Closing is no substitute for negotiating skills

In the English-speaking world, people like to talk about the legendary closing.
Many consider it a master discipline. I only partially agree with this, as I believe that closing is largely predetermined by preparation and the conduct of negotiations.

Great closers often lack diligence in negotiations, which often results in expensive and risky outcomes. It is worth training yourself to become a first-class negotiator rather than a closer.

Closing from a different perspective

A simple guiding principle is enough:

No unnecessary pressure, no unnecessary loss of time. So don’t overdo it, but don’t wait any longer than necessary either, so that there is no room for doubt and competition.

Decision without internal consensus

At the end of a long and tough decision-making process, a company is often tired, weary of the topic or internally divided. Camps with different favorites have formed, which now have to be brought together again.

The system is under pressure and wants to resolve this situation by making a decision.

In most cases, internal purchasing helps with mitigating measures: The suppliers are declared to be of equal value and the best price is supposed to be the deciding factor.
The game is well known and has already been performed a million times on stage. Does it sound familiar?

But beneath the surface, everything remains the same. The dissonances have not been dealt with, let alone resolved. It continues to ferment underground and many people realize that the decision has not yet been made.

A fragile phase

The customer is susceptible to new, often unhelpful ideas that have little to do with the original basis for the decision. At the same time, the tense system reacts sensitively to additional pressure.

The result is often a non-decision or a surprising decision.

Do not exert unnecessary pressure

If a customer is in such a state, the variables of pressure and time become more important. Too much pressure generates a counter-reaction, which is rarely unifying, but usually repulsive. The relationship is damaged.

So be careful with your own impatience.

A lack of sensitivity means a high risk of loss

On the other hand, it is just as risky to let time pass when you are in a good position. Time does not improve this position.

A well-balanced impulse is necessary to finalize the decision.
But pressure and time are in conflict. And this conflict is decisive.

This is exactly where the typical closer is misplaced. Too often they act with too much pressure and too little feeling for the customer’s condition. They want to close the deal and do so as quickly as possible.

This is often paid for with increased risk or unnecessary concessions and discredits the previous, often years-long work of the entire project team.

Competition and doubt

No unnecessary loss of time, that remains true.
Because the customer is now susceptible to doubt.

And at this moment, doubt is competition.

Doubts do not arise by chance. They come from the customer organization or are brought in from outside by benefiting providers.

The competition rarely works openly in this phase, but is usually very effective.
It dispels doubts. It gains time. And time works for him.

It is often at this moment that the playing field and the rules of the game are redefined, with the support of the customer.

If you are at a disadvantage, you can use precisely this mechanism: Create doubt, gain time, improve your position.

This leaves the skilled negotiator with the choice of finalizing the decision with an appropriate impulse without wasting unnecessary time.

And it is precisely here that it is decided whether a deal really pays off or is merely considered a win.