You can work a piece of business in your sleep: …establish the need…work through objections and obstacles…negotiate…close, etc., etc., rinse/repeat.

And if you can do that repeatedly, you’ll be happy come commission time.

But what separates strong performers from the TOP 10% is the ability to turn around deals when they’re going south or before you proclaim them "closed-lost."

Only when you turn something completely around will you feel the ultimate rush in sales.

And you do it with a combination of dogged determination plus information. The interesting paradox of the save game is that you can prevent a lot of challenging, back-against-the-wall situations if you proactively dig for key info early in the sales cycle. Here are three key issues to focus on as soon as an opp starts heating up:

1. What do each of the key buyers on the account feel about your offering as a fit? (Constantly qualify and probe against this.)

2. What are the objections and obstacles that exist? (Same…constantly qualify that one.)

3. What are the competitors offering that is better in the eyes of the buyer?

If you don’t feel like saving a piece of business, then don’t let it get to that point. If you are in a save situation, fight like hell.