Field Notes
Three Deals This Week: What I Observed Testing Different Approaches
"The deal where I talked the least closed the fastest. Coincidence? I'm not so sure anymore."
12 Articles
Field Notes
A Junior Sales Rep Asked Why His ‘Perfect’ Pitch Keeps Losing
"He did everything right. That was the problem."
Field Notes
Overheard a Sales Manager Say ‘Push Harder.’ Watching What Happens.
"Push harder. That's the answer to everything, apparently. I decided to watch what actually happens when a team takes that…
Field Notes
Why the Best Sales Closes Happen When You Stop Talking
"I didn't close him. He closed himself. He built the case, ran the numbers, and talked himself into it while…
Field Notes
The Sales Discovery Experiment: Fewer Questions, More Listening
"I asked half the questions I normally ask. I got twice the information. Something is very wrong with how we're…
Field Notes
What Happened When a CFO Told Me to Stop Selling
"He said 'Stop selling me.' Every instinct screamed to recover, to pivot, to salvage. Instead, I stopped. And everything changed."
Field Notes
Why a Competitor Won Our Deal by Doing Less
"We had more demos, more calls, more touches, more everything. And we lost. The competitor who won had half our…
Field Notes
Tested ‘Pulling Back’ on a Stalled Deal. It Worked.
"I did the opposite of everything I'd been trained to do. And the deal came back to life."
Field Notes
Two Deals, Same Product, Opposite Outcomes. Why?
"Same product. Same price. Same market. One closed in three weeks. One died after four months. The only difference was…
Field Notes
A Rep Told Me ‘You’re Different.’ I Asked What He Meant.
"You don't push. Everyone else pushes. You just... don't."