CEO asked for a quote a year ago, said he'd 'think about it' - how do I close the sale?

Forget about last year unless he remembers you (likely won't). Treat him like a new(ish) up. You are likely cold to him. Which is good because if I was in his situation and remembered you I would wonder why you never contacted me again. And that tells me you won't be around when I need you.

Tim,

I think you're a little late, but I guess you can call back to see if he even remembers you.

The thing I find most concerning is that it has been a year and you still don't have your first client? Something is wrong there... even the crappiest sales people, and unmotivated people can get their first client in a month or less. Why has it taken you over a year? Do you not try very hard, or is it like a thing on the side for you? What's the deal?

Thanks for your replies.

I gave up after not really having the confidence or a strategy to implement - I didn't really have much direction.

Trying to get back into it now and I want to start taking action tomorrow. I live in a small village so there's nothing I can really target locally. This guy owned a construction company in the US (i'm in the UK)

As others have pointed out, you haven't taken this seriously or applied yourself consistently. Closing is the least of your problems. You need a sales funnel and a process. Right now you don't have either.

Check out this post in a thread by another designer experiencing similar issues as yourself.

Ok Tim, I would say the chances are pretty good you have lost this one but these are some classic responses to the "Let me think about it" objection They can be tailored to fit any situation. Good luck!

1. Listen to the Objection. Don't jump all over the prospect as soon as he says "But what about-." Give him a chance to explain exactly what's bothering him. Don't just tune him out, either - listen. You can pick up some really valuable clues from the way a prospect phrases his objection.
2. Say it Back to the Prospect. When you're absolutely sure the prospect is done talking, look thoughtful for a moment and then repeat back the gist of what he's said. Something like "I see, you're concerned about maintenance costs" is fine. This both shows that you were listening and gives him a chance to clarify. "Well, it's not so much the cost I'm worried about as the downtime."
3. Explore the Reasoning. Sometimes the first objections aren't the prospect's real concern. For example, many prospect don't want to admit that they don't have enough money to buy your product, so they'll raise a host of other objections instead. Before you launch into answering an objection, ask a few exploratory questions, like "Is product downtime a particular issue? Have you had trouble with it before?" Draw the prospect out a bit.
4. Answer the Objection. Once you understand the objection completely, you can answer it. When a customer raises an objection, they're actually expressing fear. Your task at this point is to relieve their fears. If you have specific examples, such as a story from an existing customer or a few statistics, by all means present them - hard facts make your response stronger.
5. Check Back with the Prospect. Take a moment to confirm that you've answered the prospect's objection fully. Usually this is as simple as saying, "Does that make sense?" or "Have I answered your concern?"
6. Redirect the Conversation. Bring the prospect back into the flow of the appointment. If you're in the middle of your presentation when the prospect raises his objection, then once you've answered it quickly summarize what you'd been talking about before you move on. If you've finished your pitch, check if the prospect has any other objections, and then start closing the sale.

provide him data on what his competitors have been doing in your niche over the past year. Show him he is losing ground by not going forward. Also focus on removing risk for him to go forward rather than just all the benefits. The biggest mistake marketers do is ignore the "removal of risk" and fear of loss as a motivator, which arguably are bigger motivators for people than reaping rewards.