Latest / Closing the Deal with Fexingo: Sales, Negotiation, and Revenue Conversations for Operators / The Sales Rep Who Won by Asking the Buyer to Co-Create the Solution
Transcript
- Lucas: There's a moment in almost every complex deal where the buyer goes quiet. They've seen the demo, they've read the proposal, they nod along on the calls — but they won't commit. And the natural instinct as a rep is to either sweeten the deal or push harder on your existing pitch. Luna: Right. More features, a discount, a faster timeline — all the classic levers. But today's story is about a rep who pulled a completely different one. Lucas: Exactly. Her name is Chenoa — she sells workforce analytics software to mid-market companies. And early this year she was stuck on a deal with a regional hospital network, about 2,500 employees, multiple facilities. The prospect's COO had been engaged for months, but kept finding reasons to delay. Luna: So what did she do differently? Lucas: She asked the COO to co-create the solution. Not in a vague, 'we're partners here' way — she literally asked him to help design the implementation plan. Which metrics would matter most to the board? Which departments should roll out first? What would success actually look like six months in? Luna: That's interesting because it flips the dynamic entirely. Instead of Chenoa pitching a finished product, she's inviting the buyer inside the process. Lucas: Exactly. And the effect was immediate. The COO went from 'we need to think about it' to 'well, if we start with nursing turnover in the ER, we could measure X, Y, Z.' He started owning the plan. Lucas: Now, I want to pause for a second because this brings up something about how we keep this show running. We don't run ads — never have. That's a deliberate choice. And the only reason we can do that is because some listeners choose to support us directly. Luna: Yeah, and we're grateful for that. If these conversations have moved your work forward in any way, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to keep this ad-free. Lucas: So back to Chenoa. The COO co-created a three-phase rollout: first the nursing units, then admin, then support staff. He set the success metrics himself: a 15 percent reduction in voluntary turnover within six months. That was his number, not hers. Luna: And that matters because it's harder for a buyer to walk away from their own plan. It's not 'their software' anymore — it's 'our project.' Lucas: Precisely. Chenoa closed the deal three weeks later — full price, no discount. And the implementation actually went smoother because the COO had already bought into the process before the contract was signed. Luna: But there's a risk here, isn't there? If you invite a buyer to co-create, they might start dictating terms that don't work for you. Or they might take control and slow things down. Lucas: That's the fine line. Chenoa was careful to set boundaries. She said, 'Here's what our platform can do. Help me tailor it to your world.' She didn't say, 'Tell me what to build.' That distinction is everything. Luna: So the frame is: 'I have a solution. You have context. Let's combine them.' Not 'You tell me what you want and I'll deliver it.' Lucas: Yes. And the research backs this up. There's a study from the Harvard Business Review a few years ago — they looked at complex B2B deals and found that when buyers participated in solution design, deal velocity increased by about 30 percent and discounting dropped by almost half. Luna: Thirty percent faster and half the discount — that's a huge swing. What kind of deals does this work best for? Lucas: It works best when the solution is configurable, not when it's a commodity. If you're selling paper clips, co-creation is overkill. But if your product has multiple modules, implementation options, or use cases — that's where it shines. Chenoa's workforce analytics platform had a dozen different dashboards and data sources. She couldn't possibly know which combination mattered most to a hospital network. Luna: So you're leveraging the buyer's expertise about their own business. Most reps try to be the expert on everything — but here, Chenoa is saying 'you know your world better than I do, so help me help you.' Lucas: Exactly. And that humility builds trust. The COO later told her that what sealed the deal was that she listened more than she talked in that session. He said other vendors came in telling him what he needed. She came in asking. Lucas: Now, there's one more layer to this. Chenoa also used a specific question that I think is worth stealing. Luna: What's the question? Lucas: She asked: 'If we were to design the perfect first 90 days together, what would it look like from your side?' That 'together' is doing a lot of work. It's not 'what do you need' — it's 'how do we build this.' Luna: And it forces the buyer to visualize success. Psychologically, once they've pictured the rollout, the metrics, the outcomes — they've already started buying. Lucas: Right. And Chenoa didn't just ask once. She followed up with a shared document — a simple one-pager — that captured everything the COO had described. She sent it the same day with a note: 'Here's what I heard. Did I miss anything?' Luna: That gives the buyer ownership of the plan on paper. It's not a proposal from a vendor — it's a joint blueprint. Lucas: Exactly. And when the COO showed that document to his CFO, he was effectively selling it internally. Chenoa wasn't in the room — but her co-created plan was. Luna: That's the dream scenario. Your buyer becomes your champion because they feel like they built the solution. Lucas: And that's the core lesson. In complex sales, the rep who controls the process less can actually win more. Co-creation doesn't mean you lose authority — it means you share authorship. And shared authorship leads to shared accountability. Luna: I want to ask about one more thing. You mentioned there's a question you should never ask when inviting co-creation. What's that? Lucas: Never ask: 'What do you want?' It's too open. It invites scope creep or unrealistic expectations. Instead, bound the question: 'Given what our platform can do, what would success look like for you?' You set the container — they fill it. Luna: That makes sense. You're not saying 'build whatever you want.' You're saying 'here's the toolkit — how would you use it?' Lucas: Exactly. Chenoa's deal closed at full price because the COO felt the plan was his. And that's a powerful reminder: sometimes the best way to close is to stop selling and start building with the buyer. Luna: So the next time a deal stalls, maybe the question isn't 'what can I give them?' but 'what can we build together?' Lucas: Exactly. That's the takeaway for this one. For Fexingo Business, I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna. See you next time.