Email Closings That Convert: Data-Backed Tactics for 2025

Major Takeaways: How to Close an Email

What is the best way to close an email in B2B sales?

• Use a single, actionable closing sentence with a clear CTA, ideally as a question, to guide responses and increase reply rates.

Which closing phrases drive the highest response rates?

• Closings like “Thanks in advance” and “Thank you” consistently outperform others, increasing response rates in cold emails.

How long should a sales email closing be?

• One to two concise lines are optimal. Emails under 125 words, with short, purpose-driven closings, receive the highest engagement.

What makes a strong close-out email sentence?

• Strong sentences create urgency, emphasize value, or offer something helpful (e.g., “Would you like a quick case study?”).

Which sign-offs work best in professional outreach?

• “Best regards,” “Thanks,” and “Sincerely” are top-performing sign-offs for cold outreach, especially in B2B sales contexts.

What should you avoid in email closings?

• Avoid vague CTAs, over-casual language, and apologies. Weak closings lead to confusion, low engagement, and lost opportunities.

How do email signatures impact closing effectiveness?

• Branded signatures that include your name, title, company, and LinkedIn link improve trust and reply rates by up to 22%, especially in cold emails.

How should closing lines evolve in 2025?

• 2025 trends emphasize personalization, brevity, and value-driven phrasing tailored to decision-makers scanning dozens of emails daily.

Introduction

Only 8.5% of cold emails ever get a reply on average (10). In B2B sales, that means the majority of your carefully crafted outreach messages are met with silence. One often-overlooked factor could be tipping the scales between getting ignored or getting a response: how you close your email. 

In an era where the average professional receives around 121 emails a day (2), decision-makers like CMOs and VPs of Sales scan messages quickly. Your final lines – the closing statement and sign-off – might be your last chance to grab their attention and prompt action.

So, how should you end a sales email to maximize engagement? We’ve analyzed the latest data and best practices to answer this question. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore what makes an effective email closing line, share proven examples of closing statements, highlight common mistakes to avoid, and offer data-driven tips to improve your email closure. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to close an email for cold B2B outreach – and how these small tweaks can boost your outbound lead generation success.

Why Your Email Closing Line Matters (More Than You Think)

Do closing lines really affect reply rates? Absolutely. The closing of your email isn’t just a polite goodbye – it’s a strategic moment that can influence whether a busy prospect hits “Reply” or deletes your message. Research shows that emails including a closing phrase see higher response rates than those with no formal closing at all (3). It makes sense: a good closing line ties your message together and often contains your call-to-action, leaving a strong final impression.

One data point drives this home: in a study of 350,000 email threads, the average email response rate was only 47.5%, but certain closing phrases dramatically beat that baseline (4). For example, emails that ended with a note of gratitude like “Thanks in advance” or “Thank you” consistently received more replies than those ending with more generic closings (4). Why? Psychologically, a courteous closing triggers reciprocity – people naturally respond better when they feel appreciated. “It’s a powerful sentiment that humanizes communication,” one marketing CEO explains, noting that simple touches like saying thanks show the recipient you respect their time (5). In fact, an experiment found that participants were twice as likely to help with a request when the email included a thank-you line versus when it didn’t (6).

Keep in mind, the closing line is also often where you prompt the reader’s next step. A weak or absent closing (e.g. ending abruptly without a sign-off or request) can leave the recipient unsure what to do, lowering the odds they’ll bother to respond. On the other hand, a clear and friendly closing statement – whether it’s asking “Would Tuesday 10 AM work for a quick call?” or simply expressing “Thank you for your time” – guides the reader toward replying or taking action. It shows confidence and courtesy. As we like to say, the close of the email is your final sales pitch: leave them with a reason to reply.

And in 2025’s hyper-competitive B2B landscape, every little edge matters. When your SDRs are reaching out to C-level prospects who see dozens of sales emails a day, the smallest improvement in response rate can translate to a lot more conversations. A great closing line won’t rescue a terrible email, but for a well-crafted B2B cold email it can boost effectiveness at the margins – and those margins (a few percentage points here, a few there) add up. The data-driven bottom line: if you want more replies, pay close attention to how you close out your emails. It’s an easy tweak that can yield significant results.

