Turning "No Chance" Deals Into Signed Contracts: A Strategic Approach

Ever stared down a deal that seemed completely out of reach? You're not alone. In this gripping episode, I take you behind the curtain of my most nerve-wracking entrepreneurial moment — facing a five-figure deal that could either catapult my business forward or set me back months. With no industry track record and legacy competitors circling, my chances looked slim to none.

What happened next revolutionized my approach to high-stakes negotiations. I break down my "Bridge Before the Ask" methodology that transformed a closed door into a signed contract within just 72 hours. This isn't about pushy sales tactics or manipulation — it's about strategic relationship building that prioritizes understanding emotional drivers, creating genuine value, and establishing partnerships rather than transactions.

You'll learn my exact three-part framework: finding the emotional stake that truly drives decision-makers, crafting a low-risk "bridge" that demonstrates immediate value, and creating controlled urgency based on real timelines rather than artificial pressure. I've distilled this into a practical five-step checklist you can implement immediately for your next impossible deal. Since developing this approach, my close rate has increased by 60% across multiple high-stakes negotiations. Whether you're chasing retail partnerships, manufacturing agreements, or crucial investor funding, these principles will transform your approach to business development. Remember — the most impossible deals aren't lost because of lack of skill, but because we ask too soon without building a bridge. Subscribe now for more strategic insights that turn entrepreneurial anxiety into decisive action.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello world, welcome back to Not Just Candle Talk,
the podcast where passion meetsprofit and raw hustle meets real
strategy.
I'm your host, tony, and todaywe're diving into one of the
most high stake, anxietyinducing, edge of your seat

(00:21):
moments in entrepreneurship.
Edge of your seat moments inentrepreneurship closing an
impossible deal.
If you have ever looked at aclient, investor, a vendor or a
partner and thought there is noway this is going to happen,
then this episode is for you,because today I'm revealing the

(00:44):
exact strategy I use and thesame one smart founders are
using to turn no chance intosigned contracts.
So grab your pen, because thisisn't fluff, it's real, it's
repeatable and ridiculouslyeffective.
Let me take you back to a realmoment in my entrepreneurial

(01:11):
journey.
I was staring down the mostimportant meeting of my life A
five-figure deal that couldscale my business overnight or
set me back six months if itdidn't close the problem.

(01:36):
I had no proven track record inthat Pacific industry.
I was up against legacycompetitors and, worst of all, I
only had one shot.
Everyone told me it couldn'thappen, Even if I wasn't sure it
could happen.
But I used a strategy I know,called the bridge before the ask

(01:57):
method, and it changedeverything.
So what is the bridge beforethe ask method?
It's simple, but don't confuseit with being easy.
It has three parts, okay, andI'm gonna break down all three
parts right now.
Part one find the emotionalstake.

(02:21):
Before pitching anything, Iresearched the decision maker.
I didn't just Google them.
I understood what they caredabout.
Were they struggled to meet aquarterly metric?
Were they under pressure frominvestors?

(02:41):
Did they have a publicreputation to protect or build?
Once I knew their emotionalstake, their why, I stopped
pitching what I wanted andstarted speaking to what they
feared or hoped for Okay.

(03:03):
Part two Offer the bridgebefore you sell.
So I didn't ask for the deal,not immediately?
Okay, I didn't ask for it.
Instead, I created a micro win,something I could offer for
free or with low commitment thatdirectly solved a pain point

(03:28):
they had right now.
This could be anything from acustom report, a pilot version
or maybe a test week, or even acase study with actionable
insights.
And here's the secret thatbridge.
It wasn't random, it wasdesigned to lead them exactly

(03:52):
where I wanted them to go, okay.
Part three use controlledurgency.
Okay, I didn't.
I didn't create a fake FMmessage.
Uh, f-o-m-o.
I didn't create that I gavereal reasons for actions.

(04:14):
This data is most useful nowbecause, or if we start next
week, you'll beat your q3targets and we're only
onboarding one client this scalethis month.
That's what I told him.

