How I Went From Being Lucky to Close 1 Deal to Closing Deals Daily

There was a point in my career in which I believed that closing deals were difficult, to say the least.

I believed so because most other sales professionals I knew of felt the same way; despite the fact that they’d work extremely hard to close new deals, most attempts would end unsuccessfully.

There came a turning point in which I realized that a small minority of salespeople closed a majority of deals, and if others were successful, there was no reason for me not to be a part of that minority.

It turned out that I was holding myself hostage to old-fashioned sales techniques that, while popular, were simply ineffective.

To help you start closing as many new sales deals as you want, I’m sharing what I did to start closing new deals daily.

If you’re like the old me, I’m telling you that the only thing holding you back is yourself! If you continue to do what everybody else does, you’ll get what everybody else gets: lucky to close even 1 sales deal.

Most Salespeople Struggle so Hard to Close Sales Deals Because…

Think you’re the only one who struggles just to get a single prospect across the finish line?

Don’t worry... You’re definitely not the only one.

In fact, there was a time that I also struggled to generate prospects at all, much less get them across the finish line!

Looking back now, I realize that the reasons why I struggled so hard to close deals were all rooted in my mindset and the way I approached sales altogether.

Only once I changed my mind and altered my perspective for the better did I change my techniques and start closing deals daily!

They Overcomplicate and Overthink Selling to the Max

First of all, most sales professionals overcomplicate the heck out of selling.

By overcomplicate, I mean that they develop unnecessarily complex sales strategies that only make the sales cycle more complex and ultimately more difficult to close deals.

They overcomplicate because they overthink. Instead of seeing sales for what it really is–the simple process of generating leads and converting them into paying customers–they see it as something significantly more difficult.

Overcomplicating causes unnecessary difficulty, and over-complication is rooted in overthinking. Therefore, unless you uproot overthinking, you’ll always overcomplicate and fail to close new deals.

Instead of Carrying Themselves as Experts, They Act Like Vendors

Second, most salespeople carry themselves as if they’re gift shop owners or vendors.

By gift shop owners, I mean the kind of people who let potential customers come in and browse their offerings but allow them to leave empty-handed almost every time.

The funny thing is that most salespeople absolutely despise being treated like a gift shop owner or vendor, yet they’re the ones setting themselves up to be treated as such!

Worst of all, whenever a potential customer sees them as a vendor, they have no problem walking in and walking out.

Moreover, they have no problem jumping into your sales pipeline, letting you think that they’re going to buy from you, but not really having the intention to make a purchase at all.

Their Low Confidence Is Potent

Not only do most sales reps carry themselves as if they’re vendors, but they also wear their lack of confidence on their sleeves.

Instead of portraying themselves as confident in the value they bring to the table, they portray themselves as obviously unconfident in the value of themselves and their product or service.

Unfortunately for them, that lack of confidence is potent. In seconds, their prospect sees them as somebody who obviously doesn’t believe in themselves.

The second they sense the salesperson is unconfident is the moment they walk away from the deal. Why should they believe in somebody else when that person doesn’t even believe in themselves?

Without confidence, it’s virtually impossible to close any deals. And if you are visibly unconfident but still close deals, the customer will almost always walk all over you.

They Don’t Control the Sales Process

Perhaps the biggest reason why most sales reps fail to close deals consistently is that they don’t control the sales process.

Instead of controlling the process themselves, they let their prospects control it.

Whenever this happens, the deal is doomed to fail.

Why?

Handing control of the sales process over to the customers is the equivalent of putting a child in the front seat of a car and expecting them to drive; They don’t know what it’ll take for them to get from point A to Point B, so they don’t go anywhere, eventually throw a tantrum, and give up.

Unless you control the sales process, your deal is doomed!

How I Used to Try And Close Deals

Here’s the way that I used to try to secure more deals and close them faster.

After many years of struggling, I can say that these techniques do NOT work.

In reality, using them only caused me to overcomplicate selling, portray myself as a vendor, make me look unconfident, and lose control over the sales process.

