Don’t assume that getting a top executive on board means that you’ve closed the deal.

Suppose you’re selling software and have just met with a top executive of a mid-sized firm.

You’ve confirmed that they’ve got a need for your solution.
After a detailed discussion, the executive says: “Let’s make this happen.”

Time to celebrate, right? Well, not really.

While you may have convinced one decision-maker that you’ve got the right solution, you are a long way from closing the deal.

In complex sales situations, you have no idea whether a deal is real or not until you have answers to the following questions:

1. Who else has a stake in the decision?