Top 3 Reasons Why Your Deals are Slipping (and How to Fix it)

Have you ever watched a "sure thing" deal evaporate right before your quarterly close?

I've sat in countless sales war rooms where leaders confidently projected their forecast, only to scramble for explanations when those same deals slipped or disappeared entirely.

Let's be brutally honest.

Your deals aren't slipping – they were never truly committed in the first place.

The uncomfortable reality is that most sales organizations operate on a foundation of wishful thinking rather than concrete buyer signals.

I've analyzed thousands of stalled deals across industries, and three critical blindspots consistently sabotage even the most promising opportunities.

What's worse? Most sales leaders don't even realize they have these blindspots until it's too late.

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Reason #1: You're Measuring Seller Activity, Not Buyer Engagement

I ask sales leaders this question all the time: "How do you know your buyers are actually committed?" The uncomfortable shifting and reluctant glances tell me everything I need to know.

The hard truth is you're likely building your forecast on a gut feel and emotions.

The Problem:

• Email opens don't indicate buying intent – they show curiosity at best
• "Good vibes" from your rep's last call are worthless predictors of close dates
• Activity metrics create the dangerous illusion of progress

I recently worked with a CRO who was shocked to discover their top-forecasted deal hadn't engaged with a single piece of content in three weeks. Their champion was responsive on calls but hadn't done anything to advance the deal internally. Classic buying theater.

The Solution:

Instead, focus on these actionable insights:

• Document consumption patterns that reveal genuine stakeholder engagement
• Stakeholder expansion – who else has your champion brought into the process?
• Mutual Action Plan progress – are they completing their agreed-upon steps or just nodding along?

When a global enterprise tech company implemented this approach, they identified $12M in at-risk pipeline that appeared healthy on the surface but showed zero evidence of buyer commitment. They salvaged 40% of those deals by addressing the commitment gap head-on.

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Reason #2: Your "Sales Process" Exists in PowerPoint, Not in Execution

You've invested six or seven figures in that shiny sales methodology. Your reps sat through the workshops. You have the certificates and slide decks to prove it. So why aren't your win rates improving?

Here's what's really happening: your methodology dies the moment your reps leave training.

The Problem:

• Research shows reps forget 80% of training within 30 days without reinforcement
• Managers can only inspect maybe 5-10% of total deals in any meaningful way
• Your "playbook" collects dust while reps fall back on what's comfortable

I recently asked a VP of Sales to show me how they were executing their newly implemented MEDDICC methodology. He proudly displayed their CRM fields. When I asked to see the actual customer-facing assets where MEDDICC was being applied, the room went silent.

The Solution:

Stop accepting training as a checkbox and start demanding evidence of execution:

• Implement guardrails that automatically score deals against your methodology
• Create customer-facing assets that embed your methodology directly into buyer interactions
• Build objection-handling playbooks that reps can access during live deals

When deals stall, it's rarely because your methodology is flawed.

It's because it's not being executed.

‍One enterprise SaaS company embedded their methodology directly into their buyer collaboration platform and saw 22% faster sales cycles within one quarter.

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Reason #3: 75% of Your Deal Intelligence Never Reaches Your CRM

Try this experiment: ask your reps to describe three recent deals without looking at their CRM. Then compare their account with what's actually in Salesforce.

The gap will terrify you.

The most vital information about your deals – stakeholder dynamics, competitive positioning, genuine objections – rarely makes it into your systems of record.

The Problem:

• Reps view CRM updates as administrative tax, not strategic advantage
• Critical context gets trapped in emails, calls, and fragmented tools
• Leaders make high-stakes decisions based on incomplete information

I watched a deal review where a CRO was blindsided by a competitive threat that had been discussed three weeks earlier on a call. That intelligence never made it to the CRM because the rep didn't have an easy way to capture it.

The Solution:

Deal intelligence should be captured where the work happens, not as an afterthought:

• Implement systems that automatically populate your CRM based on actual buyer interactions
• Structure your deal documentation to serve buyers first, with CRM updates as a by-product
• Create a single source of truth that both buyers and sellers contribute to

When a single source of truth exists between buyers and sellers, forecast accuracy improves dramatically.

‍One enterprise sales team improved their forecast accuracy from 63% to 84% in a single quarter by implementing this approach.

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How Can I Automate and Solve This Today?

The market no longer rewards sales teams that operate on hope and intuition.

Today's winners build their forecast on concrete buyer signals, systematically execute their methodology, and capture deal intelligence at the source.

Is your organization ready to move from gut feel to buyer-verified commitment?

‍Recapped can provide the visibility and automation you need to close more deals with confidence.

Don't let another quarter slip away. Request your personalized demo today.