CuChulainn
Best practices to close quickly? I work for a startup and we don't have time to f*** around...
11
Disqualify quickly is a decent first step. One of the most time-consuming activities in startup world seems to be executing magic tricks to convince a prospect they have a problem that warrants a solution. Move through leads/prospects/lists to effectively find those who either can quickly be made aware, or are already aware.
This x 100.
Having worked at a start-up, there’s nothing more frustrating than being strung along by potential customers who you could have disqualified earlier.
Yes! Decent qualification saves soo much time!
Disqualify as much as possible or you’ll be inundated with time wasters. Focus on one-call closes if possible by asking for a credit card instead of pushing it out.
No doubt. I just finished my first quarter and quickly realized the power of disqualifying.
Agree with the comments below. One that I like to use is being a first mover and having that first mover advantage. I hate tactics like end of Q incentives etc... just reeks of desperation. That's probably an unpopular opinion here, but oh well!
Nothing urks me more than an EOQ scramble. If we're going to take it there, let's take it there to start the quarter and try to get ahead.
There’s no silver bullet to closing quickly. We also have zero clue on your industry, what’s quick mean, and who your targets are. Nowhere near enough info.
cyber security SaaS... I've not closed anything yet, just finished my first quarter so I don't have timelines to share, other than my supervisor telling me F500 is 9 - 12 months but smaller, more agile firms can call to close in the same quarter.
Agree with the others, disqualify quickly to save time. Also, put timelines on people. Make sure you are always going back to the timeline to keep the deal on track. I like working backwards. IE - soo you have this challenge, if you want to solve with our product we need to implement by X date in order for you to start seeing value by X" type of thing. So that way the deal is moving and you can get them to agree to a date to start/sign
What stage is taking the longest now?
Proposal evaluation/close... basically final decision, we just tweaked our PoC process to hold prospect more accountable, we'll see how it does.
Fail fast.
Create a mutual project plan and stick to it, hold your prospect accountable.
We just rolled it out. I'm looking forward to brining more prospects to the finish line.
Start the proposal call by letting them know you will be asking for their business at the end of that call, and that if your solution solves their problem, that you would like to earn it.
Deep down, they already know that, but putting it on the table early gives them the whole proposal to consider it while you are hitting your value, instead of at the end when all they are staring at is the price.
Deep down, they already know that, but putting it on the table early gives them the whole proposal to consider it while you are hitting your value, instead of at the end when all they are staring at is the price.
Sounds obvious, but if they are qualified, ask for the sale on every call. My go to is “any reason you wouldn’t get started today?” Been at a startup for 5 years, Inc 5000 last 4 years and counting. 🤙🏼 good luck!
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stay or go
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yes, start closing
47%
no, dont be impatient
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