This sale is 99% closed...
Good sales people create and demonstrate strong value propositions for why their clients will want to engage their services. Sometimes the value proposition is so well crafted and communicated, the sales person (or company president, or consultant) thinks, "This sale is in the bag...the value is so clear that it would be nonsensical if they didn't buy."

After the final sales meeting the potential client says he will follow up with the sales rep on Tuesday with a decision. Tuesday comes and goes. Wednesday and Thursday come and go.

Finally on Friday the client tells the sales rep how impressed the client team was with the presentation, but they've decided to delay any action for at least a quarter and keep in touch. There's no competitor in the account, no major assumptions or situations have changed, and they're not going to solve their problem themselves. They're just going to sit on it a while.

To understand these situations, you must first take a look at clients' true options in buying your services. The client can usually take three paths:

1. Buy either your services or a competitor's service.
2. Do it themselves.
3. Do nothing at all.

Often the sales rep will demonstrate strong value. The client may very well agree that the value proposition is solid. However, for some reason, the client has no sense of urgency and chooses to do nothing at all.

At this point, we don't know what could have turned the situation around. We do know for certain that the client has chosen to table the issue, and that the current window of opportunity on this sale has closed.

Overcoming Lack of Urgency - Ask: 'What Won't Happen?'
The next time you are selling, as you prepare for the final presentation, meeting, or proposal submission, take the following four actions to help you prepare for and overcome your client's lack of urgency.

1. Ask Yourself, 'What Won't Happen?': Near the end of the sales process you should have a very solid idea of how your services will provide value to your potential client if they buy them. Your next step is to get the client to understand what the implications of not choosing to engage your service will be.

Therefore, build a case to yourself for the (usually negative) implications for the client if they choose not to solve their problem or address their issue with your service. Armed with this analysis, you are ready for the next action.

2. Ask the Client, 'What Won't Happen?' At the appropriate time in the sales process, ask the client, "To help me understand your situation so I can craft the best solution for you, can you give me a sense of what would happen if you choose not to move forward in this process and engage our services?" Like a good trial lawyer, you already know from your earlier analysis what those implications will be.

If the client doesn't enumerate them exactly as you might like, lead them with further questions. For example, the middle part of the conversation might go like this:

Sales Rep: Yes, I can see what you're saying about monthly revenue generation taking a potential $7,000 hit if you don't take care of this (sales rep punches calculator), that's $84,000 per year.:

What I am also wondering is what will happen to your customer retention. Since you're retaining 50% of your customers per year and we've already discussed how engaging our services can get you up to about 70% retention, what might happen if we don't go forward?

Client: We'll, I'm not really sure. I guess we've been losing a little ground to competitors, which is, of course, why we're talking here. So I guess we'd lose a little more. But I don't know how much.

Sales rep: It's impossible to know for certain, of course, but do you think it's more than 2%...5%...Higher?

Client: I'd guess, no I'm pretty sure, it would be more than 5%, but not sure how much.

Sales rep: OK, then, we'll use 5% as a benchmark, to be on the conservative side. One last question about pricing; what do you see happening there?

Client: Well, if we move forward, we'd like to raise prices, of course, but if we don't move forward, we'll continue to have price competition pressures. I think we'll find our prices either hold steady or fall by up to 3%.

3. Quantify the results: Just as you quantify the benefits and value of moving forward, quantify the implications for the customer of not moving forward. Make sure your case is clear before going on to the next step.

4. Demonstrate the results: Most good sales people enumerate or quantify the value and benefits of engaging their service. When you demonstrate your value (e.g. presentation, proposal, etc), also demonstrate the results of the What Won't Happen? Analysis.

For example, you demonstrate that 'revenue will go up by 3% and customer retention will go up by 20%, if they purchase your service.'

At the same time, show them the flip side. Demonstrate that, if they choose not to go forward, 'revenue will stagnate or drop and customer retention will drop by 5% at least.' Emphasize that these are their numbers and assumptions, not yours.

Do your best to translate percents and other metrics to dollar amounts. As you do this, also keep in mind the best metrics to use are the ones your client is already using or agrees upon.
By employing a What Won't Happen? Analysis in your sales process, you will find a consistent increase in the sense of urgency with your clients, resulting in measurably increased close rates.