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How to Know if Your Deal is Going South Sooner than Later | Andee Harris - 2036

The Sales Evangelist

28m
Transcript

Original podcast

Summary

Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.

In this archived episode of The Sales Evangelist, host Donald C. Kelly talks with Andee Harris from Challenger about how salespeople can recognize when a deal is going south before it is too late. Harris explains that traditional relationship sellers often struggle in uncertain economic times because they avoid difficult conversations and accept polite reassurances instead of honest feedback. The discussion explores practical strategies for maintaining continuous feedback loops during sales cycles, understanding stakeholder dynamics, and treating the sales process more collaboratively rather than waiting until a deal is closed and lost.

  • Avoid relying solely on polite customer responses and instead seek continuous, honest feedback throughout the entire sales process. 9:01
  • Identify true decision-makers early to prevent deals from unexpectedly ending in a no-decision outcome. 13:53
  • Pay close attention to changes in prospect engagement and be willing to adjust your approach or switch account coverage when necessary. 11:14

Chapters

  1. 0:00
    Episode Intro and Sponsor Highlights

    The host opens with sponsor messages and a brief overview of the episode’s focus on deal health.

  2. 1:53
    Defining Deal Health and Early Warning Signs

    Donald introduces the main question about spotting deals that are turning south and sets the stage for Andy Harris’s insights.

  3. 2:44
    Andy Harris Introduces Challenger and Loop

    Andy explains his background at Challenger, the Challenger Sales model, and introduces the Loop product for continuous feedback.

  4. 12:47
    Continuous Feedback as a Deal‑Health Tool

    Andy details how Loop captures post‑call feedback to surface red flags before a deal closes.

Highlights

  • 4:04

    Value of Praisestory

    The guest jokes about appreciating praise because she has teenage children at home who offer none.

  • 4:15

    About Challengerinsight

    The guest explains that Challenger is a sales tech enablement training company based on the 2010 bestselling book The Challenger Sale.

  • 6:52

    Relationship Sellers Underperformdata

    The guest shares that relationship sellers turn out to be the least productive sales profile, especially during uncertain economic times.

  • 13:53

    Uncovering Decision Makersinsight

    The guest notes that survey feedback often reveals that the person a seller thought was the decision maker actually is not.

  • 14:03

    High No-Decision Ratedata

    The guest highlights that 38% of deals end in no decision, underscoring the need to guide buyers effectively.

  • 16:53

    The Post-Call Discussionstrategy

    The host shares a tactic of having post-call debriefs with key stakeholders to uncover real strategy and insights.

  • 17:37

    Origin of Loopstory

    The guest explains how a product demo experience inspired the creation of Loop to capture what happens after Zoom calls end.

Quotes

  • “You start ignoring them, but perhaps it will work out.”
    Unnamed speaker · 2:04
  • “We use feedback and recognition as part of that.”
    Unnamed speaker · 12:57
  • “38% of deals end in no decision.”
    Unnamed speaker · 14:03
  • HubSpot 0:00–0:44
  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator 0:39–1:26
  • Blue Mango Studios 1:28–2:04
  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator 1:31–1:42

About this episode

Sometimes the best way to close more deals isn't by adding new people to your pipeline (though that's always a good thing.) Instead, the best thing is to address the issues that make a deal fail before they fail. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, I joined the CEO of Challenger, Andee Harris, to get her take on failed deals and how to address those issues directly with our prospects. Challenger is a sales training company: The Challenger Sale https://www.amazon.com/Challenger-Sale-Control-Customer-Conversation/dp/0670922854/ by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson explains many of the principles Challenger uses in their training. Early sellers might be timid, which usually leads to a failure to recognize when a deal isn't moving in the right direction. In Andee's experience, continuous feedback is a great way to course-correct throughout the sales process to tailor the experience and selling strategy to the specific prospect. Passive selling isn't the best form of selling for either party. Taking control of the purchase and helping the buyer buy the product is your job. Three ways to notify deals before they go south: Integrate an avenue for continuous feedback. If a buyer likes you as a sales rep, they'll want to share methods to improve their experience. Realize that one size doesn't fit all. What works for one client might not work for another. Constantly be learning. Be curious, and look to understand and be self-aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Andee's final takeaway? Understand that we're in a complex selling environment. Multiple factors influence the selling process, but it isn't impossible to create wins and do phenomenally well. To get in touch with Andee, visit challengerinc.com https://www.challengerinc.com/our-story/ or connect with Andee on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andeeharris/. Sponsorship Offers 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 https://www.hubspot.com/products/sales. 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 https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/cx/20/09/sales-navigator-podcast?src=re-pod&trk=tse&veh=tse&mcid=6897323946090332160. 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 https://tsesales.typeform.com/to/UCMfjZbX. 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 http://thesalesevangelist.com/survey. https://tsesales.typeform.com/to/lc5yAa8P We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sales-evangelist/id788738885, Google Podcast https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3RoZXNhbGVzZXZhbmdlbGlzdC5saWJzeW4uY29tL3Jzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj5kaXI3Pj2AhVKcjABHW5PDVwQ9sEGegQIARAC, Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-sales-evangelist-sales-trainingspeakingbusiness-marketingdonald, or Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1NjzsFjQwVrgboUfDvbzd5?si=LdQOJDc1T-WBPMxr1h3RsA. Audio provided by Free SFX, https://freesfx.co.uk/ Soundstripe https://soundstripe.com/, and Bensound http://www.bensound.com/. 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.

Transcript

0:00
28:40

6,058 words · 2 speakers

Topics

  • LinkedIn
  • Loop
  • Chorus
  • Gong
  • Challenger Inc
  • High Ground
  • The Challenger Sale
  • Arlington, Virginia
  • TSC Studios

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