Everybody wants to close deals at the end of the quarter or the end of the year.

When there is pressure to close, it can end up triggering a lot of dysfunctional behaviors.

Probably, the most common one is the inclination to push customers aggressively to speed up the deal closure process.

The sentiment is,

“Let’s go ahead and push on the customer to try and see how fast we can close the deal.”

The more you push, the more likely customers are to push back.

Instead of pushing, it’s more effective to address the last-minute doubts lingering in the customer’s mind and proactively mitigate potential future risks.

The more you are mitigating future potential risks, you’re clearing the path towards your team.

Your sale should be the systematic elimination of customer risk rather than pushing to close.

Here’s how I advise clients to engage with customers.

Let’s say we are at the cusp of a deal.

I normally slow it down a little bit and go say,

Hey, this has been a good conversation, I’m glad you’re trusting us to move forward.

But you and I know that no engagement is perfect.

From your experience, what do you forecast are 2-3 things that can potentially go wrong and the best way to eliminate those risks?

We then collaboratively identify two or three potential issues from both the customer’s and the sales team’s perspectives.

Proactive risk mitigation not only demonstrates a commitment to the customer’s success but also cultivates trust.

It accelerates the path to value realization.

When you focus on risk, the customer’s trust in you goes up because now they believe – you’re on my side rather than on your side.

So think about how you can work hand in hand with your customer and clarify your path together.

That’s the right way to win the deal and close the quarter or year on a high.

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