Despite the fact that this is how most salespeople try to close deals, it doesn’t work! If it did work, there would be way more successful salespeople out there.

I Focused on Pain Points and Problems

When I used to sell, I would focus on my prospect’s pain points that I knew I could solve with my solution.

From the start of the sales process, I worked to uncover the prospects' pain points, would present them with solutions, and then hope that they would have enough urgency regarding the pain point to make a purchasing decision.

However, going this route rarely did me any good!

I would make it to the end of the process and the prospect didn’t seem the least bit urgent to solve their pain point. In many cases, it felt as if they just wanted to sweep it under the rug.

These days, I realize that honing in on the prospects' pain points is NOT the way to try and close a deal.

Sending Free Sales Proposals Was a Given

Before I completely revamped the way that I close deals, I used to hand out free initial sales proposals as if they were candy.

I would generate a new lead and spend hours putting together what I thought was a killer sales proposal, only to have the prospect either ghost me or sit around for months waiting to hear back.

In short, this technique almost ALWAYS left me empty-handed. It was particularly frustrating because I would spend literal hours putting together a proposal only to have prospects not even give me the respect to respond.

I Was Either Too Soft or Too Extreme on Closing

When it came time for prospects to make a purchasing decision, I would either go the super hard-sell route or the soft-sell route. Unfortunately, neither route ever helped me close the deal!

In the hard-sell, now-or-never case, I would end the final sales pitch by pointing a finger at my prospect’s pain point and basically asking them, “So, what are you going to do about it?”

What ended up happening is that prospects got offended by me brazenly calling out their obvious problem and they opted to leave.

In the soft-sell case, I would use sales closing techniques like the question close, in which I would ask an open-ended closing question at the end of the final pitch.

By doing so, prospects didn’t feel the enthusiasm or any sense of urgency to make the buying decision and wouldn’t make a purchasing decision.

Unfortunately, I was never able to strike a middle ground between soft and hard closing techniques to get prospects to close.

I Opened Myself Up to Negotiation and Objections

There was a time in which every sales deal I tried to close ended with me being bombarded with objections and calls for negotiation.

In fact, I was so sure that every final sales pitch would end with, “We’re not sure if this is right for us” or, “Can we talk about pricing?” that I devoted an entire stage of my sales cycle after the final pitch to address those problems.

Worst of all, this happened because I almost encouraged prospects to object to me by the way I carried myself throughout the sales process.

For example, instead of portraying myself as confident in my value, I put my insecurities on my sleeve, which basically gave prospects permission to object to me.

Unfortunately for me, I didn’t realize at the time that I could prevent being hit with objections and calls for negotiation altogether if I just made certain changes to my sales approach.

How I’m Now Able to Close Sales Deals on a Daily Basis

Once I realized that I had control to start closing more deals and that it wouldn’t take a lot of time or effort to start closing more, I completely changed the way that I sold!

These days, I not only close deals on a daily basis, but I close deals faster than ever before. The best part is that it was a relatively simple process.

If you continue to sell the way that everybody else does, you’ll get what everybody else gets: lucky to close even one new deal!

I NEVER Force Myself on Prospects

These days, I never force myself on prospects.

By that, I mean that I don’t forcefully try to tell them that they’ve got a clear problem and I’m the person with the answers for them.

For example, when I see that a prospect has a clear pain point, I don’t point the finger at it and then point back at myself.

While I used to do that, I realized that portraying myself as if I've got all the answers right off the bat only turned prospects off. It made them feel as if I was a doctor who diagnosed them before even having spoken to them.

Now rather than forcing myself on prospects, I focus on asking all the right questions.

I’ve realized that asking more questions and then sitting back and listening creates an expert-like aura around me. It makes it look as if I’m so competent at what I do that I’m willing to let my guard down for them to speak instead of me.

Not only that, but asking questions puts me in an offensive position. As a result, I’m the one in control of the process.

