Do NOT Try to Close the Deal If Your Client Says THIS...
Listening for subtle, specific words at critical moments in a client interaction helps gauge how reliable their commitment is to your agreement.
This would be weird, right?!
You’re at a wedding.
The officiant turns to the bride, asking, “Do you, Gertrude, vow to love Sam for all time?”
Gertrude, eyes fixed on Sam, responds “Sure.”
🔸 Wait. What?!
“Sure” is not “Yes.”
“Sure” is “Reluctant Yes.”
“Sure” says, “I’m kinda with you, but I’m holding onto something that makes my commitment a bit wobbly; something that keeps me from a solid, reliable ‘Yes!’”
“Sure” is a signal of potential trouble ahead. It doesn’t mean an agreement can’t be reached. But it does mean that the other party isn’t entirely clear in their commitment.
And “Sure” means that any issues below the surface may show up in the future — when fixing them will be more expensive and time- consuming than if they got surfaced NOW.
🔸 Warning! Wobbly Client Agreement Ahead
In a client scenario, hearing “Sure” at a critical moment of decision-making can be dangerous, indicating that something unsettled may still be on the client’s mind.
Understandably, Trusted Advisors are in a hurry to close deals, and will avoid anything that might slow down the momentum toward getting a signature.
After all, it might have taken them months to get the client meeting; weeks of meetings to learn what the client needed; many hours with the team to put together the most compelling presentation; several revisions to beat out the competition; and here arrives the key moment when they can finally ask for the business.
“SO WHAT if the client signals reluctance?!” they’ll stammer.
Well… if they really want to know…
🔸 You want the deal, B U T…
“Sure” can be a sign that somewhere downstream from celebrating the client’s agreement there will be new information that can create problems, slowdowns or roadblocks.
For that reason, when it comes to closing reliable agreements, it’s best when you hear “YES!”
When closing reliable agreements, you gotta hear “YES!”
Here’s HOW to get it…
🔸 Beware the Unspoken “Yeah, but…”
“Sure” has a silent companion, which sounds like this: “Yeah, but…”
“But” is an erasure word. It cancels what comes before and emphasizes what comes after. So with “Yeah, but…” the client’s “yeah” is canceled and the “but…” introduces what’s really important to them!
Too often “Yeah, but…” heralds a slow, painful NO!
“Yeah, but…” is just a SLOW NO!
For all these reasons, when it comes to closing reliable agreements, it’s best when you hear “YES!”
When closing reliable agreements, you gotta hear “YES!”
Here’s HOW to get it…
🔸 You Gotta Win Both the Short-term & the Long-term
If you were in a transactional sales environment, I might agree that you could grab the pen and lock up reluctant commitments.
For you, however, the problem with that strategy is that YOU are NOT in businesses that succeed by transactional sales tactics. These are designed for a short-term win. But in the case of your long-term success, it’s not helpful to use strong-arm methods that corner clients into compliance while ignoring any reluctance they might be feeling.
You’re in Relationship-based, Consultative Sales environments. This is NOT sustained by short-term closes alone. Sure, you need the quick wins, but your real profitability and sustainability rely on solid, trust-bound relationships.
In sports parlance, you want to win both the game AND the championship!
🔸 Avoid Commitment Wobbles
You have two choices when you hear “Sure”:
Plow ahead and get the signature, OR
Take a pause and see what’s behind the client’s mildly revealed ambivalence.
🔸 Take the Pause
“What… and risk slowing down the sale?!” you gasp with incredulity.
YES! Because hearing what’s true for clients at any moment — especially at the close — yields a trove of insight that sets you up for a stellar start to the client relationship or project.
Pausing action is NOT stopping action.
Pausing is a quick check in that saves you tons of headaches later.
Pausing now helps you avoid wobbles that lose you credibility and expanded business.
Don't let the short-term win jeopardize the long-term relationship.
🔸 Go Slow to Go Fast
As a Sales Professional whose success depends on a consultative, collaborative approach to client engagements, the long-term win comes from pacing yourself!
Here’s how:
Ask a quick question that lets the client add any additional comments or concerns so they go into the deal fully expressed and fully on-board.
Use a “Double Click” question — “I’m sensing you might still have a question. Can you say more?” — to give them a moment to reflect on their hesitation, surfacing unaddressed needs BEFORE they become contentious objections.
Demonstrate that your primary goal is to help them and build a long-term, sustainable partnership.
Go slow to go fast… Don't let the short-term win jeopardize the long-term relationship
🔸 “Yeah, but… I don’t know what my client will say!”
It’s a fair concern — you don’t want to get thrown off track at the close.
Here’s the thing: clients usually aren’t trying to be deceptive; likely something else is at play — some under-explored or unexpressed need:
They don’t know their own minds, and need time to become aware of issues that need to be worked out
They’re juggling multitudes of priorities and are scrambling to shuffle the deck
They want to please their boss/board/colleagues while also wanting to please you
They’re choosing to push off momentary discomfort and deal with their reluctance later
🔸 Demonstrate Your Commitment to Their Clarity
It’s precisely at the moment of closing a deal that clients need your commitment to assure them that their best interests are still the most important objective in the contract.
So when a client offers anything shy of a “Yes,” you’re wise to pause and get curious … even if just for a moment.
🔸 Notice the Nuance…
Some occasions require nothing less than a definitive, unambiguous, affirmative response: Weddings (“I do”), Swearing in Ceremonies (“I will”), Airline Pilot Communications (“Roger that."), Closing a deal (“YES!”)
If you hear anything less than a YES — “Sure” or “Okay” or “Why not?” or “I guess …” — there’s a good chance the client has some hidden barriers to a full commitment.
“Sure.” It’s a small phrase… but a huge moment. Listen closely. Choose wisely!
Put These Ideas to Work
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