(04:35):
I'm only doing one, one clientthis month and that's and that's
it.
Okay, this creates a path pluspressure.
Pressure equals process.
Okay.
So those are the three uhpoints that I hit on, uh, the

(04:57):
three part points that I hit onwhen pitching, uh, what I had to
pitch to this particularcompany.
So what happened?
Okay.
So you asked what happened?
Right?
So after the meeting, they tookthe micro win okay, a
personalized market insight deck.
And you know what happened?

(05:18):
Within 72 hours, they called meback.
They said this is exactly whatwe've been missing.
Let's talk next steps.
Of course, I was happy, I waselated, right, waiting for that
moment, but not so much right,we moved from not even in the

(05:40):
room to an exclusive contractnegotiation.
I closed the deal not bypushing harder, but by bridging
smarter.
Ok, I did my, I did my research, I did my homework, so to speak
.
And here's the kicker I've usedthis same strategy in three

(06:04):
other impossible deals since andmy close rate shot up by 60%.
So let's make this real for you.
Okay, so let's make this realfor you.
Whether you're trying to close abig retail account, a major

(06:28):
partnership brand, or maybeyou're trying to get a licensee
or a manufacturing deal or evena high stakes investor meeting,
here's how you can apply bridgebefore the ask today.
You can do this today.
Okay, if you've got somethingcoming up the step-by-step
checklist.
Five steps in this checklistOkay.
So the first one is identifythe emotional stake, which I

(06:52):
went through gave an example ofgo beyond business.
Ok, what personally drives thedecision maker?
Ok, so you got to find that.
Step one to identify theemotional state.
Step two craft a low stake win.
Craft a low stake win.

(07:18):
Okay, what value can you givethem?
That costs little but shows abig impact?
Okay, that's step two.
I repeat craft a low stake win.
Step three design your bridgewith intent.
What that means is this microwin should naturally lead to
your offer.
Make it obvious and easy, okay.

(07:39):
So design your bridge withintent.
That's number three.
Number four introduce realurgency.
Why now?
That's the question.
Why now?
Give a real reason tied totheir timeline or goals?
Ok, so that's number four.

(08:00):
Include real urgency.
Everything is of the time is ofthe essence, right.
Number five ask like a partner,not a seller.
Don't pitch Collaborate.
What can we do together?
How can I help you?
How can I help us?
All right, we're collaboratingRight.

(08:20):
That's one of my big thingswhen I, when I, when I go to
meetings, I let people know my.
My last ask, or why is I'mproud to collaborate with you on
this?
You know that to me, that'svery important.

(08:41):
That shows confidence as well.
Okay, so let me leave you withthis.
The most impossible dealsaren't lost because of lack of
skill.
They're lost because people asktoo soon without building a
bridge.
So the next time you face aclosed door, remember, don't

(09:01):
push harder, just build better.
So I just wanted to touch onthis because I have been in.
I have been through like I sayall the time, I've said this in
multiple episodes peaks andvalleys.
All everything is peaks andvalleys, right.
So I've been there when somedeals really didn't go through.
They just didn't, for whateverreason, and I was OK with that.

(09:25):
Yes, it hits you hard at thebeginning, but you got to keep
getting back up Right, back upRight.
So I had to.
I had to touch on this because,uh, you know, I've seen in the
last uh quarter or so that my,uh, you know, my, my ask was a

(09:46):
little different, with a certainthings that I tweaked.
Right, and those those thingsthat I tweaked are in this
episode, okay.
So I just want to say again, ifthere is any like I always say
with all my episodes if there isany more information on the
impossible deals, or if anybodywould like me to do a part two

(10:10):
I'm always open to part twos, ofcourse.
And if you love this strategyand want more high stake
breakdowns like this, pleasesubscribe, uh, or share this
episode, okay, and drop a review.
You can drop a review in mylittle text box down on my
website, wwwnotjustkendaltalkme.

(10:35):
And hey, we're going to keepdoing this until next time.
Keep the fire lit, keep yourmind sharp and close those
impossible deals.
Thank you for listening.
Bye.