--- title: The End of the Sales Cycle is Too Late | The Sales Blog description: Your sales process is more than likely built around some of the iron and unbreakable laws of sales. One of those laws is that you diagnose before you present. Why then do salespeople go into presentations without having what they need to present well, and worse still, without a strategy that ensures they win? The end […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/The%20Sales%20Blog-2.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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One of those laws is that you diagnose before you present. Why then do salespeople go into presentations without having what they need to present well, and worse still, without a strategy that ensures they win? The end of the sales cycle (and the end of the buying cycle) is not the time to start trying to piece together what you need to put an effective, deal winning strategy in place. Here are four precedents necessary to a deal that you should never, ever wait to collect. The earlier you collect them, the better. The longer you wait, the lower your possibility of winning the deal. #### **Dissatisfaction** [Dissatisfaction](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/05/why-your-opportunity-requires-dissatisfaction/) is the condition-precedent to a deal. The earlier you capture the dissatisfaction, the easier it is to build your conversations around [a deepened understanding](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/05/discovering-the-ground-truth/) of that dissatisfaction and the implications of allowing it to continue. You also need to work to understand the impact on the organization as a whole, and that requires access to information and access to stakeholders. You are diagnosing the organization as a whole, [not the presenting problem](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/your-are-not-treating-the-presenting-problem) as described by your first contact. The boardroom on presentation day is neither time nor the place to capture this critical component of your deal. #### **Access to the Buying Committee Members** Collecting the votes necessary to win is not done at the boardroom table on presentation day either. The last thing you want to do when you walk into the boardroom is introduce yourself to a bunch of strangers who have been brought together to sit through five presentations, many of which will be indistinguishable. The earlier you discover who the buying committee members are, the earlier you can work to understand their individual needs, their visions, and their preferences. You want to collect the votes of buying committee members before you ever present your solution. You want an unfair advantage and a rigged vote. You don’t want to try to win the votes of the people on the buying committee during your presentation—or after. #### **Access to the Stakeholders** There are many people within your dream client who have [no authority](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/06/where-the-real-power-resides/) and massive influence. These are the stakeholders who will be impacted by a decision to choose your firm or, heaven forefend, one of your competitors. The stakeholders, if approached sincerely for their input, can do more to shape your solution than almost anyone else. They have more information and more details than your “decision-maker” who doesn’t deal with the day-to-day, nitty-gritty details. If you treat the stakeholders well, you will have recruited [the most powerful surrogate sales force on the planet;](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/04/people-are-talking-about-you-behind-your-back-five-ways-to-make-sure-they-say-something-nice/) they will speak glowingly about you in the real sales calls that occur after you have left their facility. Treat them especially well, give them all of the respect that they deserve, and they will make sure your solution is implemented and executed to achieve the results you sold. You will have missed this opportunity if you try to collect these relationships at the end of the sales cycle.   #### **Access to Information** In order to put together a winning strategy, you need access to information. It doesn’t make sense to try to collect the information you need after you have presented; but, alas, many still try. Much of the reason that salespeople go without the information is because they don’t want to [obtain and manage the commitments](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/02/closing-the-ability-to-ask-for-and-obtain-commitments/); it is making work for your dream client. But without the information you need to meet your dream client’s specific needs and vision, your presentation will likely be a homogenized regurgitation of the prior four presentations. You will always be learning and discovering useful facts and ideas throughout the sales process, but you know what you need to know to win. Make sure you get that information as early in the process as possible. All of these are prerequisites to a deal, and collecting them early on will allow you to compress your sales cycle and massively increase your odds of winning. #### **Conclusion** Deals should not be won at the presentation stage. Deals should be won before you ever present your solution. In order to win deals, you cannot collect the prerequisites to a deal late in the sales cycle. #### Questions 1. 1. What do you need to win a deal? How do you ensure that you have collected everything you need to build a winning deal strategy?   1. 1. Who do you need to win a deal? How do you go about gaining access to those individuals early enough in the sales process to create a real advantage by having done so?   1. 1. How do you create an unfair advantage going into the final stages of a deal, if you are competing with others? What can you do to stack the deck in your favor?   1. How do you avoid having to acquire the things you need to win a deal too late in the sales cycle?   For more on increasing your sales effectiveness, subscribe to [the RSS Feed](https://www.thesalesblog.com/feed/) for The Sales Blog and my [Email Newsletter](http://thesalesblog.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=76cf0c62588f9f49b6d04a3d9&id=ecb6981006). Follow me on [Twitter](http://twitter.com/iannarino), connect to me on LinkedIn, or friend me on [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/iannarino). If I can help you or your sales organization, check out my coaching and consulting firm, [B2B Sales Coach & Consultancy](http://www.b2bsalescoach.com/), [email me](mailto:anthony@gmail.com), or call me at (614) 212-4279. Read my interview with Tom Peters ([Part One](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/03/the-sales-blog-interview-tom-peters-on-the-little-big-things-part-one/) and [Part Two](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/03/the-sales-blog-interview-tom-peters-on-the-little-big-things-part-two/)). 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He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2024-08-23T4:47:34 AM", "datePublished" : "2010-07-15 22:11:23", "description" : "Your sales process is more than likely built around some of the iron and unbreakable laws of sales. One of those laws is that you diagnose before you present. 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