How to End a Sales Email in 2025: Best Practices

To close a sales email effectively in 2025, keep it concise, clear, and action-oriented. Your closing line (the last sentence or two before your sign-off) should guide the recipient toward the next step in a polite, professional manner. Here are the best practices we recommend, backed by data and our experience:

• Include a Single, Clear Call to Action – Ideally as a Question. The #1 rule for closing a cold email is to tell the prospect what you want them to do now. Do you want them to schedule a call? Download a resource? Reply with information? Make that ask explicit in your final line. 

Ending with a question is often most effective because it naturally invites a response. For example: “Would you be open to a 15-minute call next week to discuss this?” is direct and easy to answer. Sales experts consistently stress that you should end emails with a question rather than a statement – it opens the door to conversation (9). In fact, some outreach teams report double the reply rate when they close with a question versus a vague statement (8). Keep it to one clear question or request; don’t confuse the reader with multiple asks in one email.

• Make Your Close-Out Sentence Specific and Actionable. Vague or generic endings like “Let me know what you think.” or “Hope to hear back.” aren’t as compelling. Instead, be specific about the next step. If you want a meeting, suggest a time. If you offer a whitepaper, ask if they’d like to receive it. This gives the prospect a clear prompt. For example: “Can I send you a brief case study showing how we achieved X result in [Prospect’s Industry]?” is more likely to elicit a reply than “Let me know if you’re interested.” Remember, the goal of a cold email is usually to start a conversation or secure a meeting – so spell out that call to action in the closing line.
  
• Keep the Closing Statement Short and Friendly. Your email should be concise, and that goes for the closing too. A long-winded closing paragraph can dilute your message. Aim for a final sentence of one line, maybe two – you want the ask to be heard loud and clear. Overall, cold emails around 50–125 words in length see the best response rates (7), so don’t let your closing lines ramble. Be polite and upbeat, but get to the point. Something like “Let me know if you’d like to explore this – we can set up a quick call.” is both cordial and concise. It strikes the tone of a professional who values the prospect’s time.
  
• Show Appreciation or Value in Your Closing. Before you sign off, it helps to include a note of gratitude or a reminder of the value you’re offering. This can be as simple as “Thank you for your time” or “I appreciate your consideration.” Expressions of thanks signal respect, and data shows they can boost response rates significantly (more on that in the next section) (6). Alternatively, you might briefly highlight the benefit to the prospect one last time in your closing line. For instance: “I’d love to show you how we can increase [Prospect Company]’s pipeline by 30% – interested in a demo?” Here you’re ending with both a value reminder and a question. The key is not to introduce entirely new info, but to leave the reader with a positive note or compelling hook tied to your main pitch.
  
• Use a Professional Sign-Off and Signature. After your closing sentence, include an appropriate email sign-off (e.g. “Best regards,” “Sincerely,” or even a simple “Thanks,”) followed by your name, title, and contact information. We’ll dive into which sign-off words perform best shortly – but generally, choose a sign-off that matches your company’s tone and the recipient’s seniority. For a cold B2B email, overly casual closings like “Cheers” or “-Sent from my iPhone” might not instill confidence with a C-suite prospect, whereas “Best regards” or “Thank you” are safe bets. Always include your full name and company below the sign-off (and any direct phone number or LinkedIn, if relevant). This signals credibility and makes it easy for the prospect to see who you are. A complete email signature with your role and company also reinforces that you represent a legitimate business – we often add our Martal Group logo and website in our signatures for branding.
  
• Match the Tone to the Context. Make sure your closing line and sign-off aren’t jarringly out of sync with the rest of your email. If your email body was personalized and conversational, don’t suddenly switch to a very stiff closing. Conversely, if you’ve maintained a formal tone (say, to a Fortune 500 executive), you might avoid an overly breezy sign-off. Consistency builds trust. In any case, maintain professionalism: even if using a friendly tone, avoid slang or humor in the close that could be misinterpreted. A good litmus test is to read your closing out loud – does it sound like a natural and respectful way you would say goodbye to this person in a short conversation? If not, tweak it.

By following these best practices, you ensure your email’s ending works with you to earn a response, rather than undermining your message. A clear ask, a courteous tone, and a confident sign-off go a long way. As one sales outreach guide put it, “Even if every other part of your email is spot-on, it’s a rudderless boat without some way of directing your prospect to the next step” (7). In other words: never let your email just fizzle out – always close with purpose.

