every quarter, I do a win-loss review.
what worked, what didn’t work
why relationships didn’t pan out the way we wanted
(and if you’re nerdy like me, reviewing if each candidate was qualified, the source of the introduction and so on)
as I reviewed my latest lost deals: I noticed a pattern
everything centers around
belief
belief in the solution
belief in the possibility of change.
when belief is missing, three things happen:
- they won’t buy
no matter what you say, how much you prove, or how good your offer is, they’ve already decided it won’t work (they won’t say it out loud, its more subconscious) - if they do buy, it shows up later: lack of belief leads to poor execution.
- you fight an uphill battle: every meeting, every email is you proving your worth again and again (it’s not fun)
I lived this:
a client came on board but didn’t believe in the process fully.
they’d tried similar strategies before and failed, and that story was stuck in their head. every touchpoint turned into defending results.
it became clear:
their lack of belief held back their progress and the partnership.
on the flip side
clients who believe:
• don’t need convincing
• bring energy and optimism
• execute and trust the process
those are the relationships that thrive (and become clients who give testimonials and referrals)
so how do you know belief is missing?
you’ll hear it in subtle ways:
• “we tried this, it didn’t work.”
• “this just seems like another version of x.”
• “i don’t think this could work for us.”
they’re replaying old failures, not asking what winning clients ask:
“what’s next?” or “how do we make this work?”
here’s my takeaway from my win/loss review:
don’t waste time convincing someone to believe
• belief isn’t built with more emails, demos, or case studies
• it’s about how they see themselves, their future, and the potential for change (key: they have to have hope for the future)
if they can’t see that, move on. you can’t fight someone’s worldview on a discovery call.
ask yourself: in your pipeline, who’s ready? that’s where your energy belongs