Why Your Deals Go Cold Before You Ever Get to the Close (Ask Jeb)

What It Covers

Jeb Blount coaches Philip, a character licensing agent in the Philippines, on why slow-moving deals go cold — and how segmenting buyers by readiness and building structured multi-step commitment processes prevents ghosting before the close.

Key Questions Answered

• •Buyer Segmentation: Separate prospects into fast buyers (already sold, decision-maker present) and slow buyers (unfamiliar with product, often a seeker). Treat each differently — fast buyers need momentum, slow buyers need structured discovery before any proposal is presented.
• •Seeker Identification (BASIC Framework): Use the BASIC framework — Buyers, Amplifiers, Seekers, Influencers, Coaches — to identify who you're actually talking to. Seekers gather information but cannot decide. If a seeker refuses to bring in a decision-maker, disengage immediately to protect pipeline time.
• •Withhold Leverage Until Commitment: Pricing, proposals, and licensing terms are your leverage. Releasing them before a prospect completes 4–5 structured checkpoints — initial discovery, deeper discovery, consensus meeting, proposal, close — eliminates your reason to meet again and triggers ghosting.
• •Engagement Testing at Every Step: After each meeting, request a specific next step that costs the prospect time or effort — a second stakeholder in the room, a deeper discovery session. A yes signals genuine engagement; resistance or a request to "just send information" signals disengagement.