48: The Single-Step Sale — Landing Big Deals Without Rushing the Close

Jacqueline breaks down a powerful and often overlooked sales philosophy that could change the way you close deals.

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Closing deals doesn’t happen overnight — it’s all about the next yes. Let’s dive into the art of the single-step sale!

In this episode, we break down a powerful and often overlooked sales philosophy that could change the way you close deals. If you’ve been told that you need to close deals on the first call, we’re here to tell you that’s absolute nonsense. 

Real, expert-led sales — especially in speaking, coaching, or consulting — often involve multiple decision-makers and long processes. Enter the single-step sale, where each interaction is about advancing to the next small yes or no.

If you’ve ever been ghosted after sending out proposals or felt like your sales pipeline is more of a graveyard, this episode is for you. Learn how to turn interest into action, take control of every conversation, and break down even the most complex sales process into simple, manageable steps.

Remember, sales isn’t about sprinting to the finish — it’s  about taking controlled, deliberate steps forward. With the single-step sale, you can keep your prospects engaged, stay in the driver’s seat, and land those big deals without burning out. 

Get ready to sell smarter, not harder!

WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why mastering sales is unavoidable and how it’s not about rushing to close in a single call (00:06)
• The reality of complex sales processes when multiple decision-makers are involved (01:44)
• Is your pipeline a graveyard? How to avoid turning promising proposals into unmarked tombstones (03:57)
• How to use the right questions to guide, not derail, the conversation (05:46)
• The single-step strategy — It’s all about getting incremental yeses (07:44)
• How to stay involved in the decision process after sending the proposal (don’t just assume they’ll buy!) (11:11)

QUOTES

“There’s so much hype in the sales world about ‘You’re no good at sales if you don’t close it in a single call.’ And that’s actually bullshit. There could be nothing further than from the truth.” – Jacqueline Brooker

“We are so focused on getting the big deal that we actually lose it right at the start, because we have no idea how to take control of the sales process and we have no idea how to keep something moving.” – Jacqueline Brooker

“The single-step sale is all about, ‘How do we move them to the next yes or no?’ And we don’t do that by going straight to talking about our solution.” – Jacqueline Brooker

“We have to have a single-step selling process that just moves people forward incrementally. And we have to understand all the single steps in their own process and bring them together. We remain in control. We do go after the big deals, but we secure them one single step at a time.” – Jacqueline Brooker

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WHERE TO FIND JACQUELINE NAGLE

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