Sales is both the easiest and hardest job in the world. Dealing with clients, managing expectations, selling the value in your product (or service) over a rival, dealing with counter offers and even closing can be made incredibly difficult through a variety of factors. It’s only when the commissions cheques start rolling in that you realise that it was all worthwhile. From experience, the sales process begins long before any talk of products and services have begun.

Here are my 4 sales tips for closing your next big deal.

Though this quote sounds like it was pulled directly from Instagram, it really helps when you understand the significance of your network when building your sales leads. As a recruiter, the amount of networking events I attend in a year is ridiculous. To some this may seem like a waste of time, networking is a skill that can be refined to an art. Many time’s I’ve had clients come to me and say they will repeatedly use my services because I “actually give a sh*t”. This reputation can only come from years of building a network at these events and pouring heart and soul into meeting and connecting with people.

Everyone in the room knows you must have done the presentation 50 times, but it still feels like your first. Your words are garbled. Your slides are wordy and lacking in graphics. You have 35 slides, and no question time. You walk out of the room with your tail between your legs, with no deal in sight.It goes without saying that presenting a slideshow without presence is setting yourself up for failure. Keep it short and visual, with no more than 15 slides and plenty of time for questions.

People love saying that sales is a game. They’ll find themselves dancing in a world of “maybe”, “I don’t know”, “not right now” and so on. Many salespeople get caught up in the concept of “burning leads”, or the toxically held idea that once a lead has given a no, they would be burned completely, so they spend their time trying to game indecisive customers. This type of thinking is a recipe for failure, as it leads to false hopes and reading into things too much. Try to drop this game as quickly as you can. If a client gives you a no, accept the no. If anything, welcome the “no”, as it gives you one step closer to a “yes”.

Surrendering seems like such a dramatic term. What I mean by this is giving up due to compulsion or demand, making it seem like you have somewhere to be that you don’t, or giving up way too easily just because it’s scary to resist. Surrendering in sales means to give up and walk away or accepting a deal while compromising your core beliefs.

Whether you’re selling fruit or computers named after fruit, these sales tips will hopefully carry you through to your next big deal. Good luck!