Latest / Closing the Deal with Fexingo: Sales, Negotiation, and Revenue Conversations for Operators / Asking for the Buyer's Deal Breakers to Win the Sale
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's a question that a lot of sales reps are terrified to ask, and it's probably the most useful one you can put on the table. What would make you walk away from this deal? Luna: Walk away? That sounds like you're handing the buyer a reason to bail. Lucas: It feels that way, until you realize that the deal breakers are already in the room. They're just not being said out loud. I was talking to a rep at a mid-market SaaS company last week, and they had a deal stalled for three months. The buyer kept saying they were 'close,' but nothing moved. Luna: Classic. So what did they do? Lucas: They finally got the buyer on a call and asked, straight up, 'What would make you say no to this?' The buyer paused, and then listed three things: the price had to come down ten percent, the implementation timeline had to be under sixty days, and they needed a no-fault exit clause after six months. All three were non-negotiables. Luna: Wait, and the rep had been chasing this deal for months without knowing any of that? Lucas: Exactly. They'd been sending proposals and checking in, but nobody had asked the one question that would have surfaced the real constraints earlier. Luna: So what happened after they found out? Lucas: They were able to address all three. The price came down, but they adjusted the scope to make the margin work. The implementation team committed to a fifty-day sprint. And the exit clause was actually fine with their legal team. The deal closed two weeks later. Luna: So the question unlocked the deal, but it also gave them the chance to say no if they couldn't meet those terms. That's a big risk. Lucas: It is, but here's the thing: if you can't meet a buyer's deal breaker, you want to know that early. Otherwise you're going to lose the deal in month four instead of week two. And that's a lot of wasted time on both sides. Luna: I've heard that sales is about controlling the conversation, though. Doesn't asking about deal breakers hand the control to the buyer? Lucas: It's counterintuitive, but it's the opposite. When you ask that question, you're showing confidence. You're saying, 'I can handle the truth, and I want to make this work within your boundaries.' That builds trust, and trust is what actually moves deals forward. Luna: That makes sense. It's like the psychological principle of loss aversion — people are more motivated by the fear of losing something than by the prospect of gaining it. Lucas: Right. And when you ask about deal breakers, you're tapping into that. The buyer realizes that if they don't tell you, they might lose the deal they actually want. So it's a way to get them to open up. Luna: But what if they list something that's a total deal breaker for you? Like, they want a price that's below your floor? Lucas: Then you have a decision to make. But at least you're making it with full information. You can walk away gracefully, and maybe leave the door open for a future conversation. That's better than stringing them along and then having the deal collapse at the last minute. Luna: And you preserve your reputation as a straight shooter, which pays off in referrals even if you don't close this one. Lucas: That's exactly the long game. I've seen reps who ask this question consistently end up with better win rates, because they're not wasting time on deals that were never going to happen. Luna: So how do you actually phrase it? I feel like 'What would make you walk away?' sounds a bit aggressive. Lucas: You can soften it. Say something like, 'Help me understand what would be a deal breaker for you, so I can either address it or we can both move on.' The key is to make it clear that you're not trying to trap them — you genuinely want to know. Luna: And you have to be prepared for silence. Some buyers won't want to share that. Lucas: That's when you can offer some guesses. 'Is it price? Is it timeline? Is it the contract length?' Sometimes they just need a little prompting to get the ball rolling. Luna: It's like pulling teeth sometimes, but once you get them talking, you have something to work with. Lucas: And once you have that list, you can be strategic. Maybe you can meet all of them, or maybe you can trade off. 'We can't do sixty days, but we can do seventy-five and we'll assign a dedicated implementation specialist.' That kind of thing. Luna: So it's not just about discovering the deal breakers — it's about using them as a roadmap for the negotiation. Lucas: Exactly. And it's a lot more productive than dancing around the issue for months and then getting hit with a last-minute objection that kills everything. Luna: You know, this whole conversation reminds me of something I read about negotiation — that the best negotiators are the ones who are comfortable with silence and asking hard questions. Lucas: Yeah, and this is one of those hard questions that separates the professionals from the amateurs. Anyone can ask about budget or timeline. It takes a bit of nerve to ask about the things that would make the buyer say no. Luna: And that nerve usually pays off. I'm thinking of a friend who lost a deal because she never asked, and the buyer walked at the very end over a contract clause she could have easily changed. Lucas: That's the nightmare scenario. And it's so avoidable with one question. But it takes practice to make it a habit. Luna: So do you have any tips for making it feel less awkward? Because I can imagine a rep fumbling through it on a first call. Lucas: Sure. First, don't ask it too early. Wait until you've built a little rapport and you're in the middle of the conversation. Second, frame it as a way to be efficient with their time, not as a threat. And third, be ready to share your own deal breakers — that makes it a mutual exchange. Luna: Mutual exchange, that's a good way to put it. It's like you're both laying your cards on the table. Lucas: And when you do that, you're not just a sales rep anymore — you're a partner trying to find a solution that works for both sides. That's the position you want to be in. Luna: And it's a position that builds long-term relationships, which is what this business is really about. Lucas: Speaking of long-term relationships — I know we've said this before, but if these conversations have moved your work forward in some small way, a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going. Luna: Yeah, it really does make a difference. We keep the show ad-free, and that only works if the people who value it chip in a little. Lucas: So if you've gotten something out of them, you can buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's the simplest way to keep us going. Luna: And we're back to the topic — because that's what we're all about, practical ideas you can use tomorrow. Lucas: Right. So, if you're in a deal right now that's been dragging, ask yourself: have I asked the buyer what would make them walk away? If not, you might be sitting on a time bomb. Luna: And the earlier you ask, the better. I'd rather find out in week one that we can't meet their price floor than in month four. Lucas: Exactly. So go out there and ask the hard question. It might just be the thing that saves your deal.