The Secret to Closing More Deals Isn’t Selling Harder, It’s a Better Process.
If you’re losing deals you should be winning, the problem isn’t your pitch.
It’s your discovery.
Most sales calls sound good — until they don’t.
Buyers nod politely.
They ask for pricing.
Then they ghost.
Why?
Because real buying decisions are made in the discovery phase
before the deck, before the close, before the “follow-up.”
Step 1: Buyer Psychology
Pain is the real driver not dreams, not features.
People are 2X as motivated to avoid loss than to pursue gain.
Sales conversations framed around avoiding pain close 30% higher than conversations framed around gaining a benefit.
Before a buyer moves, there must be a trigger event a recent change or disruption that makes the pain urgent.
No trigger = no change.
STEP 2: Discovery Questions
Never move forward until pain is clearly identified and emotionally connected.
- Three levels deep in pain is the magic number.
“Tell me more.”
“What have you tried?”
“What happens if this doesn’t change?”
“Who else is affected by this?”
Then quantify the cost of inactionv time, money, people, stress.
The deeper you go, the stronger your leverage.
Step 3: Qualifications
Once pain is exposed, test if it’s enough to close using 5 conviction based questions:
After uncovering pain, test the buyer’s conviction, confidence, urgency, and decision factors.
If their commitment is weak or unclear, move on or drop them into a nurture path.
PRO TIP: 1-10 Questions are exceptional here!
You can give the homeless man a test drive but its not the best use of your time.
Step 4: Reframe
(Shift the Power, Stay in Control)
Most reps make the mistake of thinking they need to have all the answers. They don’t, the buyer does.
It’s the buyer’s business, their problem, and their decision. \Your role is to guide, not solve.
Stay in control by returning objections with smart questions.
Pendulum teaches restraint — you lead the conversation by helping the buyer find clarity for themselves.
Step 5:Presentation
Sell the Outcome, Not the Product
You only present after pain, qualification, and reframing are locked in. Focus on:
Benefits, not features
Outcomes, not options
Sell the destination not the plane ride
ROI, not price
Tie everything back to their pain.
You’re not here to impress you’re here to connect. You should be talking less than 45% of the time.
Step 6: Tie-Down & Close
(Lock Belief, Then the Deal)
Most reps lose the deal right at the finish line — not because of price, but because of doubt.
Before you close, you must lock in total confidence or the deal will slip through your fingers.
Top closers don’t ask for permission — they move forward like it’s already decided.
Step 7:Objection Handling
Use this every time. Simple. Repeatable. Effective.
• Acknowledge: “Totally understand.”
• Isolate: “Is it just the budget, or something else?”
• Reframe: “Let me ask — what’s the cost of doing nothing?”
• Loop: Back to pain → back to value → reclose.
When you get surface-level brush-offs like:
• “I need to think about it.”
• “Send me some info.”
• “Now’s not the right time.”
PRO TIP: Use this line:
“Are you 100% confident in what we’ve walked through?”
“Typically when I hear that, it’s because of one of three things. Which is it for you?”
