One of the greatest points of distinction between top sales performers and everyone else isaverage sale size.

Great salespeople typically make much larger sales than the restof the team — often by a factor of four to 10 times that of thetypical salesperson.

But how is this possible when Salesperson A and Salesperson Bare selling the same product or service? The answer is that theirapproaches to selling are completely different. Here are the fivesecrets that top performers use to make larger sales:

1. Sell at the highest possible level

Most salespeople sell to lower-level buyers simply because theyare more comfortable calling these types ofprospects. However, this approach also leads to lower-levelresults. Prospects lower down the food chain may be willing to hearwhat you have to say, but they often don't have the authority toactually make a decision — especially on a big purchase. It's timeto start selling at the highest possible levels.

2. Sell solutions, not products or services

If you think people buy your product or service, you are missingthe point of sales. Your prospects are actually buying a solutionor result when they purchase from you. Take a very simple example:when you hire a personal trainer, your decision to do so doesn'tstem from the thrill of having someone yell at you during yourworkout, but rather, from the result of getting into greatshape.

Your prospects do the same with you. They aren't buyinginsurance, but security and peace of mind. It's time to get out ofthe business of selling your product or service and get into thebusiness of selling solutions.

3. Focus on objectives and challenges

Most salespeople sell their products by extolling their manygreat features and benefits. However, this old school approachisn't addressing what your prospect really cares about. Everyprospect buys from you because she needs to achieve particularobjectives and overcome challenges.

Rather than focusing on the virtues of what you have to offer,ask effective questions to understand whatobjectives your prospect is looking to achieve and what challengesshe must overcome. This commitment to understanding your prospecton a deeper level builds tremendous value in her eyes. By focusingon high-level strategic objectives and challenges, your offeringbecomes part of a solution to your prospect's most criticalneeds.

4. Get a budget

Salespeople are in the field right now selling themselves shortby simply throwing out their prices before understanding theirprospect's budget. Let's be clear: the goal of sales is not to askfor a budget so that you can simply charge more but rather tounderstand what your prospect will invest, so you can develop acustomized solution that provides maximum value in achieving hisobjectives. Once you fully understand these challenges andobjectives, it is time to ask your prospect what he would bewilling to invest in order to accomplish them. Hang in there.

Related: 6 reasons prospects won't make a decision, and howto overcome it

It might take some back and forth before you nail down thebudget, but more often than not, you can get an idea of one just byasking — and oftentimes, it's larger than you think. However, ifthe budget is simply too low, and your offerings consequently won'tbe a fit, then you can end the meeting before anyone's expended toomuch energy.

5. Provide three options

The typical sales proposal usually only providesone option for prospects to consider. This is a huge missedopportunity. Rather than offering one option in your proposals,give three different options for your prospect to choose from. Thefirst should be the lowest level option possible to achieve desiredresults, while option three should be above and beyond what theprospect asked for.

Option two should be somewhere in the middle. By providing threechoices, you accomplish two critical objectives. One, you providethe prospect with some context by which to make a decision,eliminating his need to shop your competitors for differentoptions. Two, there is always a good chance that the prospect willpick options two or three, which are packed with more value andcome at a higher investment.

By implementing these five secrets to closing larger sales, youcan dramatically increase the size of your average sale — andyour closing ratio.