Many traditional sales strategies get it wrong. Lots of effort is wasted in how to best close, through applying all kinds of clever closing techniques.

Nowhere is such an approach more wrong than in large scale complex high-tech sales.

Just before year-end this was made clear to us once more. During a client assignment we were following a potentially very large account for many months. Already in August it appeared that a deal could be done quickly. Needless to say that the sales manager of our client, for whom we were building up this opportunity, got quite nervous and was starting to put lots of pressure on us to CLOSE. He did it in a subtle but still clear way. When we were finally able to get this closed - just before year-end - this golden rule once more proved to be 100% correct:

Never try to push a client to a close. If the time has come and you have done a comprehensive job in selling to all the decision makers, the client will let you know when it can be closed. That's exactly what happened here once again. The client had cleared all internal hurdles and got suddenly eager to get things defined in a contract.

Of course the real challenge for us was more to keep the client, for whom we developed this account, relaxed than with the actual opportunity. Without our tenaciously insisting on our values and beliefs it would probably have not worked out.

The lesson for others is therefore a simple one, but a tough one in day-to-day sales work. Never push your prospects to a sales close. If you have done a great job in developing the account then the client will get eager to do business with you when the time has come and when all obstacles have been cleared.

The other important thing during the final steps of a deal is that you need to be ready to walk if required. Only if you have mentally prepared yourself for this worst-case scenario and are ready to go will you be able to work out a win-win deal.

The Solution Selling summary to reaching final agreements are:

• View closing as a natural evolution of the sell cycle instead of trying to "close early and often"
• Create an atmosphere of "win-win" that fosters success in the current opportunity and future ones
• Prepare in advance for the opportunities in which you want to reach final agreement