Why deals won't close
Great conversations. Enthusiastic demos. "This looks amazing, let me talk to my team." And then silence. The deal doesn't die — it just never closes.
Take the assessmentWhat you're seeing
Prospects seem interested but won't commit. They ask for more information, another demo, a pilot, a discount. Decision timelines slip. New stakeholders appear. The deal enters an endless loop of "almost there" that never converts to revenue.
What's actually broken
When deals won't close, the usual suspect is the sales process. But more often, it's positioning. Your prospects don't have a clear enough understanding of why your product matters to justify the internal effort of buying. They liked the demo but can't articulate the ROI to their boss. They're interested but not convinced. Strong positioning gives prospects the language to sell internally — without it, even interested buyers stall because they can't champion the purchase.
Fix it in this order
- 1.
Ask why deals actually closed
Call your last 5 customers and ask: "What made you decide to buy?" and "What did you tell your team when you recommended us?" Their answers reveal your real positioning.
- 2.
Test your champion enablement
After your next demo, ask the prospect: "If you were explaining this to your CFO, what would you say?" If they struggle, your positioning isn't giving them the tools to sell internally.
- 3.
Simplify your value proposition
If it takes more than 2 sentences to explain what you do and why it matters, it's too complex. Prospects need a simple story they can repeat.
- 4.
Address the real objection
The stated objection ("we need to think about it") is rarely the real one. The real objection is usually "I can't justify this purchase to my team." Fix that with clearer ROI and positioning.
Explore the root causes
Related problems
Frequently asked questions about why deals won't close
- How do I know if it's a positioning problem or a pricing problem?
- If prospects say "it's too expensive," ask "compared to what?" If they compare you to competitors, it's pricing. If they compare you to doing nothing, it's positioning — they don't see enough value to justify any price.
- What if prospects love the demo but still won't buy?
- A great demo proves your product works. But "works" isn't enough to close a B2B deal. Buyers need to justify the purchase internally — they need ROI, a clear problem-solution fit, and the ability to explain it to stakeholders. If demos impress but don't convert, your positioning lacks business impact language.
- Should I offer discounts to close stalled deals?
- Almost never. If the deal stalled because of positioning, a discount doesn't fix the underlying problem — the buyer still can't justify the purchase internally. And once you discount, you've set a new price expectation. The exception: end-of-quarter deals where the buyer is ready but needs budget help.
- How many follow-ups is too many?
- If you've followed up 3+ times with no substantive response, the deal is dead — the prospect is just too polite to say no. Instead of following up again, try a different approach: share a relevant case study, introduce a new stakeholder, or simply ask "should I close this out?"