⛰️ success begins at peak

Prospect types you should actually care about

Blair Carey points out how short-term thinking usually misses most of the market — and the biggest sales opportunity. Focus on the whole market and qualify them beforehand:

➤ Short-term buyers (3–5%)

➤ They know problems and are looking for a solution now.

➤ These are currently your fastest-moving prospect deals.

➤ Prioritize them first — but don’t depend on them entirely.

➤ Medium-term buyers (35%)

⇒ They know said problems, or are open to learning, but not actively solving it yet.

⇒ These buyer market population needs education, trust, and steady engagement.

➤ Long-term prospects (30%)

❖ They don’t experience or see problem or navigate pain (yet).

❖ You need to shift their mindset before any sale can happen.

And the rest? Rejected your type of solution → don’t spend more time here right now.

What to do for buyers instead

If you optimize for deals this current quarter, you’ll never build pipeline for the next one.

✔ Invest in content thats educational and builds awareness

✔ Stay visible with medium- and possible long-term clients

✔ Give reasons to act — make them learn something new

These activities don’t close deals tomorrow but they create your future pipeline.

Adjust your focus consistently

When you’re early-stage or under pressure:

↳ Put 35% of your effort into medium- and long-term prospects.

↳ However, never let those numbers drop to zero anytime.

Pipeline maturity comes from long-term consistency.

You need to build trust for the buying windows to open.

By then, your “future buyers” won’t feel cold since they’ll already know you.

Build culture that welcomes everyone involved

Ray Higdon discusses two leadership approaches for coaching underperforming sales reps, ensuring your people get back on track and improve their sales performance:

Start with performance and values

If your reps are salaried or occupying limited seats, evaluate them on two axes: performance and alignment with your values.

❖ Perform + share values → Promote them

❖ Don’t perform + don’t share values → Let them go

❖ Don’t perform + do share values → Coach them

❖ Perform + don’t share values → Still let them go

A sales rep who performs but clashes with your culture will poison the team.

If you’re thinking of firing someone, you probably already know the answer.

Coaching reps who pay to be there

Many are just paying to be part of your systems built.

They’re not wasting your money if they underperform.

But you might be making them feel like a failure for not meeting your goals.

✱ Don’t project your ambition onto them

✱ Don’t assume they’re in it for the money

✱ Don’t push those who never said they wanted to be pushed

⇒ Some people just want community, product access, or light involvement.

⇒ Others treat it like a social club and have no interest in being top earners.

Your job is to build a culture where everyone feels good regardless of ambition.

Culture is letting people feel good no matter their level of desire or level of result.

What to do with reps who want more

When someone raises their hand and says they want to earn more:

1. Don’t flood them with trainings or long checklists

2. Pray for them (if aligned with both your values)

3. Give one small improvement step at a time

Examples:

• “Watch the welcome video and report back in”

• “Prospect 2 people and tell me how it went”

• “Post a video about why you like the product”

✔ Keep their actions bite-sized, consistent, and manageable

✔ Make them report: it builds momentum and accountability

Celebrate team regardless of outcome

Most people leave because they feel like a disappointment.

They’re not meeting expectations they never agreed to in the first place.

⇢ Stop calling them underperformers no matter what

⇢ Show gratitude to anyone who buys, or participates

⇢ Treat people like valued customers, not just producers

Think of how you'd treat a loyal restaurant customer who visits every year.

You’d be giving thanks always. You’d remember their names.

You wouldn’t pressure in eating more. Same with your team.

Fix weak discovery using just one question

Dominic Blank provides simple training formats that gradually fixes specific sales problems most high-performing teams struggle with. Here’s how he does it:

Fix shallow discovery with follow-up touches

Reps often stop at surface-level challenges and don’t go deeper.

✔ Run call listening sprints using discovery calls from top reps

✔ Assign one task: Write down every follow-up question used

✔ Debrief and roleplay follow-ups only—no additional pitching

Saying “Tell me more” is a great way to begin your into.

You’ll quickly see calls get more thoughtful and layered.

Get unstuck in complex deals with reviews

When your deals stall, it’s usually because reps are flying solo with one contact.

❖ Pick your 3 stuck deals

❖ Ask:

⇒ Who’ are being involved?

⇒ Who’s currently missing?

⇒ What’s the alignment strategy?

❖ Let your teams challenge each deal’s stakeholder map

❖ Build a shared engagement plan and repeat bi-weekly

This forces strategic thinking and better deal control.

Pressure train reps by stabilizing mentality

If reps freeze or pitch too fast when objections hit, they need practice under fire.

⇢ Build an effective, reliable list of your top 5–15 objections

⇢ Throw them at reps one at a time during “hot seat” sessions

⇢ Have their peers give feedback first, upward to your manager

⇢ Iterate, repeat, and strengthen. Always reach for consistency

These moments simulate real pressure and build confidence through repetition.

They’re always built for live pressure, peer feedback, and behavioral changes.

TO-GO

Matt Green: Measure what actually builds revenue pipeline

Leslie Venetz: Dials mean nothing without this coaching shift

Todd Busler: How fast-moving teams close prospects faster

Ryan Staley: Transform by focusing on cases, not buzzwords