Key Factors for Closing Sales Successfully

When we discuss how to successfully close a sales lead, there are three important factors to consider:

Starting with strategic thinking, I like to think of strategy as using your strengths on the most promising opportunities to reach your goals. When you have a sales lead, you need to evaluate what the opportunity is. Is it about developing a new application? Taking over an existing one? Or managing cloud resources? Once you understand the opportunity, you can put together a set of relevant projects to discuss. This might include a demo for the prospect or showcasing your existing certifications. You gather all this information and take coordinated actions to address that specific opportunity. This could involve your UI/UX team or a technical team providing a demo, for example. By consistently applying these actions, you can work towards achieving your desired outcome.

Next, we have tactical techniques. This refers to how you conduct yourself during lead calls. It includes what words to use, which demos to present, who should speak at different times, and how to handle potential objections. All of this falls under tactical techniques. It’s beneficial to practice these elements so that when you’re on the call, it feels much easier to manage.

Lastly, let’s talk about operational support. This is often overlooked, as people usually focus on strategy and tactics. However, operational support is crucial. As Tom Peters once said, to win a war, you need to have both bullets and toilet paper available at the right time and place. The same principle applies to sales. Your pre-sales team should be able to gather research and create presentation decks. All this support is necessary to ensure you perform well during sales presentations.

To win a sales deal, you need to combine all three elements: strategic thinking, tactical techniques, and operational support.