Chris Derullieux 🟣’s Post

Stop asking your buyer to quantify their pain as a way to identify urgency early in the deal cycle. It’s salesy and the numbers are all made up. Instead, ask “how else have you tried to solve this problem?” If they haven’t been actively trying to solve the problem, you haven’t identified a real pain. If they have been trying (and failing) to solve the problem, you are on the right track. Save quantifying pain for when you are building a business case with your champion. Use the “how else have you tried to solve this problem?” question to see if it’s worth your time to build a business case.

Do you have zombie deals in your pipeline? 🧟♂️ You know? Those opportunities that keep getting pushed quarter to quarter but should be closed lost instead. They inflate your pipeline amount with half-dead deals that should be put to rest. Causes for this: - Makes your pipeline look optically better. - Too much of a focus on a 3-4x pipeline to quota coverage. - False sense of consistently growing pipeline. But you hear from your reps, “But there’s still a possibility…” In most cases, you’re better off closing them and reopening an opportunity if they return to life. How to avoid this: ✅ Clearly defined processes for when an opportunity is created and closed. ✅ Focusing on pipeline creation as a leading indicator, not a lagging indicator. ✅ Prioritizing the quality of pipeline rather than the quantity. ✅ Flagging deals that are outdated and have a cycle longer than the average. ✅ Inspecting opportunities with no recent activity despite being near the close date. Keeping the pipeline clean (and alive) is time-consuming but necessary. To start, have regular pipeline reviews to inspect the health of your deals Get to the real opportunities now rather than risking the consequences of the zombie pipeline down the road. Do you have zombie deals in your pipeline?

"Never ASSUME anything—when you do, you risk making an ASS out of U and ME." I can’t count how many deals I’ve lost due to my own assumptions. This usually happens when I'm behind my numbers and get a sting of "happy ears”, hearing what I want to hear instead of focusing on the facts. One strategy that’s really helped me is identifying what I actually know for certain. Write it down. Then sit with your manager or a teammate and have them challenge you on it. Ask yourself: What do we know for sure? How can we be certain? No assumptions. Just Actual Facts. I’ve found this approach to be incredibly valuable to find gaps in deals, especially during Deal Reviews. Shoutout to Nicholas Wikman ☁️ for the above quote 😊 Over and out!

How do you handle gatekeepers when trying to reach a decision-maker? Do absolutely everything in your power to get the decision maker on the call. Otherwise, build a strong impression and eliminate as many objections as possible so they can show their boss.

Do you know how to really IMPACT your Pipeline? Most pipe metrics are pretty lagging. ✖ We lost this deal ✖ We won this deal ✖ The forecast is off target These are not leading indicators that we can jump in and take action on. But what if we can see that our progression from the proposal stage is performing 5pts worse than it was last month? What would we do about that? ❇ Maybe listen to some proposal calls to get ideas ❇ Maybe reformat the proposal ❇ Maybe take extra care about who it is sent to ❇ Maybe add an ABM play to those decision makers A lot can happen when you take a closer look at *pipeline progression* It takes some time to develop your own benchmarks for how the progression could / should perform. But a super powerful leading indicator! Do you measure this? Have you made it part of your pipe mgmt playbook?

3 steps I use to move a deal from 1st meeting to Closed/Won. 1. Quantify Value ↳ Identify their metrics, goals, KPI's. - Establish a baseline. Where they are now vs. where they'll be with us. - Develop the business case (what we're solving for/doing for them) 2. Identify Risks ↳ What risks stand in the way of getting it done? - Internal risks - External risks 3. Apply the Mechanism/Solution ↳ What's the method, step-by-step, to get them from here to their ideal state? - From they are to where they want to be - Lay it out, address the risks and assure you achieve the specific value promised. If you can do those 3 things on every first call, you'll win more deals. If you do it and you don't close more, let me help you. No catches, no strings. If it still doesn't help, I'll buy you lunch.

Closing a deal can be challenging, but with the right strategies, you can improve your success rate. Start by identifying decision-makers and qualifying pain points! https://bit.ly/47qmp0K

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗕𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 I recently experienced a situation with a deal where the other side made unexpected changes to a material deal term at the last minute. It wasn’t about adapting to new information or responding to market changes—it was a fundamental shift in a foundational term we had agreed upon early on. This wasn’t just about dollars or timelines; it was a red flag about values, transparency, and operational style. More often than not, this behavior hints at a turbulent operational style that could complicate everything from day-to-day interactions to long-term success. The lesson? It’s always better to see these warning signs before the ink dries. An unmet promise or inconsistent values today often evolve into larger problems down the road. Every deal that doesn’t get signed opens up bandwidth to pursue partners who operate with transparency and integrity. It’s a relief when those values are clear before anyone’s committed. Sometimes, walking away is the best step forward. #scalingwellness

Whenever you're stuck, try inverting the problem. Ask yourself, What do I want to avoid? For instance, if you want to be a better partner, ask yourself, What does a bad partner do? Poor partners don't invest in or spend enough time on a relationship, break trust, and don't communicate well. Avoid these behaviors and you’ll become a much better partner.

Have a closing problem? It’s almost never about closing. It’s something before that. 93% of the time. It’s probably… ⚫️ A connection issue (do they like you/your people?) ⚫️ A discovery issue (are you finding the real issue, or just assuming?) ⚫️ A posture issue (do they have confidence in you/your team?) ⚫️ A process issue (did you do the right things in the right order?) ⚫️ A value issue (do they believe you can solve their problem?) ⚫️ A personnel issue (are you talking to all the people - or the right people - calling the shots?) the rest of the time - it’s about asking for the business. Is this problem? 🤷 Sit in on calls. Review them. If you know the process your people should be going through, you’ll be able to diagnose it quickly. Can you?