Dear Mr. Unsolicited Advice:  How do I close the sale with some guy who's rejecting my fabulous offer to drop the $18,000 of services down to $13,000, just because he "says" he doesn't actually have anywhere near $13,000 in his budget this year for this sort of stuff? 

Signed, Longing to Close in Conshohocken 

Dear Longing:  Don't listen to little plaintive cries of "I can't afford it, my boss would kill me, can I see an a la carte list of services so I can price just what it is I need."  That way madness (and lower end-of-year bonuses) lies!  And who really uses "a la carte" in a business conversation anyway?  Stupid liberal arts majors, that's who.  Which means he doesn't  really understand numbers.  So, instead, divide the cost into three smaller payments -- never mind that doesn't actually address the overall budget problem.  If that fails, suggest ways he can hide the expenditure from his boss and clients.  Oh, and when nothing else works, distract him by minimizing the presentation you're showing him online so that he can see your sales contact system up on the screen and see exactly what other folks in the organization are ordering, who's been talked to, and how out-of-date your info is on the company.  It's a lead-pipe cinch you'll walk away with a sale!  (Or, perhaps, with just a lead pipe, suitable for catching a Clue.)

Signed,
Mr. Unsolicited Advice.

Filed under :: Big Business :: Job Jollies :: Mr. Unsolicited Advice
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