In some books and movies, you just know how the story ends. The same is true with some deals. You can get a sense when things might not turn out the way you’d hoped. Maybe the prospect stops returning emails or keeps rescheduling your meetings. These signs don’t always mean a deal won’t close, but they tend to reveal something important.

According to sales expert and bestselling author Collen Francis, the sooner you recognize the symptoms, you can adjust your approach or re-focus your time on more promising opportunities. What are some signs a deal is headed off track? We share insight from Francis in this issue of PromoPro Daily.

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  1. A closing date that keeps changing. This is especially true if the date has changed more than 4 times. Francis says it’s a symptom of sales reps not asking for the business, a lack of urgency by the buyer — or both.

  2. A long number of days in the CRM. If the number of days a deal has been in the CRM is double your average days to close, it’s a powerful indicator. Francis recommends committing to a “go or no-go” decision waypoint on when you’ll mark a deal as lost. Once you hit that point, you can remove it from the pipeline.

  3. 30 days without meaningful contact. According to Francis, time kills deals. You may not want to admit you’ve been ghosted, but the longer the silence persists, the more likely it becomes that the deal won’t close.

  4. You get invited to give a pitch with someone you’ve never met. Francis says this might as well be called “please come waste your time here.” It’s a symptom of a buyer who has priorities at odds with the value you bring to a solution.

  5. The prospect has an incumbent in mind. When the prospect is evaluating you and other branded merch professionals, try to reframe the conversation to the value you provide and what you can offer.

  6. The deal is focused exclusively on price. Francis points out that deals that focus exclusively on price have nowhere else to go when money comes up for discussion. That’s a dangerous spot to be in, because it limits the paths for a deal being successful.

  7. You don’t know the decision-makers. This is a classic mistake and a warning sign that your deal won’t close. Francis says that having too many people involved can muddy the waters, but that’s no excuse. She recommends finding at least 4 decision-makers linked directly or indirectly to your deal.

  8. There’s no sense of urgency. A buyer who doesn’t see the urgency in closing a deal is a buyer who cannot be sold fully on the value in your proposal, she says. A well-put-together deal makes the buyer want to act now, because it successfully touches on all of their pain points.

If you notice any of the signs above, like a lack of urgency or only talking about price, pay attention to what they’re trying to tell you. Sometimes, you can correct course, but other times, you may need to understand what the signals mean and make your pipeline more realistic.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Colleen Francis is an award-winning writer, consultant and bestselling author of popular sales books. She’s the founder of Engage Selling Solutions and an internationally recognized sales expert.