7 Reasons Your Deals Are Not Concluding!

Concluding more deals is the culmination of a process, not the result of a tip or trick at the end of a meeting that makes your prospect buy.

Traditional Sales Trainer have been telling Sales People that they need to become 'Closers' and to 'Always be Closing.' ABC for decades.

It's a tired and testing phrase that has about as much value as telling Sales People to 'Keep Dancing!'

ABC doesn't work. It puts far too much emphasis on the ‘close’. If you have to 'technique' somebody into 'closing' you put far too much pressure on yourself and your Suspect.

The problems you experience when you come to conclusion of your Prospects Buying Process will always be created earlier in the process.

Smart Sales People know that a far move valid, viable, valuable, mantra to live by is 'Always be Qualifying.' ABQ.

If you qualify and quantify deeply, using a clear diagnostics system, you can close far more easily.

Here we look at the 7 reasons deals don’t close and how to deal with them:

1. ‘We are just not sure we need it’

This Suspect is 'feeling OK about things'.

This Suspect isn't feeling any Pain.

This response is a clear indication that the Qualification step in the sales process wasn’t done properly, if at all.

The sale is made in the ‘Pain’ step. No Pain, No Sale.

Spend time with Suspects, early in the sales process, asking questions about what pains them, their reasons for those pains and the impact both on them and their organisation.

You have to get the prospect to discover the real problem and make them aware of the cause, not just the symptoms.

People buy for their own reasons, rarely, if ever, for ours.

2. ‘We need it, but not today’

This Suspect is a big Louis Armstrong fan. They have 'All The Time In The World.'

This Suspect hasn't discovered the impact of waiting, yet.

They've learned to live with the problems they might have shared with you.

'Is there a cost in waiting?'

'Will things get better or worse if they don’t change?'

This is another key part of the 'Pain’ qualification process you take your Suspects through.

3. ‘I prefer someone else’

This Suspect has been less than 'faithful' with you during their Buying process.

They've clearly been looking elsewhere, whilst all the time you were convinced you were the only person they were 'dating'.

Is that because you didn't ask them 'who else are you talking to about this?'

You need to be upfront with them and understand why they would rather use someone else.

Perhaps they have some reservations about you that need further exploration.

If you can get them out in the open and have an honest and frank discussion with them, you may be able to turn them around.

4. ‘The moment has passed’

This Suspect has 'slipped into a coma' during the Sales Process.

Sales and Buying processes should be conducted at a good pace.

You need to coach your prospect early in their Buying Process to make decisions and be clearer upfront.

Have you checked that they will be in a position to make a decision when you are at the end of your meeting?

The key to avoiding late disappointment is to establish strong Up Front Contracts and to ask more questions in the Decision Step of your qualifying system.

Remember, nothing kills more deals than Time.

Did you know that most extended Buying Cycles are actually created by the Sales Person?

5. ‘We don’t have the budget’

This Suspect has 'lost their wallet' during their Buying Process.

The Budget step was probably overlooked here. You probably didn't the bold budget questions.

It is key that you know your prospects pricing expectations and limitations.

It is key then that any presentation of solutions and value is within the realms of these expectations and limitations.

Failure to do so ends up with a disappointed Buyer and a disappointed Seller; not to ignore both parties wider entourages of colleagues, bosses, partners etc.

6. ‘I want it - but they don’t agree’

This Suspect has been 'dethroned' during their Buying Process.

It is often the case that Non-Decision Makers tell you they are Decision Makers when asked if they are Decision Makers.

We only find out that Non-Decision Makers are Non-Decision Makers when it comes to making a decision.

It is often the case that one person can break a decision. It is rarely the case that just one person can make a decision,

In order to understand how decisions are going to be made you must understand;

• Who is going to be involved in the decision?
• Do all parties know there is a decision to be made?
• What is the decision-making process?
• How is the decision going to be made?
• When is the decision going to be made?
• Who has the ultimate Decision-Making power?

7. ‘Something doesn’t fit’

This Suspect doesn't see you as the 'missing piece' in their particular 'jigsaw'.

There would be no problems here if:

• You are setting Up Front Contracts with very specific terms about what would happen next.
• You are always qualifying and quantifying continuously and comprehensively
• You are checking that nothing has changed since you last interacted
• You are presenting something that mirrors what they need

All of the problems here can be fixed by following a structured sales process.

At Sandler, we have a set 7 step process that makes these issues problems of the past.

If you want to find out more about the system and how it could work for you or your company, then book a complimentary consultation here: https://calendly.com/davidwdavies