A "Done Deal" Can Suddenly Become A Dead Deal

You just got off the phone with your top prospect for a large deal. You got the verbal go ahead that you can start next week. High fives all around the office. Done deal. Deal closed. You run to tell everyone. You call your spouse and say that everyone's going out to dinner tonight to celebrate. You are ecstatic!

Not so fast.

You call the client the following week so you can get the final contract signed and start on the project. No returned phone calls. This seems like a strange way for a “new client” to act. In subsequent attempts, you have trouble reaching your contact. When you do connect by phone, your contact says “not to worry” and you can get started “soon”.

You wait. You call. Weeks. Months. “Soon” never seems to come. The contract remains unsigned. You never start the project. Uh oh. Deal undone. Deal not closed.