Coaching note: West
Only 18% of West’s first and second calls established budget, the lowest of the three teams, and 45% established who signs. Your reps are strong elsewhere, with timeline and decision criteria both at 82%, so this is the gap to close. Even Aisha and Sofia left budget open, and Owen and Ryan never got to the money at all.
Owen Brady (CALL-017): The buyer said there was no tools budget this year. Owen moved on without asking how the CFO could fund it. On his first call with the same buyer he also left with no dated next meeting.
“Totally. Let’s see how the trial goes and we’ll figure it out.”
Marcus Bell (CALL-001): He let the buyer put off finance and never asked about the CFO or budget. On call 3 the CFO revealed a 30% budget cut, Marcus offered a deep discount, and the deal moved to next fiscal year.
“Totally. Makes sense. We’ll get there.”
Tom Kowalski (CALL-023): He asked about budget in the last seconds of call one and never asked who approves. He got both on call two, so moving the question earlier should be a quick fix for him.
“And oh, before you go. Do you have budget set aside for something like this?”
Aisha Grant (CALL-004): On your own team, she tied price to the CFO’s margin problem on call one. Her next step is to wait for the answer when she asks if the price fits, because budget stayed unconfirmed.
“One point of gross margin on your revenue is probably several times our price. I’m not saying we’ll fix a point of margin. I’m saying the decision she’s making is worth a lot more than the tool.”
Maya Castillo (CALL-015): On Central, she asked about money early and politely. That surfaced a mid-October budget deadline and the CFO’s role, and by call two the CFO approved the budget line.
“Let me ask the money question early, so I’m respectful of your time. Is there budget for a cloud cost tool this year, or would it need to be part of next year’s plan?”
On your last first call, where does the money come from and who signs? If you don’t know, what stopped you from asking?
I’m sending a short lesson on asking about budget and who signs on call one, using Maya’s and Imani’s words as models. In the role-play, one rep plays a buyer who says “let’s see if it works first,” and the other has to ask about money and the approver before moving on.