Reaching a deal with a new client is challenging enough. But getting a new client to actually sign the contract they’ve already agreed to can be even more difficult. We’ve all been there: We complete the proposal and send it over for approval. They respond, “It looks great!” We ask them to sign it and send it back, and then... We don't hear back from them. For some reason, they drag their feet. How do we move from verbal agreement to written confirmation? Once we understand why they’re not signing, we can implement a process that makes it simple.

Customers don’t like change. No salesperson will dispute this claim. It comes up nearly every time we talk about raising prices, increasing profit margins, changing crew routes, or even offering different technology. When these topics surface, inevitably someone says, “We can’t do that. Our customers won’t let us! They don’t like change!” While this idea tends to creep into nearly every sales meeting, customers’ resistance to change doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make the changes necessary for our business to succeed — even when that means raising prices.

Every owner, manager, and salesperson should know their competitive advantage. You should know what you offer the client that surpasses what they find elsewhere. You should know why customers choose to do business with you, not your competitor. You should know why you’re worth your client’s time and money. But what if you don’t?

Once you hit a certain level of success in your AV business, it’s natural to explore the possibility of expanding. But should you go from local to national? Multi-national? Global? Maybe you have clients with offices around the world who have planted the seed that expanding overseas would be profitable for your company. After all, China and other countries in the Far East are particularly attractive and rich with opportunity. But taking your company to a new location requires more than a mastery of the logistics.

You’re trying to find a new salesperson, but you can’t seem to find anyone with an AV background. You hoped to hire someone with 5-10 years industry experience, preferably in a company “exactly like yours.” After all, it will cut down your training and they’ll be able to get to work ASAP. Is that really too much to ask? Yes.

Why didn’t you close the deal? You worked hard to go beyond meet the customer’s requests. You added all the bells and whistles. You delivered far more than they could have hoped for... at a competitive price, nonetheless. Or maybe you offered exactly what they wanted (so you thought). You delivered their requests and came in well below the other competitors. With such great service or such a great deal, why didn’t you win the bid?