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Getting executives to finalize their SKO presentations is a major challenge. Set aggressive, often fake, deadlines and cite external pressures (e.g., "the production company needs this now") to create urgency. This is a necessary tactic to keep the complex planning process on track.
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After agreeing on terms, delay sending the final approval email for several hours. CC an executive (CEO or CFO) on the email to add gravity and make the concessions feel like a significant, one-time exception that was difficult to secure.
To create urgency, Zayo's deal team would discuss a (sometimes fictional) competing deal that was picking up momentum. This tactic made the seller fear losing the buyer's attention, motivating them to close the current deal quickly.
If a customer asks to push a signed deal past an agreed-upon deadline, don't say yes or no. Saying "I don't know if we can hold the price" creates productive uncertainty. This forces them to weigh the risk of losing their discount against the inconvenience of finding a way to sign on time, often leading them to solve the problem themselves.
To finalize an 18-month negotiation with music labels, Eleven Labs set deadlines to create urgency. These 'forcing functions' proved effective in driving the deal forward, even when the dates had to be moved. The imposed timeline compelled parties to make decisions and find a resolution.
Instead of relying solely on internal timelines, create public-facing product events. This establishes an unmissable, external deadline that serves as a powerful forcing function, ensuring teams are aligned and deliver high-quality work on time.
To dramatically improve the quality of executive presentations, require leaders to conduct a full "table read" of their keynotes for each other two weeks prior to the event. This forces early preparation, enables peer feedback, and ensures all messages are aligned and flow together.
Instead of using discounts, create urgency by reframing the customer's timeline. If they have a future goal (e.g., "ready by summer"), anchor the ideal start date in the past. This makes them feel they are already late, compelling immediate action to catch up without applying overt pressure.
To create a high-velocity culture, managers must actively pull deadlines forward. Don't just accept a proposed timeline. Ask what's blocking it, question the actual work hours required, and repeatedly challenge why it can't be done sooner.
To prevent deals from stalling during vendor or security reviews, sellers can assign artificial deadlines for tasks like redlines. This creates a sense of urgency and compels the prospect's internal teams to prioritize the deal, maintaining momentum.
The purpose of setting impossibly aggressive deadlines isn't just to move faster. It is a strategic tool to force a team to identify the true critical path. By asking 'what prevents us from doing this in 6 months instead of 36?' you reveal the few real constraints that must be attacked or eliminated.
