Introduction

What Is a Sales Close Plan?

A sales close plan, often referred to as a mutual action plan, is a detailed, collaborative document that aligns both the seller and the prospect on the necessary steps to achieve a closed deal. 

This dynamic blueprint outlines every action, milestone, and deliverable required, setting clear expectations for both parties. It's essentially a roadmap designed to navigate the complexities of the buying process, breaking down barriers and accelerating the path to purchase.

Why We Use Sales Close Plans

We’re a growth consulting firm, so we're well aware that deals don't just close on enthusiasm alone. Every sale requires methodical steps, understanding of client needs, and timely actions. 

Sales close plans give us a structured approach, ensuring all stakeholders are aligned, resources are effectively utilized, and every potential roadblock is anticipated. This clarity prevents deals from stalling, streamlines communication, and builds trust with our clients. 

It also helps us demonstrate our commitment to our prospects' success and positions us as collaborative partners rather than just service providers.

We create a new sales close plan for each prospect. And while each sales close plan will be unique in its own way, they follow the same structure. In the next section, we’ll cover the five steps we take to create a documented sales close plan for our prospects.

How To Create a Sales Close Plan

1. Determine the Prospect's Goals

Determining a prospect's goals when creating a sales close plan is crucial — it ensures alignment between what we offer and the buyer's needs. 

By understanding their objectives, our sales teams can tailor solutions to address specific pain points, highlighting the tangible value and benefits that our service brings. This fosters trust, as prospects feel understood and valued. 

Moreover, a clear grasp of goals helps anticipate potential objections and prepares us to address them proactively. Ultimately, aligning with the prospect's goals accelerates the sales process, enhancing the likelihood of closing the deal successfully.

We start to find the prospect's true objectives by conducting deep-dive discovery sessions. During these sessions, make sure you do the following:

• Ask open-ended questions. 
• Listen actively, and encourage them to paint a vivid picture of their ideal outcomes. 
• Understand both their immediate needs and long-term ambitions. 
• Document their pain points, success criteria, and potential growth areas. 

By deeply understanding their perspective, we can tailor our solution to resonate most effectively.

2. Outline a Future With and Without Our Service

Describing potential futures with and without our service presents a clear contrast for the prospect. 

By illustrating the benefits and improvements they can experience with the service, it emphasizes the value proposition and potential ROI. Conversely, depicting a future without the service highlights potential challenges, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities. 

This dual perspective not only underscores the tangible benefits of our service, but also evokes an emotional response, making the cost of inaction evident. Such a comparative approach aids in decision-making, nudging prospects towards realizing the necessity and advantages of the service on offer.

Here’s how to build that outline for prospects:

• With Our Service: Visualize a clear roadmap detailing how our consultancy can transform their business. Highlight the specific milestones, the potential growth areas we can unlock, and the tangible benefits they stand to gain.
• Without Our Service: Paint a contrasting scenario, emphasizing the challenges they might continue to face, the opportunities they could miss, and the inefficiencies that may persist.

3. Identify Stakeholders and Potential Obstacles

Identifying stakeholders and roadblocks is pivotal in crafting a robust sales close plan. Recognizing key project contributors ensures that discussions involve the right decision-makers, influencers, and potential detractors, optimizing engagement strategies. Knowing their concerns and motivations enables personalized pitches, building trust and alignment. 

Equally, pinpointing obstacles — whether they're budgetary, logistical, or perceptual — allows our sales teams to preemptively address objections or challenges. By anticipating and proactively strategizing around these hurdles, we can maintain deal momentum, prevent unexpected derailments, and demonstrate thorough preparedness, ultimately positioning ourselves as attentive and adaptable partners in the eyes of the prospect.

During this step, perform the following:

• Engage in stakeholder mapping exercises. 
• Identify who holds decision-making power, who influences those decisions, and any potential detractors. 
• Understand the motivations and reservations of each stakeholder. 
• Forecast potential roadblocks, be they budgetary constraints, competing projects, or skepticism about our approach.

4. Create an Action Plan

Creating an action plan is a cornerstone of a successful sales close plan. An action plan signifies a proactive approach, showcasing the seller's commitment to navigate challenges and tailor solutions to the prospect's unique context. 

By meticulously charting out strategies to overcome identified barriers, our sales teams can ensure the sales process progresses smoothly, building trust and confidence with the prospect. This foresight not only accelerates the deal's closure but also strengthens the relationship, positioning us as a problem-solving partner rather than just a service provider.

For each identified roadblock, establish a clear action or strategy. This might include providing additional data to alleviate concerns, offering pilot projects to demonstrate value, or engaging with specific stakeholders to address their reservations. By proactively anticipating and addressing these challenges, we can maintain momentum in the sales process.

5. Remind Prospects About the Stakes

Reminding prospects about personal stakes is a powerful strategy in a sales close plan. Beyond organizational benefits, emphasizing individual gains — whether that’s career advancement, workload alleviation, or recognition — creates a personal connection to our service. 

This personalized touch resonates on an emotional level, complementing logical arguments. By underscoring how the offering directly impacts their personal success and day-to-day tasks, the sales process becomes more relatable and urgent. Such an approach humanizes the deal, ensuring the prospect sees both organizational and individual value, thereby enhancing the motivation to finalize the agreement.

So, interweave the personal benefits into the broader business outcomes. Highlight how our solution not only aids the company but also makes individual roles easier, enhances reputations, or helps them achieve personal career milestones.

6. Compile All This Information into a Documented Sales Close Plan

Now that we’ve collected everything we need to know from our prospect, it’s time to document it into a sales close plan. Documenting all our insights ensures clarity and alignment. It captures the prospect's needs, goals, and concerns, allowing for a tailored approach.

This comprehensive record will foster consistent communication, accelerate decision-making, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to understanding and meeting the prospect's unique requirements.

Utilize our standardized template to ensure consistency. Fill in the template as follows:

1. Start with a clear executive summary.
2. Enter the prospect's goals. 
3. Create sections for stakeholders and potential roadblock.
4. Document the action plan. 
5. Create a timeline of meetings and next steps. 
6. Include a short section about the prospect’s budget. 

Ensure the document is interactive, allowing for collaborative updates and regular reviews.

Next Steps

Think of that first sales close plan as a draft. Your prospect is likely going to come back with some feedback, so proactive engagement, open communication, and adaptability are key. Always approach the process with a partnership mindset, aiming for mutual success.

Here are some next steps to think about:

1. Get buy-in from stakeholders. 

Present the sales close plan to internal stakeholders. Ensure they understand the plan's objectives, actions, and anticipated outcomes. Their buy-in is critical not only for suppor,t but also for providing any necessary resources or insights. Their collective endorsement empowers the sales team and showcases a unified front to the prospect.

2. Review with the prospect. 

Arrange a dedicated session with the prospect to walk them through the plan. This is an opportunity to confirm that their needs and goals are accurately represented and to demonstrate your commitment to a collaborative approach. Encourage them to ask questions, provide clarifications, and share any reservations.

3. Address feedback and iterate. 

Post-review, gather all feedback from the prospect. Consider every piece of input as an opportunity to refine and improve the plan. Modify sections to better align with the prospect's expectations or to clarify any ambiguities. Remember, the sales close plan is a living document, intended to evolve as you deepen your understanding of the prospect's needs.

Conclusion

The sales close plan is more than just a document — it's a commitment. It shows our prospects that we're invested in their success, that we understand their challenges, and that we're here to help navigate the journey. 

By diligently following this checklist, we can produce a sales close plan that will help us streamline the closing process. With tools like sales close plans, we can fortify the foundation of trust and partnership that underpins every successful consultancy engagement.