I was participating in a LinkedIn group for sales execs lately, and the question came up,”How do I add urgency to contracts so prospects sign faster?”

It was an interesting question that sparked a lot of discussion.

And I’m guessing that since someone asked that question, many of you have it too.

Let me explain some tips and tracks for getting more contracts signed, and with greater speed:

1. Remember What’s Important to Your Prospect

During your conversations with your client, you should have heard many facts about their situation. You should have those written down to refer back to.

When writing the contract, that’s the last of many places you should bring those facts up again. Customizing your contract to your prospect’s conditions makes a huge impact on whether they act or not.

So here’s a couple examples of what to do:

• Signing this contract by

');

[DATE] means [XYZ COMPANY] gets service by [DATE]. If you know they desperately need service by a certain date, this is one way to make it more likely to happen.

• Should [COMPANY XYZ] sign this contract by [DATE], they will also get [XYZ SERVICES] at no additional charge. Some prospects want price discounts for no good reason. This is a great way to get around that and keep them happy.

2. Remind Them how to Avoid A Painful, Undesirable Outcome

Legendary marketers have proven again and again prospects are more likely to act to avoid pain than they are to gain a benefit. So in your contract, and your proposals too, you want to focus on the problems your prospect will continue to experience should they not sign.

Put discussion of this at the beginning and end of the contract where prospects will most likely read. If you talk about the problem in the middle, it’s easier to glance over and forget.

Again, the pain should be to the facts of your prospect’s situation as you understand them. A cookie-cutter contract with the same vague problems that’s sent to everyone won’t be nearly as effective.

Examples of things to say:

• Contract for Services for [XYZ COMPANY] so You Avoid a 10.3% Increase in Customer Churn – This is a possible title.

• If [XYZ COMPANY] doesn’t sign the contract by [DATE], you will continue to experience feast and famine cycles, low lead quality, and missed quarterly revenues. – Again, the pain should be customized as you best understand it.

• Should [XYZ COMPANY] not sign this contract, their competitors will continue to steal high-quality leads they should be getting. The sales manager’s job may be in jeopardy. – With this one, you’re getting personal in speaking directly to the sales manager. That can be an even bigger motivator than any pain the company itself experiences.

 3. Connect Beneficial Solutions to Each Pain Point

While focusing on the problem initially gets attention and is more likely to cause action, you should talk about the solution too. You don’t need to talk about it as much. And it doesn’t need to be as obvious.

But it should be discussed because that’s important to your prospects too.

Do those tactics in a custom way for each prospect, and I guarantee you will sign more contracts with greater speed.