01/21/2026
Have you ever revisited “stalled” deals…only to realize they weren’t stalled at all?
A tech sales leader recently did a deep dive and found the same seven causes behind almost every dead deal.
Here are the Seven Deadly Deal Killers to look for:
- The Juice Isn’t Worth the Squeeze — No real pain or upside.
- Timing Is Everything — “Next quarter” often turns into “never.”
- Shiny Alternatives — Competitor wins…or they build it themselves.
- The Moment Has Passed — Priorities shifted. New leadership. New fire drill.
- No Budget, No Bandwidth, No Buy-In — They like it, but not enough to commit.
- Team Turmoil — Misalignment kills momentum fast.
- Solution Skepticism — They’re not fully sold it works for them.
What can you do?
- Run a quick deal autopsy on 10–15 quiet opps.
- Qualify earlier for urgency, investment, alignment, belief.
- Coach reps to go deeper than surface objections.
Most deals don’t die mysteriously—they die from predictable, preventable causes.
If you want your team spotting these early, perhaps we should talk.