The best sales professionals aren’t necessarily the ones who have all the answers right off the bat. Rather, they’re the ones who ask the best questions to create an expert-like aura and retain control.

My Sales Pitches Are Short, Sweet, and to the Point

Before I revamped how I sell, my sales team and I used to make these exceedingly long, drawn-out, and indirect sales pitches.

What ended up happening is that I would only confuse my prospects. By the end of the pitch, they walked out with more questions than answers and were less confident than more confident.

These days, my team members and I keep pitches short, sweet, and to the point.

Specifically, I mean that we:

• Keep the pitches between 15 and 20 minutes
• Talk solely about the prospect without deviating from the conversation
• Make out pitches directly to the decision-makers

As a result, my prospects are ready to make purchasing decisions right after the pitch ends.

Instead of having to think about their decision, they’re ready to sign on the dotted line right away!

Instead of Focusing on Problems, I Talk Solutions

Here’s the thing: The purpose of selling isn’t just to sell a solution to a pain point because your prospects think that solving pain points is fun.

Rather, the purpose of selling is to solve a prospect’s pain point so that they can reach some greater business outcome. It’s as if you’re removing a roadblock out of the pathway that will lead them to the business outcome they want, whether it be becoming the most dominant company in their industry or solving world hunger.

Only with your help removing that roadblock can they reach that final destination.

I used to focus solely on my prospect’s pain points as if they were solving them for fun. Unfortunately, this didn’t inspire prospects to make a purchase because they couldn’t see how my solution fit into the grand scheme of things.

These days, I frame my sales pitches as if I’m selling a solution for prospects to reach their desired outcome. Rather than focusing on the problem, I focus on the solution to that problem and how it will help the prospect reach their desired outcome.

Every effective sales pitch focuses 90% on solutions to reach an outcome and 10% on the problem standing in the way. This is what really inspires prospects to make a purchase.

I Never Give Away Value Without Ensuring I Get Something In Return

I used to hand out free sales proposals to prospects only to get ghosted by a majority of them. I’d put my heart and soul into the proposal only to have them neglect me.

Since those times, I NEVER hand out proposals because I realized that by doing so I was handing out free value without asking for anything in return.

But the thing is, there is no such thing as something for nothing; you can’t just expect prospects to give you the time of day without giving them something valuable first.

The key to creating value without giving value only to not get anything back is by staying in control of the sales process.

You only want to give value if you’re in control because when you’re in control, the prospect can’t just run away with the value you’ve created without giving anything in return.

To give value while staying in control, I create:

• Value-filled inbound marketing content (think case studies and testimonials) that supports the customer’s buyer’s journey
• Social media content to add a personalized element to selling
• Regular webinars and other opportunities to connect with prospects online

This way, I have the upper hand because I show prospects that I have value to offer them without letting them just steal it and run away.

I Am My Potential Client's Friend & Trusted Advisor

I’ve realized that strong customer relationships are my most valuable sales asset.

With strong relationships, I’m able to:

• Harness my prospect’s trust
• Seal my expertise
• Create a sense of deeper understanding

Rather than treating my potential customers as if they’re just customers, I treat them as if they’re friends.

For example, I talk to prospects as if I’m having a casual conversation with a friend at a bar. I imagine that I’m leaning in to say, “Hey, what kind of beer do you like,” whenever I’m trying to dive deeper into their pain points and the outcomes they desire.

By doing so, prospects are more inclined to open up about their challenges because they see me as someone genuinely curious and willing to help them.

From now on, try framing yourself as a friend genuinely interested in helping the customer rather than a stone-cold salesperson who’s only interested in themselves.

Final Thoughts on How I Close More Deals on a Daily Basis

If you’re still struggling to close sales deals, I’m telling you that the only thing holding you back from closing more on a consistent basis is yourself.

There are other salespeople out there right now who are getting the kinds of results that you want to get! Why should they continue to win and you continue to lose?

You can’t close more deals in less time if you continue to hold yourself back!