178: Unsticking Deals(New Book) | Sales Guru, James Muir

James Muir discusses the current challenges in B2B selling and the top issues for sellers today. He emphasizes the importance of preventing deals from getting stuck and provides five strategies to keep the momentum going. These strategies include securing executive sponsorship, throttling information, using the perfect close technique, implementing mutual action plans, and reviewing proposals with customers. Muir also shares his personal journey in sales and how he discovered the effectiveness of the perfect close. In this part of the conversation, James Muir and Dan discuss the importance of reviewing proposals with clients and the role of executive sponsorship in the sales process. In this part of the conversation, Muir discusses the different plays or approaches to use when deals get stuck. He explains that there are three main reasons why deals get stuck: sales issues, client indecision, and business case issues. Within each of these reasons, there can be multiple factors causing the stall. He then introduces five meta plays to jar deals loose: inquiry, introducing new information, persuasion, unique messaging, and the Hail Mary circle of influence letter. He also emphasizes the importance of patience and using different disengage messages when necessary.

Takeaways

The current environment in B2B selling is challenging, with forces outside of selling affecting sales.

Preventing deals from getting stuck is crucial, and there are five strategies to keep the momentum going: securing executive sponsorship, throttling information, using the perfect close technique, implementing mutual action plans, and reviewing proposals with customers.

The perfect close technique is a powerful way to facilitate a decision and maintain momentum in the sales process.

Reviewing proposals with customers face-to-face is essential to articulate the value and prevent deals from stalling.

James Muir's personal journey in sales led him to discover the effectiveness of the perfect close and inspired him to write his book. Reviewing proposals with clients is essential to ensure that the scope and value of the proposal are understood and to address any potential misunderstandings.

Instead of simply emailing a proposal, it is best practice to schedule a time to review it with the client, allowing for a chance to sell every element of the proposal and tailor it to their needs.

Executive sponsorship is crucial in complex sales processes, as it ensures that the project receives the necessary attention and resources to move forward.

By asking an executive to be an executive sponsor, you gain access to their network and can leverage their influence to unstick deals and gain support from other stakeholders.

A mutual action plan is a project plan for the client to achieve their desired outcome, and it should focus on their goals rather than just closing the contract.

Mutual action plans help maintain momentum in the sales process and provide opportunities for ongoing communication and updates with the client. Deals get stuck for three main reasons: sales issues, client indecision, and business case issues.

The five meta plays to jar deals loose are: inquiry, introducing new information, persuasion, unique messaging, and the Hail Mary circle of influence letter.

Patience is sometimes necessary when deals get stuck, as there may be legitimate reasons causing the stall.

Different disengage messages can be used to keep the door open for reengagement.

It's important to be selfless and focus on helping the customer throughout the sales process.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Welcoming James Muir

01:24 The Current Challenges in B2B Selling

05:41 Working with Purchasers and Delegated Procurement

09:31 Overcoming Revenue Goals and Complexity in Selling

11:51 James Muir's Journey in Sales and the Discovery of the Perfect Close

14:26 The Five Strategies to Prevent Deals from Getting Stuck

25:55 Reviewing Proposals with Clients

31:50 The Role of Executive Sponsorship

36:33 Creating a Mutual Action Plan

50:07 Approaches to Unstick Stalled Deals

51:01 The Three Reasons Deals Get Stuck

52:03 The Five Meta Plays to Jar Deals Loose

53:43 The Power of Persuasion in Sales

56:47 Using Unique Messaging to Unstick Deals

01:03:08 The Importance of Patience in Sales

01:06:31 Using Disengage Messages Effectively