You Can Close Big Deals

If the sales side of things was not previously your bag – the idea of going after big business sales can feel out of your league. I’m here to tell you that closing big deals is not rocket science. You had the courage to start your own business – you can close big deals.

What do we mean by big?

‘Big’ means different things to different people. If you are starting out with your own consultancy, ‘big’ might mean a $10K deal right now. In twelve months from now, ‘big’ might mean $50K.

Wherever you are up to in your journey, you can learn to how to close those larger opportunities. It’s just a matter of understanding a basic process you can follow, and what you need to do at each step.

Size is Relative

One of the fascinating things I learned working in the software industry for many years, is that size really is relative.

When I first started in software, the idea of closing a $30,000 deal was new to me, and that felt like a large and substantial deal.

Some years later I was at a different software firm, that sold different things on a larger scale. I walked past a boardroom where people were discussing a sales opportunity – I glanced at the board and saw that the opportunity was worth 35 million dollars.

I realised that on a fundamental level, what these people were doing to close that deal was not substantially different from what I had been doing closing deals worth a few $100K. They just had a different idea of what ‘normal’ was for their business.

So remember, if what you are selling feels like a ‘big’ deal to you – it might be the complete opposite to someone else, depending on their context. Don’t get too sidetracked by the dollar figure.  

You need to Meet with People

One of the things that I see people finding uncomfortable when they are new to B2B sales, is that you can’t do everything over email or digitally. In a world where so much more of our life is conducted through a screen, it can seem that everything can and should be done that way.

When it comes to closing large opportunities, there needs to be direct personal interaction. This will happen via a range of channels, including digital communications. However, B2B sales are not transactional like B2C sales. You can’t expect someone to read a few things online and make a decision to lay down $500K – they will want more interaction than that to make a decision.

So don’t be afraid of this – simply embrace this side of B2B sales and learn how to do it.

B2B Sales is not Rocket Science

Despite what you might see on the interwebs – sales is not a mystical magical art. There is no magic formula that will see the sales start rolling in.

You just need to learn some basic skills and simple processes – and do the work. I argue that anyone can learn how. 

The main reason I see people fail in B2B sales, is they avoid doing the things they are at first uncomfortable with. Some people, who are naturally more introverted, may avoid meeting with people because they don’t find it easy – or they worry they are doing it wrong.

Once you have a process and skills under your belt, even if you are not a natural ‘people person’ – you will find calls and meetings easier. The more practice you do the better you will get at it, and the easier it will become.

Don’t let your nervousness stop you from doing the work and going after big opportunities.

Allow Time

One of the first things I talk about when teaching people about B2B selling is that larger deals take longer. This is not a universal rule – but it does tend to be the case.

This is something that can make us very nervous as a business owner, as when starting out we need cash to get going. It is easy to get into the cycle of chasing the quick cash and smaller deals, to keep the lights on.

I recommend an approach where you have a mix of what I call ‘bread and butter deals’ – the ones at a lower price point that will close more quickly, and ‘elephant deals’. Elephant deals might only close once a quarter, or even less frequently – but they’ll give your business that big boost and leg up you need. You need to allow time to work the elephant deals, whilst still keeping those bread and butter deals in the meantime. 

Keep it Practical and Simple

Learning to close large B2B sales is a matter of learning some simple practical skills and a simple sales process.

Once you understand the basic B2B sales process and some basic B2B sales skills, you simply need to get busy and start doing. Sales is something that you continue to learn and improve with experience – and you can only do that with practice.

There is nothing quite like landing that first big sale.

You can close big deals. Give it a go.

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