Posted on 24th May 2016 by Paul Wright

Closing the Deal

Closing the Deal

We have all had deals that get stuck in a rut. You made an exceptional job of understanding the client’s needs and you put a fantastic business case together. The client said they would make a decision by Friday, but Friday has come and gone a number of times and now they are not as quick to react as they were. What should you do to unstick your deal?

Don’t Hassle Them

You could lose the deal by irritating them. You do need to be persistent but use our advice below to figure out where the problem is and act quickly to unlock the deal. Be clear on the next steps. If you can help to project manage the sale, this adds value into the sales process and can help make a distinction between you and your competitors.

Recognise Where They Are

Recognise where they are in the purchasing process. You may think that they are evaluating their alternative options - you or the competition - but they may be in the concerns phase. What’s really happening here is that when the buyer has looked at the different options, they enter a period of ‘Concerns’. Previously unknown concerns surface as they scrutinize the risks around making the purchase and implementing the solution. Only when the concerns have been satisfied, will the customer make the decision and place the order.

Understand the Concerns

Understand what the ‘Concerns’ are and work with the client to resolve them. Ideally you should be anticipating the concerns earlier in the sales process, so they don’t block the deal later on. This again adds value and shows you to be the ‘Trusted Advisor’.

Align the Stakeholders

The next stage is to align all of the stakeholders. To do this, prioritise the stakeholders with any influence over the deal, then ascertain their position in relation to your solution - are they for or against you? You can then develop strategies to ensure the stakeholders all become aligned behind you.

Provide Options

Providing multiple options for different scenarios means your client doesn’t need to come back to you as often. On top of this increasing the options for purchasing scenarios increases your chances of being the right fit. However, be careful, too many options can cause procrastination.

Look for a Win-Win

When the negotiation starts, look for a ”win-win”. If you can find win for your client, not just for you, the deal will close more quickly and you’ll get a better result.


Wright Solutions help companies to sell more by improving the performance of salespeople, sales leaders and the sales organisation. We do this by designing and delivering bespoke sales training, in field sales coaching and live business simulations.

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Paul Wright

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