Here is a dashboard our founder sees all the time. Meetings booked are up 30% year over year. Stage two conversion has not moved. Revenue is flat.
The instinct is to book more meetings. The data says the leak is after the meeting starts.
The Most Expensive Asset, the Least Supported
We pour budget into getting the call. Intent data, sequences, SDRs, automation. Then the rep walks into the conversation with the same preparation they had last year. The meeting is the most expensive asset in the funnel and the least supported.
Deals Drift, They Rarely Die
A qualified deal does not usually die in one dramatic moment. It drifts. The rep never found out what the CFO cared about. Nobody built a reason to act this quarter. The champion liked it but could not sell it internally. Next quarter. Then silence.
Each of those is a conversation skill. Each one can be coached.
Try this: put meeting volume and stage conversion on the same chart. If the first line is climbing and the second is flat, move part of your coaching time from prospecting to call prep, discovery, stakeholder alignment, and objection handling.
Read the full story in Why Sales Teams Lose Deals They Were Close to Winning.
Learn more about Dextego, Influence Coaching for sales teams, at dextego.com. Explore AI powered prospecting and business development with David Bush at BDR.ai.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are meetings up but revenue flat?
Usually the leak is after the meeting starts. Reps miss what each stakeholder cares about or never build a reason to act this quarter, so qualified deals drift.
How do you improve sales stage conversion?
Track meeting volume and stage conversion together, then shift coaching time toward call prep, discovery, stakeholder alignment and objection handling.