Written by: Vickie Sullivan | November 21, 2023

How to Turn Big-Idea Buyers into Paying Clients

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Selling your services can be a stressful and depressing job. So many people say no to you. Occasionally, though, you have a great sales conversation. Talking with a charismatic, visionary buyer can make your day. The feeling you get when the person says, “You’re exactly what I need!” is unlike anything else.

The key is turning that enthusiasm into action — into a signed deal. This is a challenge because often these buyers, despite months of your following up with them, fade away. They’re sincere about working with you, but they aren’t detail-oriented enough to follow through. They also have a lot on their plate and focus only on what’s in front of them. For these types of buyers, the minutia of determining the scope of the project, milestones, etc. is something they can do “later.”

To advance the opportunity from a general approval to a signed contract, you must take a different approach. Sending reminders will not work. Instead, get help from the inside.

Behind every visionary buyer is someone who turns their ideas into an action plan. Find that person by asking, “Given you’re fighting all these fires, is there someone who helps get the details down?” Ask them to introduce you and explain how they’ve given their verbal approval. Now, you’re working with an insider who is tasked with making the buyer’s goal a reality.

Listen: 2 Kinds of People You Don’t Want Help From

Getting approval is often the first part of closing the deal. The hard work of hammering out the details is not in everyone’s wheelhouse. Seasoned pros know the difference between approving the idea of working together and approving the actual assignment.

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