The Audible-Ready Sales Podcast Knowing When to Walk Away From a Deal
Jun 11, 2024
John Kaplan, an experienced B2B sales leader known for voracious qualification and practical negotiation advice, explains when to stop investing in bad deals. He outlines clear disqualifiers, when to take corrective action, and how a healthy pipeline gives leverage. Short, tactical, and focused on recognizing real walkaway points in negotiations.
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Practice Voracious Qualification
- Do practice voracious qualification by constantly and passionately qualifying deals to gain conviction about next steps.
- John Kaplan contrasts it with “always be closing,” urging qualification for confidence, not compliance with forecasts.
Gaps That Predict Inevitable Loss
- Insight: Certain missing elements in a deal mean proceeding guarantees failure unless corrected.
- John lists no champion, no business issue, no access to economic buyer, small problem size, and unfavorable decision criteria as fatal gaps.
Immediately Take Corrective Action
- Do immediately take corrective action when you identify qualification gaps instead of passively hoping the deal improves.
- John reframes 'walking away' as taking action: fill gaps, move opportunity to nurture, or deprioritize if you can't remediate.