Email Ending Lines That Work: What the Data Says

What is the best email closing line for getting replies? While no single line guarantees success, some email closing phrases consistently perform better in cold outreach, especially when backed by real-world data.

📊 A study of over 350,000 email threads found that emails ending in “Thanks in advance” had a 65.7% response rate, the highest among common closings (1).

Here’s a breakdown of email sign-off phrases and their average reply rates (4):

What does this tell us? Gratitude gets replies. Sales psychology confirms that expressing appreciation increases the chances of reciprocation. And among gratitude variants, “Thanks in advance” implies both appreciation and an expectation of action, a soft nudge that can increase conversion rates.

Examples of High-Converting Email Closing Lines:

Let’s look at some tested and effective closing statements you can use to end your sales emails:

Informational Ask:

“Would it be helpful if I sent over a short case study showing how we helped [company type] increase conversions by 30%?”

Scheduling Prompt:

“Does next Tuesday at 10:00 AM work for a quick intro call?”

Personalized Hook:

“Happy to show you how we’re helping other [industry] teams solve [problem]. Want to explore it further?”

Courtesy Close:

“Thanks again for your time and consideration. I’d love to connect if it makes sense.”

Urgency Nudge:

“If expanding your sales pipeline this quarter is still a priority, I can walk you through a few quick wins we’ve seen.”

These lines can be mixed with appropriate sign-offs like “Thanks in advance,” “Best regards,” or “Looking forward to hearing from you.”

Use them strategically based on your intent. If your goal is a meeting, a question works best. If it’s lead nurturing (guiding a prospect further down the sales funnel), you might lean on softer “thank you” phrasing.

Email Closure Examples: Templates for B2B Cold Outreach

Successful cold outreach strategies have email ending lines that reflect professionalism, personalization, and purpose. Below are copy-and-paste email closure examples you can adapt for your own sales team. We’ve grouped them by tone and objective:

🔹 Template 1: The Direct Scheduling Close

Let me know if next Wednesday or Thursday morning works for a quick intro call.
Thanks in advance,
[Your Name]

🔹 Template 2: The Consultative Close

If it would be useful, I’d be happy to share how we helped [Company A] break into [industry] and double their SQLs.
Best regards,
[Your Name]

🔹 Template 3: The Subtle CTA

Appreciate your time. Open to hearing if this is something worth exploring further.
Thanks,
[Your Name]

🔹 Template 4: The Resource Offer

Would it be helpful if I sent over a quick case study showing how we scaled outreach in your space?
Looking forward to your thoughts,
[Your Name]

🔹 Template 5: The Humanized Close

Let me know if this timing isn’t great. We’re happy to connect when it works for your team.
Warm regards,
[Your Name]

How to Close a Sales Email Without Sounding Salesy

One of the most common concerns we hear from SDR teams we train through the Martal Academy is: How do I avoid sounding like a pushy salesperson at the end of my email?

The solution lies in balancing confidence with empathy. Here’s how:

• ✅ Frame Your CTA Around Value – Instead of saying “Can we hop on a call?” say “Would it make sense to explore how we can support [X] goal?”
  
• ✅ Mirror the Prospect’s Language or Style – If they tend to be informal, don’t go overly formal with “Sincerely.” Stay natural.
  
• ✅ Acknowledge Their Time – Adding “Appreciate you reading” or “Thanks for considering this” shows respect.
  
• ✅ End with Soft Authority – Avoid passive close-outs like “Let me know.” Instead say “Would it be helpful if…” or “Do you have time for…”
  

Remember, you’re not asking for a favor, you’re offering to help solve a problem. Your closing line should reflect that confidence.

The Psychology of Closing: Reciprocity and Response Triggers

The success of an email closure often hinges on psychological principles, not just word choice. Here are a few that top-performing sales development representatives and sales leaders use:

1. Reciprocity

When you give something (e.g., insights, time, or value), people are more likely to respond. A closing line like “Happy to send a quick audit of your outreach” triggers this response mechanism.

2. Scarcity

Phrases like “I only have two more openings this week” or “We’re onboarding just one client per vertical this quarter” drive urgency.

3. Social Proof

Closing with a line such as “I’d love to show you how we helped a company similar to [Prospect’s]” leverages relevance and credibility.

