Stop chasing "maybe" deals

Today’s Skill: Disqualifying Prospects

Have you ever worked with a client knowing it wasn’t a great fit or they were going to be a nightmare to deal with? (Guilty 🙋🏻‍♂️)

Sometimes, we avoid that “gut feeling” even when we know we should listen to it.

And, I totally get it and can relate. When you’re trying to grow, It feels like every lead is gold and if we say “No” too early then we might lose out on revenue.

But, I’m here to tell you that by letting go earlier, you might gain a whole lot back. More time to invest in the right clients, better client references and maybe even a little sanity along the way.

Today, let’s shine light on the blindspots earlier so we can disqualify with confidence and move on to bigger and better things.

What Disqualification Really Means

Disqualifying isn’t about rejection. It’s about focus on the right values and priorities to grow your business.

To do that, you have to have a respect for your time and for theirs.

The best sellers know how to:

• Spot a mismatch early → This could be with need, budget, urgency or even personality.

• Say “not right now” with confidence → It doesn’t mean you can’t work with them at some point, you just don’t invest the energy if they aren’t doing the same. I like to meet them where they are.

• Stay top of mind for when the timing is right → The relationship might be great but the timing might be off. Knowing how to stay connected without being annoying helps build a longer tail of future pipeline.

Most founders? They chase every “maybe” even if it doesn’t feel right.

Common Traps That Keep You in “Maybe” Land

Here are 5 signs you’re stuck with a deal that needs disqualifying.

They won’t name the problem

“We’re just exploring” is not a buying signal. Likely, it’s someone who is bored or unfocused and this is the new shiny object they are looking at. If you cannot pinpoint an actual need or problem on the first call then why are we talking right now?

→ The Right Action: Ask them to do an internal audit on where they think they need the most help regarding the topic you’re discussing. Have them come up with a “top 3 priority list” and send it to you. What likely happens, they never do this work and you just saved yourself hours of wasted “discovery”.

There’s no urgency

If someone is coming to you with a problem but they can’t identify when they need to solve the problem by, you should see a big red flag waiving. It’s okay if it’s “We are exploring options so we can hit the ground running on this in Q2 next year.” That’s fine. That’s some direction. What isn’t helpful is “I’m just seeing what is out there…” or “We aren’t sure yet.”

→ The Right Action: If you ask, “When would you need to solve this problem by?” and they don’t have an answer there is no reason that you can’t say, “It looks like you have some other priorities to handle first, why don’t we set up time to reconnect next quarter and see where you are at. If anything changes, we can talk sooner.” Unprioritized problems never get solved because they aren’t big enough to invest money or time into. Spot these early!

They won’t bring in others

If you’re selling B2B then there are likely other voices involved in a decision. If the person you’re dealing with is always going back to “talk internally” yet is unable to share details or bring those people on a call then that’s a big issue. They either don’t have the decision power or this is not as important as they are leading on.

→ The Right Action: You need to decide if this is the type of relationship you want to have with a client if they signed on. Just know what you might be getting into. I think it’s fair to be direct and share with them that it’s hard to understand the full scope of their need without hearing other voices. Simply ask, “Why are other people involved in this decision unwilling or unable to join on a call?” That’s not being confrontational, that’s being confident. Their answer will tell you everything.

They can’t make a decision

We all know these prospects. They always have one more question, need to see one more demo, or need to think about it for a little longer. They become “Time Robbers”. They are trying to soak up every ounce of knowledge out of you but can’t actually commit to something more serious. Or equally worse, they are indecisive.

→ The Right Action: You need to have the difficult conversation. It’s a great spot for a question like “Are there any final concerns before you’re ready to partner on this project?” or “Something seems to be holding you back from making a decision on this, what is it?” Put a line in the sand and stick to your guns. They are welcome to take time to think about it but you can’t be showing up on call after call without any direction.

They are “non-responsive”

Remember that client that said they need to think about it but never got back to you? Chances are they are not going to do anything. Now, I do want you to have a bit of empathy because things do happen so a respectful follow-up or two over a few week period is fine. If they continue to “ghost” you then have some respect for yourself and stop reaching out. It reminds me of the relationship advice, “If they wanted to, they would.”

→ The Right Action: Send a short but direct email removing the fluff. Ask, “Was this project still a priority for this quarter or have timelines changed?” or “When would it make sense to connect again about this project?” If you can’t get any response out of those go ahead and disqualify.

One caveat: If you truly thought it was a great fit, I’d make a task to follow-up in 3 months to see if things have changed on their end. Life happens. That one more outreach isn’t going to hurt and you may get a positive response after all.

What You Can Say Instead

Once you can spot the “Time Robbers”, you are likely going to have to set a clear path forward.

Here are three simple ways to disqualify with professionalism:

1. If timing is off: “Based on what you’ve shared, it seems like timing or priority might not be aligned. Should we revisit this in a few months instead of forcing it now?”

2. If it’s not the right fit: “I don’t think we’re the right fit for what you’re trying to solve right now but I know someone who might be.”

3. If they haven’t responded when they said they would: “Is this a project you’re still focused on or have priorities shifted? Either way is fine and just wanted to know how we want to proceed. Let me know what you’re thinking and we can go in either direction.”

You can leave the door open for future conversations or be a “go giver” and pass along to someone who would serve them better.

You just need to stay in control otherwise your time and energy can be wasted.

Final Thoughts

There is no perfect discovery formula or disqualification plan. It goes back to “gut feeling” most of the time. If you become keenly aware of what a great client looks like, you can start to spot “Time Robbers” much quicker.

🚩 Here’s a list of clear “Red Flags”. If any of these are present, you need to get clear on them or disqualify quickly.

• No clear response to “What’s the problem you’re trying to solve?”

• Avoids giving specifics around timeline or urgency.

• Won’t introduce you to other stakeholders.

• Wants pricing but unable to share budget.

• Repeatedly postpones next steps.

• “Kicking tires” with no buying authority.

• Wants a free trial but won’t commit to next call.

• Talks more about features than outcomes.

• Very indecisive about the direction to go.

• Vague answers instead of clear answers.

• Often delayed / non-responsive to emails.

Your Action Item

Find one stalled deal in your pipeline.

Send them a short message to get a direction one way or another. Use empathy but make a direct ask.

Then, if you don’t hear back from them in a week or so, move it to Closed-Lost with a follow-up task in 90 days.

I’d rather a small pipeline that is strong because now you’re focused on the best opportunities to drive business growth.