“Only one thing counts in this life…get them to sign on the line…” said Glengarry Glen Ross in the same-titled 1992 cutthroat sales thriller. (For all sales millennials, that movie is a must-watch, by the way.) 

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He’s right. 

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Unless you and your customer have a long-lasting bond where a simple handshake would suffice for an agreement (heavily ill-advised), there is no other way to build a credible and legally binding partnership. Whether it’s a gym membership, insurance contract, rental agreement or your Saturday cooking class, some sort of legally binding agreement will need to be approved before you can proceed to do business. 

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In a world where just about everything is doable online (instant ordering and delivery of groceries, on-demand drivers, paying for parking meters, and even video consultation with your doctor), signing documents and agreements should not require staining paper with wet ink! Even still, we’ve all been handed a clipboard full of forms when visiting a new doctor's office. During such an event, any smiles produced towards the providing party are simple acts of kindness, good manners, and courtesy. 

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The reality is, the less your customers need to fill out, the more encouraged they will be to sign-up and start using your product or service. 

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But imagine for a moment that you receive a bundle of paperwork that has the majority of the required information already populated in the document, leaving you with five items or less to address. And things like your name, address, number, etc. were already populated in their appropriate places, leaving you with only a few typed initials and a quick eSignature using your mouse or finger. Sounds pretty great, right? Your customers feel the same way. 

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Dropbox Sign makes it that simple. And that simplicity is a massive help to a sales guy like me when I'm working with customers. Here are a few tips to help you optimize your sales process and help you close deals faster by leveraging a few key Dropbox Sign features.

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1. When in Doubt, Fill it Out

When creating a template in the Dropbox Sign platform, you have the option to select “Me (when sending)." Choosing the "Me (when sending)" option enables you to fill out some info on the customer’s behalf, giving them less time to “think it over,” less work to do, and more incentive to get the deal done.

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For example, if you know their full name, birthday, etc., you can make it easier for them by populating that information in the document yourself. There is nothing more attractive about a contract that is >95% complete before you get your hands on it. Here's what a Waiver of Liability might look like as you're preparing the document:

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2. Don’t Duplicate; Automate

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Think back to the medical paperwork example I gave earlier. When you get that stack of forms at the doctor’s office, how many times do you run into a redundant question? My guess would be more times than you'd like. 

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Each time you ask a client to fill in a redundant form, you put friction on the deal. You're ready to close the deal while they're thinking, "Do I really need to handwrite my name four to six times for you to take my money or help me?" We understand the importance of having your customer’s name in numerous places of a document, but importance should not equate to inconvenience. 

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When you choose "Me (when sending)" for your document fields, you'll later be able to fill out these fields in one fell swoop when sending the document. 

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Here's how: 

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As soon as you select "Me (when sending)," you'll be prompted to create a "Field Label" for the text field. This label will indicate what information should be filled in when you're sending the document. 

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Once you format your document with the appropriate Field Labels, save the template to your Dropbox Sign dashboard. You'll be prompted to fill out these fields in an easy-to-navigate list form when you next send out the document, as seen below:

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Information you fill into those boxes will then populate any field in your template with the corresponding Field Label. Here's the end result:

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3. It’s All About “Me (Now)”

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During a sales cycle, you will run into documents or agreements that your customer will require of you as well. These documents can range from clean, downloaded PDFs to a picture of an NDA from the 90s that looks like it's been captured using a Nokia phone camera. 

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Whether it’s their own waiver, a Master Service Agreement, or a receipt that needs a quick label and approval, don’t sell yourself short by going back to the “printing and signing” old days. With the “Me (Now)” text box option, you have the flexibility to enter information into any electronic document, however ancient it may be. 

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Your customers will be blown away by the professionalism, clarity and most importantly, fast turn-around time.

What Are You Waiting For?

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The bottom line is that we all need our customers to sign on the dotted line. My message to you is to use Dropbox Sign to get it done faster, and in a way that makes your customer happy to sign your contract!

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If you're interested in learning more about how Dropbox Sign can help you, visit our homepage.