Why You’re Not Closing The Deals You Should

The 2025 Sales Performance Scorecard Study Key Trends Analysis is out, and the industry news is not (all) good. While more than half of sales organizations report that frontline managers are holding one-on-one meetings, salespeople continue to report not “feeling coached.” This reflects a persistent problem in the industry, rooted in the fact that we don’t treat coaching as the critical multiplier that it is, especially in complex sales.

But what stood out for me most in the report this year wasn’t just about coaching. It was about losing deals at the end of the cycle, and sales cycles getting longer, both for new and existing customers. According to the report, while top-of-funnel numbers improved this year, when it comes to the close, numbers are down.

Why Are We Losing Late-Stage Deals?

The study dug into the reasons we are losing late-stage deals and broke it down into three points:

1. We qualify early, but we need to qualify late, too
   In many organizations, salespeople consistently qualify early on to increase efficiency. But happy-eared salespeople often fail to qualify throughout the process, especially before the final proposal stage. Instead, salespeople should be qualifying at every stage to understand whether the alignment is there and whether the buyer is ready to make the necessary changes.
2. We fail to notice and diagnose decision inertia
   When a sales project stalls, the sales team may not notice until it’s too late. When they do notice, they often default to sending generic follow-up emails, without taking the time to investigate exactly why the deal has slowed. Instead, salespeople should focus on aligning with decision-makers and figuring out internal blockers. Is it money, risk, consensus, or something else? Then they can address the real problem instead of sending “just following up” messages.
3. We Make the Close One-Sided
   Eager to make the sale, salespeople often jump into a proposal without really understanding what the buyer needs and what motivates them. Instead of canned proposals, they should have decision conversations, identify what matters to each stakeholder, and tailor a solution. By the time a proposal is presented, nothing should be a surprise to the buyer.

How to Improve? It’s Not Charisma, It’s Discipline

So, how do we get better at closing these deals? Knowing what to do and doing it are two separate things. The study reveals a deeper answer:

“If there’s one throughline connecting this year’s top performers, it’s not charisma or creativity: It’s discipline.”

Top performers aren’t just sailing by. They’re converting 79% of forecasted deals compared to 44% across the board. These deals move faster, averaging 78 days versus 96 among the rest. And what differentiates them isn’t that they’re trying harder or thinking smarter. It’s because their management is disciplined.

High Performers Use Formal Sales Processeses and Technology to Assist With Coaching

The study strongly correlates formal coaching and the use of technology to assist with executing and coaching the sales process with performance. Companies that do these two things advance deals more reliably and close them more decisively.

“Their sales funnels are actively managed–not passively monitored–through clearer qualification, deal review rigor, and accountability to next steps.”

Focus, structure, and operational precision are key, and coaching discipline is the lynchpin.

Why I’m Happy to Hear This

If you’ve known me for long, you already know why this report pleases me. At Membrain, we’ve been preaching the power of operational discipline for a long time. Membrain provides the tools to develop and maintain a disciplined team with formal, dynamic sales processes and a focus on coaching. Our built-in Win/Loss Analysis helps teams understand why a company wins (or not) and provides the feedback loop to iterate strategy and execution.

With Membrain Elevate, you can help your coaches coach your salespeople to better process and discipline as well. All our product modules help reinforce the skills and processes that work to attract and gain the trust of more customers. Membrain is not just a CRM: It’s how you execute your strategy to grow your company and people.

Whatever tools you are using, the lessons from this report are clear: In rocky times, teams must grow more disciplined in their approach, which means coaches must be more disciplined too.