The Thrill of the Sale: When The High Fades and Reality Hits

The Thrill of the Sale: When The High Fades and Reality Hits

The High Before the Fall

Closing a sale is like stepping off a plane, mid-freefall, riding on pure adrenaline. You’re soaring, exhilarated, heart pumping. Every sales pitch, every rebuttal, every proposal—all the effort and energy have led you to this defining moment: “Yes, let’s move forward!” The deal is closed. You’re grinning from ear to ear, riding high on that sales rush. But then… BOOM. You crash land into reality.

The high evaporates the second you realize the truth: the sale was the easy part.

Now comes the real work—onboarding. Gathering the nitty-gritty details that form the backbone of the entire project. But your new client, once vibrant and engaged, suddenly transforms into a ghost.

Every follow-up email, every attempt to connect, echoes back with radio silence. You’ve gone from the thrill of the hunt to the monotony of admin work. And suddenly, that rush feels like a distant memory.

The Thrill Turns into the Slog

I know that feeling. I was in that exact spot not too long ago. I’d closed a big deal—one of those “career-defining” ones. You know, the kind that makes you feel like you’ve just conquered the business world? My client was eager, excited, ready to make waves. But when it came time to nail down the essentials—brand pillars, mission, SWOT—they froze. They wanted the results, but the process? Forget it.

I sent them the usual onboarding forms, thinking they’d be returned quickly, full of rich, detailed responses. Instead, the answers came back disjointed, with sentences that trailed off halfway through. A lot of “Not sure yet” and “We’ll figure it out”. What was supposed to be a smooth, structured onboarding turned into a game of twenty questions. My questions. Their silence.

Days turned into weeks, and deadlines started to loom over me like a dark cloud. I knew something had to change. There was clearly a disconnect. But what? I realized it after a long, frustrating phone call with my client’s assistant: writing wasn’t just a minor obstacle—it was a major roadblock. The client just couldn’t put their thoughts into words.

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From Writing Woes to a Digital Revelation

That’s when it hit me: if writing was the problem, why force it? So, I took a step back, abandoned the traditional methods, and thought, Why not let them speak instead of write?

I grabbed one of my favorite digital tools and recorded myself going through each question, explaining in simple language what I needed. I kept the tone conversational—less “please fill out this section” and more “just tell me about your business like we’re having coffee.”

Then, I sent the recording to my client and told them to do the same—no pressure, no formality. Just grab a mic and talk. They recorded their responses and sent the audio files back to me.

And then… it was magic. Real, tangible, business-transforming magic.

I uploaded the recordings into another tool in my arsenal—an AI-powered transcription and analysis software. The software dissected every sentence, pinpointed key themes, and highlighted crucial details that would have been impossible to pull out from a generic form. Suddenly, I had everything I needed: the brand pillars, the company’s tone, their SWOT analysis—all neatly organized and ready to build on.

With just a few hours of work, I took raw voice notes and transformed them into polished content—branding guidelines, core pillars, mission statements, and marketing strategies—all because I’d embraced the idea of letting the client speak rather than write.

The thrill was back. I was no longer bogged down in the slog of trying to pull teeth for written answers. I was back in control, driving forward. But even better? My client felt re-engaged. They weren’t avoiding onboarding anymore. They were part of it.

Breaking Free from the Conventional Onboarding Grind

This experience made me rethink the whole onboarding process. It made me see how easily the thrill of a sale can be sucked away by rigid methods that don’t fit the client’s style. The forms, the questionnaires, the long-winded emails—they don’t work for everyone.

Here’s what I learned: if the thrill is fading, if the high is gone, it’s not the client’s fault. It’s your approach. Change the process, and you can change the entire dynamic.

Ditch the Forms. Embrace the Conversation.

If your client is hitting a wall with written responses, try recording your questions instead. Create a voice note, a video, or even a series of short prompts. Take the pressure off. Let them respond in whatever way feels most natural—whether that’s speaking, drawing, or sending back a bulleted list of half-baked ideas.

Use AI to Bridge the Gaps.

The beauty of modern technology is that it can take the chaos and make it cohesive. AI tools can analyze audio, pull out key themes, and create structure where there was none. Don’t make your client painstakingly fill in every box—let AI do the heavy lifting. The result? Faster turnaround, richer insights, and a more engaged client.

Gamify Onboarding (Yes, Seriously).

I started experimenting with turning onboarding into a game—a challenge of sorts. Every time a client completes a task or provides a piece of information, they see a progress bar move, or they “unlock” the next stage. It’s silly, maybe even unorthodox, but it works. People love seeing visual progress. What was once a chore becomes something they actually want to finish.

Create Options for Every Type of Communicator.

Some people thrive on forms. Some prefer voice notes. Others want to jump on a live call and hash it out in real-time. Give your clients options—multiple paths to the same destination. This way, no one feels boxed in or overwhelmed by a format that doesn’t fit.

Always Have a Plan B.

When all else fails, be ready to jump in and do the heavy lifting. Offer to extract the information yourself during a quick discovery call. Make it clear that you’re willing to go the extra mile to make the process painless. That’s how you turn a frustrated client into a lifelong advocate.

The Lesson: Keep the Thrill Alive with Adaptability

The thrill of the sale doesn’t have to fade once the ink dries. If you’re adaptable, if you’re willing to break free from conventional methods, you can keep that excitement alive through every stage—onboarding, strategy, execution, and beyond.

Looking back, I realize that the problem wasn’t the client. It wasn’t even the onboarding process itself. It was my mindset. I was trying to fit every client into a neat little box labeled “Standard Onboarding,” when what I really needed to do was meet them where they were—adapt, shift, change.

When I embraced that, the rush came back. Onboarding became less about gathering data and more about understanding my client on a deeper level. It was exciting again. And that’s the real win—keeping the thrill alive, not just during the sale, but through every single touchpoint.

So, the next time you feel the excitement slipping, the process bogging down, stop and ask yourself: What can I do differently?

Because sometimes, the thrill isn’t gone. It’s just hiding, waiting for you to change your approach, think outside the box, and bring it roaring back to life.

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Disclaimer: The content provided in this blog is for informational and educational purposes only. It reflects the author's personal opinions and experiences with entrepreneurship and should not be interpreted as professional business advice.