We asked three sales leaders about developments late in a deal that aren't as positive as they seem

What’s a signal that might seem positive in a late-stage deal but actually predicts it won’t sign?

Leslie Venetz

Founder - The Sales-led GTM Agency

"Budget is no concern” and "I'm the decision-maker; nobody else needs to approve this" are tied. 

Both of them indicate that it's not a *real* deal because budget is always a concern and somebody else always needs to approve the deal. 

I've heard some variation of those lines on dozens of sales calls for over 20 years.

In most cases, a prospect volunteers that information when they want to feel a level of ownership that doesn't match their actual influence within the organization. 

Collin Cadmus

Founder - Collin Cadmus, LLC.

Let's assume you've established a Mutual Action Plan with your buyer, mapped out the basic steps in their buying process, and agreed upon them. ​

You've done all that and things are going smoothly.

Suddenly, there's a request for more demos or meetings with additional stakeholders you were unaware of.

​That might seem like you're moving the ball forward, but it's often problematic. ​

Now, you're no longer sticking to an agreed-upon plan — meaning that plan is no longer meaningful and you can't predict what's to come. ​

That doesn't mean you should refuse or push back, but you may want to take a beat and reiterate the original plan.

Recognize that this new development deviates from it, and ask for clarification around what role the additional will play. 

Davidson Hang

Head of Business Development - Untap Your Sales Potential

Champion enthusiasm without access to the decision-maker — or when your contact doesn't know the approval process or put the next meeting on the calendar.

There always has to be a next step. Otherwise, it’s not going to go anywhere. That’s where people-pleasing can hurt us as sellers.

We become good at sales because we are chameleons and can get along with people, but we avoid asking the question that might make things uncomfortable.

Enthusiasm feels good, but I’d look for action that requires more give and take from the champion.

If it feels one-sided, I’m questioning how committed they really are or if the right people are getting involved.

I’ve lost lots of deals where we didn’t get full executive buy-in, even though the champion was very involved.