The Art of The Deal

Sales are responsible for making the world spin because society, and frankly humanity as we know it, simply wouldn't exist without the art of closing a deal. Modern technology has opened worlds of opportunity to various aspects of business, but sales representatives still need to be human, relatable, and sharp. Nobody wants to shake the cold hand of technology when signing a deal. The human touch is appurtenant to the sale, of which there is no substitute. Obviously, human touch has been sacrificed in the name of self-preservation in 2020. Where does this leave the art of the deal?

Human touch has morphed into something deviant. It has become the double-edged sword of closing. That handshake, which was once vital to sealing the deal, is a health risk. Dealmakers now need to learn how to swim in the novel contactless world, so that they don't drown. But how? The process of closing was so indisputably human that I'm not sure there is a real replacement. When you go into a deal you want to close; you do a number of things. First, you dress the part of a closer. Whether it is a Givenchy pencil skirt or a Brioni tie, you're putting your best foot forward. Seduction is step number two. You've already buttered up your potential partner or client, but now you need to get them into your room. Once you've checked into the proverbial suite, body language and eye contact will inform how you close. Champers are occasionally appropriate once the ink hits the paper. It's interesting how clothing is the first step in propelling you into a mindset to kill it. On a Zoom call, you can wear sweats, and it wouldn't make a difference. Your mood is confused and the stakes feel so much lower when they are higher than ever. You're drowning in sweatpants, which feels heavy and hopeless. Your dealmaking process doesn't translate via FaceTime, and a firm handshake is out of the question. 

Put a pin in that. 

Fashion has been completely converted into an online spectacle. For youth, Instagram is the new runway, not the streets of New York City. In fact, it's barely an option. The older women who own 200 pairs of expensive shoes (to make peers envious while dining at Carbone) now have nowhere to strut. Do they wear them to the grocery store now? Do they match them with their N95? My point - I swear I have one - is that we've stockpiled social skills, fashion, handshakes, etc. without considering a pandemic. Overnight, those shoes became garbage. Nobody can see your Brioni tie though a pixelated Zoom call. We are stripped of all the dealmaking devices and asking ourselves, what was all of it for?

When you hear 'the art of the deal,' you might think of that mediocre book by Trump. Love the man or hate him, he does have a way of closing. He exemplifies turning dealmaking into an art. How else did he land one of the most important jobs in the country without the proper experience? I am not aiming to discuss politics at all, just to point out and admire his ability to beat the odds and seal the deal. Presidential candidates don't get to intimately close. Kissing a few babies isn't the equivalent to shaking everyone's hands. The point is that they have to get to the American people more creatively. 

We need our handshakers to evolve into something else entirely. For now, at least. Hopefully, life will eventually go back to normal, and the art of making a deal will remain in our muscle memory. A handshake will feel like riding a bike after a long bike-hiatus. But, time is of the essence. Who knows when life will be 'back to normal'? COVID has stolen the art of making the deal, and we need to create something new. It can work hand-in-hand with virtual interaction, but we have got to start getting creative. It might be a choice between selling our souls to virtual engagement or selling our shoes on Ebay. One way or another, we've got to close the deal.