4. Clarity Bias

Humans prefer clear instructions. Avoid vague closing lines, tell them exactly what to do next.

By baking these into your email closing sentence, you increase the odds of getting through and getting a response.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Closing a B2B Email

Even well-written emails can fall short if the closing lines miss the mark. Let’s break down the most frequent missteps we see, especially in cold outreach, and how to fix them.

🚫 Mistake #1: Ending Without a CTA

Example:

“Let me know if you’re interested.”

Why It Hurts: It’s vague. Without a clear next step, your prospect is likely to ignore or forget the email.

Fix It:

“Would Tuesday or Thursday work for a quick intro call?”

🚫 Mistake #2: Using Overly Generic Closings

Example:

“Looking forward to connecting.”

Why It Hurts: While polite, it doesn’t prompt the reader to act or offer a clear benefit.

Fix It:

“Looking forward to exploring if this could help [Prospect Company] hit Q3 goals. Would a 15-minute call next week work?”

🚫 Mistake #3: Being Too Casual or Informal

Example:

“Cheers,” or “Later!”

Why It Hurts: In B2B sales, especially with executives, casual language may seem unprofessional or tone-deaf.

Fix It:

Use neutral, respectful sign-offs like “Best regards,” “Thanks,” or “Sincerely.”

🚫 Mistake #4: Apologizing or Undermining Yourself

Example:

“Sorry to bother you,” or “I know you’re probably too busy…”

Why It Hurts: It projects insecurity and devalues your message.

Fix It:

“I appreciate your time. Would love to hear your thoughts when it works for you.”

🚫 Mistake #5: Writing a Wall of Text

Example:

Ending with a paragraph of four or five sentences explaining more detail or asking multiple questions.

Why It Hurts: Long closings dilute your CTA and lose attention.

Fix It:

Stick to one sentence. One ask. One tone.

How to Align Your Email Signature with Your Close

A branded email signature can lift response rates by 22% and people are 24% more likely to trust your brand and 5x more likely to click through.

Reference Source: Crossware 

Your email signature should reinforce trust and credibility. Think of it as your digital business card, and in outbound sales, it’s often your first handshake.

Best Practices for B2B Email Signatures:

✅ Include:

• Your full name
  
• Job title
  
• Company (with logo or hyperlink)
  
• LinkedIn URL
  
• Phone number (if appropriate)
  
• Company website
  

❌ Avoid:

• Inspirational quotes (unless company-branded)
  
• Overly colorful fonts
  
• Huge logos that distract from the content
  

Example:
John Doe
Senior Sales Executive
Martal Group
martal.ca | LinkedIn
[email protected] | +1 (416) 123-4567

Your signature should visually complement your closing sentence. If your email ends with “Happy to connect if the timing’s right. Let me know,” then your signature should make it easy for them to know who you are and how to reach you. No friction.

Final Thoughts: Small Changes, Big Impact

The way you close an email can make or break your outreach. When you’re In outbound prospecting, every word you include (or fail to include) carries weight  to time-strapped executives. And too often, the closing line is treated as an afterthought.

Let’s recap the essentials:

• Start with a clear, single CTA, preferably in question form
  
• Show appreciation (e.g., “Thanks in advance” or “Thank you for your time”)
  
• Avoid vague, casual, or apologetic endings
  
• Align your sign-off and signature with your brand and tone
  

Optimize that last sentence, and you’ll give every email a better shot at turning into a booked meeting.

Ready to Improve Your Cold Outreach?

If you want your team to close more emails and more deals, partnering with a sales agency like ours could be your smartest next step.

We bring more than a decade of B2B lead generation and sales outsourcing experience, an AI-powered outreach engine, and a world-class team of outbound, lead generation specialists who understand what works (and what gets ignored) in cold outreach. Our tiered packages include cold emailing, cold calling, LinkedIn lead gen, and appointment setting, all orchestrated as part of a personalized omnichannel marketing strategy.

Whether you need to scale your pipeline, book more meetings, or upskill your SDRs, we’re ready to help.

🎯 Book your free consultation to learn how we can help you close stronger, faster, and more predictably.

References

1. Boomerang Email Study
2. DemandSage
3. Gusto
4. Business Insider
5. Media Post
6. Fast Company
7. Streak
8. Startup Grind
9. Demand Curve
10. Smartlead
11. Crossware