Tweet

The Longest Sales Cycle Ever- How They Closed the Deal

Guest post by: Dave Kurlan

Article Overview: This team closed a deal after ten years! How they did it...

The Longest Sales Cycle Ever- How They Closed the Deal

Dave Kurlan is a top-rated speaker, best-selling author, sales thought leader and highly regarded sales development expert.

Today I heard a true story about one of the longest sales cycles ever. This particular team attempted to reach their target but couldn't get through to the decision maker. Rejected, they didn't give up, and they didn't take 'no' for an answer either. They stayed with it in the face of failure and adversity. As a matter of fact, this committed team did whatever they had to in order to connect with their targeted decision maker. Finally, they identified a center of inluence who could connect them with their target. When they finally reached the decision maker they closed him on the first call. That's right, after all that time, their killer instinct surfaced, they took advantage of their short window of opportunity, and executed a one-call close. Over and done. A $25 million opportunity! Yes, they finally killed Osama Bin Laden.

If only your salespeople had that kind of commitment and staying power. If only they were able to somehow get connected to their target prospects. If only they could close the big ones on the first call. It's OK to dream big. It's OK to think about possibilities like this. It's OK to want your salespeople to do more, more quickly, more often, and with more success. Until your desires become expectations, you won't do anything to change the behaviors that lead to results.

Speaking of "no's", I wrote an article about 4 years ago that was nominated for Article of the Month for May 2011. There must have been a delayed reaction! It was called "12 Reasons that People Say No". If you weren't reading my Blog four years ago or don't remember it, you can read that articlehere.

Related Articles
  “The future is here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet.”
  Why Your Sales Cycle is So Long (Hint: It’s Not About Your Solution)
  Sales Statistics That Reveal Sales Effectiveness
  Working Backwards From Your Goal To Get Ahead
  Consistent Sales Growth
  A Little Law applied in Lean Marketing
  Too Many Sales Reps Are Wimps
  Selling Is A Numbers Game
  Achieve your Sales Targets with your Sales Pipeline
  Can You Use Closed Questions to Sell More Insurance?
  More, Bigger, Faster
  How To Assess Your Sales Intelligence Quota
  The easy way to close more sales
  A,B,Cs of Business Development: Strategy for the Non-Complex Sale
  Why Salespeople Have Trouble Closing
  Easy Way to Shorten Your Sales Cycle
  Are Sales Cycles Really Getting Shorter?
  Five Lessons Learned from the 8 Figure Sale
  All Sales Lead Generation Strategies Are Not Created Equal
  Sales Productivity is All About Outcomes (so why focus on inputs?)

Article Tags: closing the deal, sales



Related Forum Posts
Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing
Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - [quote="ltrahan":31w9r2iz]Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing[/quote:31w9r2iz] I second the request...
Who inspired you to start? - When I was a teenager I read "The Art of the Deal" by Donald Trump while on a road trip to New York City. It helped inspire me to want to start my own business and is also one of the reasons why I have created so many famous entrepreneur profiles. I believe that by modeling the success of other entrepreneurs you too can become successful. Who was it that inspired you to start your business?
Trump and Stewart - I really enjoyed Trump: The Art of the Deal and The Martha Rules. I think the best advice you can get is from people who have made it and not just consultants who haven't been there. Evan's site is great because of all the famous entrepreneurs and their advice directly from them. Donald Trump and Martha Stewart are 2 great examples of successful entrepreneurs and the books are written in their own words which I find extremely valuable and motivational.
Hello From Marietta GA! - Hello All! My name is Tim Naylor and I am in Direct Sales! I am glad I have found EC's sites and I hope to learn and share a lot!


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How do I finance a franchise?

Join Conversations Politely, Part 1

The True Cost of Employee Turnover

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.