Missed Quota Series: You Won Your Champion and Still Lost the Deal Here's Why | Donald C. Kelly - 1994

Today, most deals involve 11 to 13 decision-makers. Nobody wants to be the one held responsible if things go wrong. So instead of one decision-maker, you’re dealing with a full committee. That’s one of the biggest reasons deals stall, and that’s what we’re getting into in this Missed Quota episode.

Why Deals Stall Even When You Do Everything Right

• You’ve done your research. You ran a solid discovery. The demo went well. And then the deal just sits there.
• A lot of times, it’s because you didn’t know who was really involved in the decision.
• On top of that, buyers are spending less time talking to sellers. They’re doing their own research and only bringing you in for a small part of the process.
• That means if you’re not connected to the right people, you can lose the deal without even realizing it.

Build a Champion Toolkit

• If you have a champion inside the company, you need to set them up to win when you’re not in the room.
• That means giving them the right information to speak to different stakeholders. Think about what the CFO cares about. Think about legal, procurement, and leadership.
• Give your champion the tools to answer those questions so they can confidently represent your solution.

Map Out the Buying Committee Early

• Don’t wait until the deal slows down to figure out who’s involved. Work with your champion early to identify everyone who has a say in the decision.
• Then figure out what matters to each person. When you understand their priorities, you can tailor your approach instead of guessing.

Multi-thread Your Way Into the Deal

• Your champion can’t carry the entire deal on their own. Ask for introductions to other stakeholders. Get in front of people like the CFO or anyone else influencing the decision.
• Speaking directly to their concerns, makes it easier for the deal to move forward and take pressure off your champion.

“The first thing you need to recognize is that there are a lot more people involved in deals today than there used to be.” - Donald C. Kelly

Resources

• Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.
• Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.
• Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.