Why I No Longer Panic When a Deal Falls Apart
Sales can be emotional.
We’re paid to stay calm. To be strategic. To hold the line while our clients spiral.
But what about when a deal falls apart?
I had a stubborn seller, a chaotic buyer, and an agent on the other side doing nothing.
At the 11th hour, on the day of the closing, the buyer dug her heels in and said, “I’m not buying this.”
The seller started yelling. The buyer started yelling.
Back in the day, that would’ve made me panic.
On the inside, I’d be thinking about all the work I had done, all the work I’d still have to do, and the big question: now what?
But I’ve learned that panic energy takes me out of my strategic mind and puts me in the same mindset as the clients, which is often unhinged.
So I stayed quiet. I stayed calm.
I turned to my client and said, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
We stepped outside. I let her rant. Then I said, “Let’s walk.”
She looked at me. “What?”
“Let’s not close. We’ll put it back on the market. I can’t tell you when it’ll sell or for how much, but it will sell.”
She paused.
Then said, “I don’t want to do that.”
And now we had something to work with.
What I’ve realized is that when a deal falls apart, everyone in the room is focused on themselves. I was doing the same.
But now I shift. I focus on the options. I take myself out of the equation.
Because either way, I’ll still be working, so why panic?
When everyone else loses their mind, your job is to keep yours.
