INKED

36Lock It Down

General George Patton once said that you should “never pay for the same ground twice.” This is sound advice in war and negotiation. The last thing you want is to believe you have an agreement only to learn (once you’ve counted your chickens) that you don’t.

Just because you are communicating doesn’t mean you are agreeing. Just because the buyer nods their head, smiles, or says the word “yes” doesn’t mean you have an agreement.

Salespeople make these assumptions every single day and, in doing so, get burned. Honestly, it’s heartbreaking to watch. This is why no one on my team gets to celebrate a deal until we have ink on paper, digital ink on a contract, or payment in hand.

The number one reason why salespeople end up with assumptions rather than a closed deal is that they fail to ask. In sales negotiations, when you fail to ask, you fail.

Asking is the most important discipline in sales negotiation. It’s the key to locking agreements down and getting ink. You must ask for what you want—directly, confidently, and assertively.

When you believe you are aligned with the buyer on an agreement, ask immediately for a commitment and lock it down with:

1. Payment in the form of a credit card, check, digital payment, or wire transfer.
2. Signed agreement or purchase order in real or digital ink.
3. Symbol of agreement. When I know, trust, and have a history with people, a handshake together with explicit confirmation of a final agreement is considered a lock.
4. Letter of understanding ...