking for the decision means inviting a no, which is exactly what that other reading covers.
Sales Traits
The category this trait belongs to. Every Sales Trait is scored from multiple choice questions with one correct answer, so these readings measure what a candidate knows rather than how they describe themselves.Â
Best Practice: Never read this as a whole sales picture. It covers closing alone, so pair it with General Sales for the marketing half and Hunter whenever the seat also has to prospect.
How to Interpret Closer Results
Six named ranges cover the Closer trait, and the action below each range assumes you are holding a Sales Ability Test report.
What to Do Based on Your Closer Score
Treat as no demonstrated closing knowledge at all, and keep this candidate away from any seat that carries a quota.
Expect somebody else to close for this candidate, so plan who owns that final step before you make an offer.
Workable only where a manager joins the closing conversations, and read Assertive to see whether the directness is missing too.
Compare this against your own role benchmark, since a closing seat and a farming seat reward two quite different readings.
Put this candidate where deals need bringing to a decision, and then read General Sales for the marketing half too.
Confirm the behavioral profile before assuming any results, since knowing how to close is not the same as closing well.
Assessment results support your hiring decisions, they do not replace them. Always read the closer trait score alongside the full profile and your role benchmarks before drawing a conclusion.
The Closer Trait Matters for Every Role You Hire
Because a closing seat and a farming seat reward different readings, benchmarks define what each number means. Therefore, review results against the benchmark for the specific job.
Relevant for all role types
Sales Closer
Vehicle Salesperson
Sales Manager
Salesperson with Cold Calling Duties
Relationship Salesperson
Non-Professional Salesperson
Hunter (Telemarketer)
Marketing Manager
If any of these situations sound familiar, this assessment is for you
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Frequently Asked Questions
It measures the degree of theoretical understanding of the best ways to close sales. The reading covers the end of the sales conversation, where a prospect either commits or does not, rather than everything that leads up to that point.
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