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Hail Mary Hacks to Close Last Minute Deals
It's that time of the year... and a hail Mary might be your last chance of hitting quota
A special thanks to today’s sponsor, Showpad - the all-in-one AI platform for efficient sellers.
Good Morning and welcome to the last full selling week of the year. There’s 8 days until Christmas, which means out of office messages will be hitting our inbox faster than kids opening gifts on Christmas. Let’s make it count. 😁 🎁
Using Hail Mary’s to hit quota 🔑
Quick hack to get a contract signed now ✍️
Q’s you should never ask over email 👀
Sales jobs & a meme 😂
A Guide to Sales Hail Mary’s
A hail mary is defined as “A long, typically unsuccessful pass made in a desperate attempt to score late in the game.”
And if you just switch a few words around, the same idea translates to sales: “A long-shot effort made in a desperate attempt to close a deal at the end of the month”.
In a perfect world, you’d never need to use a hail mary to close a last-minute deal, because you’ve already met your quota before the end of the month.
But as we know… life doesn’t usually work that way.
So today, we’re walking through when you should use a hail mary to try to close a deal, and how to tactically do it.
When (and When NOT) to Throw Your Hail Mary
Think of a Hail Mary as the last tool in your belt after you‘ve tried every thing else you possibly can.
And when you use it, just know that it probably won’t work. But sometimes... magic happens.
Before you start firing off desperate emails, do some thinking to identify who’s fit to try a Hail Mary on. Unfortunately, there’s no exact formula for this, and it takes a bit of instinct.
Start with questions like:
Did they actually want your product the last time you spoke to them?
Would they benefit from your product if they had it right now?
Can they move fast? And how many layers of approval would be needed?
Is there a possibility they’d still have a budget?
Pro Tip: A massive company with 17 layers of management, legal, and procurement probably isn’t your best Hail Mary target. You'll spend more time navigating bureaucracy than actually closing.
Look for mid-sized companies with flexible decision-making prospects who've shown genuine interest.
Radical Honesty
Your prospect knows what's up. You're a sales rep in Q4, with commission breath that everyone can smell. Might as well own it with confidence.
Example email:
Hey [Name] - The shot clock is counting down, and we’ve got some big goals to meet here.
Last we spoke, you mentioned our {product} was something you saw a lot of valuable in, so I wanted to let you know about a few creative ideas and year end promos that could get {product or service} in your hands by the end of the year.
Are you free for a call tomorrow to talk about a year end deal?
You never know what could happen.
Bring Something New
What's NEW in your offer that changed since your last touchpoint, and might trigger an action?
Crazy end-of-year discount
Bonus features or services thrown in for free
Limited-time implementation package
Creative or extended financing
Make sure you bring something new to the table! If nothing’s changed since the last time you spoke, they have no reason to change the status quo.
The Golden Rule: Don’t torch future deals in an effort to hit this quarter's number.
Some prospects are Q1 deals, and that’s ok. A forced close now can destroy potential long-term relationships.
Happy closing out there. 🫡
Have you ever used a Hail Mary that worked? |
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