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Sales & Retail vocabulary · Objections & Closing

Buying signal

Meaning in sales & retail, with examples

/ˈbaɪɪŋ ˌsɪɡnəl/nounCommon term

In sales & retail, buying signal means: Something a customer says or does that shows they are seriously thinking about buying, such as asking about delivery dates, prices or contract details.

In Turkish: satın alma sinyali, alım işareti

How it is used

Sellers learn to notice buying signals and move towards the close. Verbal signals include questions like “When could you start?”; non-verbal ones include nodding or picking up the product again. You spot, notice, miss or act on a buying signal.

Example sentences

  1. When she asked if we could deliver before the holiday, that was a clear buying signal.

  2. He kept talking after the customer showed every buying signal and almost lost the sale.

Common collocations

  • spot a buying signal
  • miss a buying signal
  • strong buying signal
  • verbal buying signals
  • trial closeA question asked during a sales conversation to test how ready the customer is to buy, without asking for the final decision yet.
  • closeTo get a customer's final agreement to buy, such as a signature, an order or a payment, so that the sale is complete.
  • closing techniqueA planned way of asking for the customer's decision at the end of a sale, such as offering a choice between two options or summarising the agreed points.
  • urgencyIn sales, a real reason for the customer to decide now rather than later, such as a price rise, a deadline or a problem that is getting worse.

More terms: Objections & Closing

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