Step 5: Close the Deal

GOAL: Create momentum to keep your idea moving forward.You've told a compelling story that the decision-maker understands, and you've addressed all the objections. Now it's time to clinch the sale. Summarize your idea and ask a few final questions to ensure that the idea-buyer agrees it's workable-for example, "Does this meet your objectives?" If you get agreement, you probably have the green light you need to move forward. Start by asking a next-step question such as, "When can we bring this to the budget committee?"

It's okay to be persistent, but politeness and patience are cardinal virtues as well. You never want to give your target an excuse to brush-off the idea just because she got fed up with the person who pitched it. "I've been in meetings where somebody with a suggestion or idea just won't shut up," says Brad Finn, former head of Maxwell Shoe, a $200 million-a-year women's shoe wholesaler. "Eventually, I'd kill the issue by making a semi-humiliating remark like, 'That's a good idea, maybe you should quit and take it to a competitor.'"