10 Reasons Why…

The 25-year-old business book is still supremely relevant--but the number of distractions fighting for your attention might make you work a little harder.I remember meeting Dr. Stephen R. Covey during my days as a corporate manager. It was at a training conference that ran for about two days straight, and I was blown away by his ability to captivate the crowd, present salient details, and whip through a presentation.The author and speaker, who wrote The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People in 1989, died tragically in a bike accident in 2012.

There are seven key factors that change in scale in a "big deal." Here's how to identify them--and then take the necessary steps to land it.You don't climb the biggest hill in your neighborhood the same way you would tackle Mount Everest. Changes in scale require a big shift in tactics.Let's start with the seven things that make your big sale different than your average size sale:Size: Obvious, sure, but worth the mention. Adding a couple of zeros to the deal can change more than just the sweatiness of your palms.Complexity: The bigger the deal, the more moving parts. Moving from 100 loaves to 100,000 loaves may not change the recipe–but it increases the logistical complexity of getting the bread to the market.Decision-makers: Big sales choices are made by more senior people with different agendas (and budgets) than the front-line user.

Here's how asking the right questions can help you close big deals while leaving your clients confident they made the right decision. It's a win-win.A good place to start with any potential sales prospect is to assume that he or she is a smart person. If they have the right information in the right context, you should assume that they will make a good decision. Unfortunately, getting them the right information in the right context is where most sales efforts fall apart.Think about it from the potential sales prospect's point of view. Throughout their day, they are overwhelmed with so much information to sort through and so many conflicting opinions to consider