ABC-Always Be Closing
Let’s pretend you’re in sales and have just nailed a presentation to one of the biggest potential clients you have in your “funnel.” The Wild West standoff has begun across the conference room table. Final negotiations on the terms of the contract, budgets and any added incentives to get them to sign on the dotted line are being discussed. You feel like there is no way they could walk away from this as the weighing out of the pros and cons of the agreement began. Much like dating; we face off, consider the agreement, our potential partner and then begin to negotiate the terms.
What do you possess that could be beneficial to me and my life? Do you have a good sense of humor, easy going nature, positive attitude, willingness to compromise, spontaneity, thoughtful, respectful….just to name a few of my non-negotiables. Either way, you put your best offer on the table…do your little song and dance routine while still considering the terms of the contract but eventually there comes a time when the cold calls and initial meetings are over and its down to decision making time.
Anyone who has ever been in sales would agree that a solid yes or no is all you want to hear. No one wants the “call ya back in two weeks”, “maybe next quarter” or “I still have a few more meetings before I make a decision.” Unfortunately putting a deadline on the bottom line isn’t exactly attractive when it comes to dating but why waste each other’s time when you already know you are still shopping around for a better deal or had no intention on signing in the first place! Those two weeks turn into a month than two months and your hanging on to that prospect thinking: they were totally sold on the presentation, they are just waiting for the budget to free up, another contract to end…aka “let me see what’s going to happen with this other so and so” and/or “I would rather be selfish and not have to think about anyone else”, or “I have Hefner syndrome and want to try to be an eternal bachelor and will die alone”. Point being…any way you interpret it, a delay in response is typically not a good thing. Most people shopping for a good deal, know it when they see it! There is no hesitation to sign that contract and kiss the other “potentials” goodbye!! If you’re a great deal and they don’t realize it before you have taken the offer off the table, well then….it won’t take the right one a second meeting before they ask “where do I sign.”
Blame it on human nature…everyone wants what you perceive to be unattainable, just a little bit too good to be true. It’s the chase, the trill of the hunt, which keeps some people chasing their tail, literally for years and years and ending up licking their own wounds.
What are you doing to sweeten the deal/ bait the hook to make me want to bite?? If I am going to sign an exclusive contract than there better be some incentives that go along with it. You better be prepared to stick to the terms of the contract and honor your commitment. I don’t need my other half, I am whole. Nor do I need someone to tell me how they think I should do everything. What I would like is a companion that laughs with me, seek out adventures together, pushes me past what I believe are to be my fears and can simply enjoy each others company. At the end of the day, with the world shut outside, can you just be together. Will this deal survive the competition, other offers
Most contracts have an expiration date that marks the end of the agreement or an option to re-sign. When it comes to dating, you honestly go in with the best intentions hoping there is no expiration date. There certainly comes a time when you should re-evaluate your agreement and decide whether you want to end the contract and move on, or re-sign and progress with the relationship to another level of commitment.
There is always the next step in a relationship and it’s similar to that of renegotiating the terms of contract. People grow and change as you should do throughout your life. You should learn from mistakes, overcome obstacles and become a wiser, stronger and a much nicer person. Don’t come back three months into the contract trying to negotiate a higher rate, terms you didn’t quite understand and claim you didn’t know what kind of agreement you were getting into. Before signing on that dotted line, you better do your research and know who’s sitting on the other side of the table that you want to go into business with. It takes some time to get to know someone and to find out what their motives and intentions are in life. If all they want is a quick deal to make some fast cash….well then they are shopping used car lots…put yourself on the new luxery lot! Those wheeling dealing people don’t care; they are just looking for the next deal to close.
Make your expectations known, your intentions true, so that when you go to the final meeting and decide whether or not you want to sign that contract, you have all your ducks in a row and you are ready to either decline or accept and sign on that line!
