1) General strategy approach
Deliberate selling: plan steps and dates for the entire cycle; don’t leave closing to chance. Use a MAP – Marketing Action Plan with milestones, owners, and a “next step with a date” for each opportunity. This increases the close rate and surfaces early barriers.
Delivery and process control: don’t just send proposals; schedule a meeting to deliver and explain it (“don’t let the client manage you; you manage the process”).
Psychological ROI: the strongest close comes from solving the personal pains and goals of the decision-maker more than the financial ROI.
Date management: if all steps cannot be completed before the 15th, don’t forecast that close for the month; time is a competitor.
Touch management: weekly contact with all stakeholders until closing (disciplined follow-up).
2) Key activities to close software
Uncover pain and map decision-makers (20-minute first call + second meeting already scheduled). The method: reconfirm your SVP, validate why you’re there, mine opportunities, and set the next step.
Demo and proposal: keep the demo tied to the pain; the proposal must be readable for non-technical stakeholders, list benefits and timeline, and reiterate the pains found.
In-person proposal delivery (with agenda) and live objection handling.
Close with Psychological ROI: speak to the sponsor’s personal risks and goals; price is not central, and strong framing beats cheaper offers.
MAP and dated steps through signature; review blockers weekly.
What each Close Plan must include (in the MAP sheet)
Key pain/result (Psychological ROI) of the sponsor/decision-maker and success criteria.
Mapped decision-makers/sponsors and identified competition.
Committed close date (if critical steps do not occur before the 15th, it does not go into the month’s forecast).
Test close #1 and #2 (text and date).
Proposal delivery meeting scheduled (date and participants).
Next step with owner and date (must always be filled in).
Blockers and mitigation plan.
Support required (presales, legal, references, pricing, executive).
Touch plan (weekly cadence until decision
3) Recommended test closes
Goal: trigger micro-commitments that confirm intent and clear risks.
Next meeting booked in the same call/meeting: “Shall we book 30 minutes on Thursday to deliver the proposal and review pending decisions?” (the method insists on selling the meeting, not the product, advancing in 20–30 minute meetings).
Value-conditioned: “If we show we can achieve X (stated pain) in Y weeks, can we proceed with the order?” (supports Psychological ROI).
Process confirmation: “To sign this month, shall we lock these review and legal dates?” (date management as a closing lever).
4) How to “condition” the client to raise the close rate
Control the pace: in-person proposals with agenda and next steps; avoid “send and wait.”
Risk narrative: restate the pain, your specialization, and the risk of choosing on price (“low-ball”).
Sustained follow-up: weekly touches until decision.
Disciplined forecasting: don’t forecast without committed dates; remember “time competes.”
5) Operational steps (checklist)
20-minute meeting (pain, decision-makers, next meeting).
Demo aligned to pain (with review date).
Clear, non-technical proposal, with benefits and timeline.
In-person delivery and objection handling.
MAP per deal with dated next steps and owners.
Weekly touch through signature.
6) Things to NEVER do
Never send the proposal without a meeting to explain and control it.
Never forecast without a specific date and steps before the 15th.
Never try to sell everything on the first phone call; sell the meeting.
Never leave more than one voicemail per week for the same decision-maker; persistence tends to work around the 5th–7th attempt.
Never over-inflate prices excessively; it can backfire (if you apply Overage Management, do it carefully
7) Tasks for each BDM (quarter review + plan per deal)
A. Portfolio audit (this week)
List all current-quarter opportunities with: value, stage, decision-makers, competitors, next step with date. Use the MAP format: client, contact, proposal type, value, steps done/pending with date, help needed, competitors, and open issues.
Flag at-risk for closing this month if steps before the 15th are missing.
B. Close Plan per opportunity (deliver in 48–72 hours)
Closing objective and signature date.
Sponsor pains (Psychological ROI to activate) and key messages.
Next 2–3 test closes (text and date). (E.g., “If we validate X, will you authorize the preliminary order on Friday?”)
Delivery event: meeting to deliver and explain the proposal (participants, agenda, target decisions).
Weekly Touch Plan (who, with whom, purpose).
Blockers/competition and countermeasures. (Include a low-ball risk comparison.)
Support needed (presales, references, legal).
C. Weekly ritual
Update the MAP of each deal and report date deviations and corrective actions.
Check whether the close remains in-month; if not, re-date and communicate.