On the Road: Closing a Deal with E-Signature in Shorts and a T-Shirt

I spend a lot of time in my car when I am on the road visiting customers. And for whatever reason, customers always seem to want information when I am nowhere near an office or WiFi hot spot, which leaves me navigating my business life through my smartphone and iPad.

Last week while visiting clients in the Washington D.C. area, a hot prospect emailed me and stated that he was ready to make a decision between my proposal and two other vendors. He also mentioned that his time frame was tight and that once he made his decision, the winner would need to get contracts over for his review right away.

I fired off an eMail from my iPhone to my contracts department, asking them to prepare the paperwork and get it uploaded into our e-signature solution. Then, I returned to the joys of driving on I-95 and waited for another “ding” from my iPhone, which had me pulling back off the highway just a few exits later.

“Sorry, I’ve Decided to go Another Direction”

That was all the email said: No explanation, no “can you do a little better with your pricing?” Nothing. Just a simple way to say “you’ve lost.”

Not one to brood over losing a sale, it only took me around 5 hours to calm down and focus on the other potential sales I was trying to close. Then, in the comfort of my hotel room at the end of the day, my iPhone “dinged” again. That prospect who just hours ago had decided to go in another direction was back!

“I was unable to secure the contract in a timely manner from your competitor and, as I previously suggested, I need to finalize an agreement tonight. If you can get me a contract ASAP and the T’s and C’s look good, the deal is yours.”

5 Minutes, a Quick Email and a Contract Signed

All it took was accessing my company’s secure document account, pulling down the contract that was generated early in the day, confirming my customer’s information, and forwarding the document link to my contact. Five minutes later, I got the e-mail confirmation that the prospect had electronically signed the contract and the deal was mine.

Not one to celebrate too much after winning a big deal, I turned my iPhone off 4 hours later after calling everyone in my company to let them know that I closed one of the largest deals of the year in shorts and a t-shirt!

Do you have similar stories about how 21st Century business software solutions like SutiSign and SutiExpense have helped you be more successful in achieving professional goals. Please share your stories in our comments section.