Yeah, Just Talk Through Your Demo… See How That Works Out Why Salespeople Lose the Deal by Never Asking Questions

A Promising Opportunity Turns Into a Missed Moment

Judy had built strong rapport with the technical and product evaluation team at ACME High
Tech, Inc. (AHC) Resellers—a major player in the high-tech space. They liked her. They
respected her product knowledge. She was prepared, credible, and earned their trust.

That momentum landed her a high-stakes meeting with Frank, the CEO. Frank brought along his
technical leads and someone from procurement. Judy saw this as her moment—and walked in
ready to close.

The Critical Mistake Salespeople Make in Presentations

Judy entered the room confidently. She had notes, insights, and assumptions—based on earlier
meetings with the tech team. And without verifying a single expectation or qualifying the data
she had collected, she jumped right into her presentation.

She didn’t ask Frank or the team what they hoped to get out of the meeting. She didn’t check to
see if the features she planned to focus on were still relevant or important. She didn’t find out
what success looked like from the perspective of procurement or technical leadership.

She assumed.
And she talked.

One-Way Presentations Are a Sales Trap

For the next 35 minutes, Judy delivered a nonstop pitch. She laid out features, compared
products, talked up her customer success stories, and offered recommendations she thought
would help them.

But she never paused to ask if she was on the right track. She never checked for alignment. She
didn’t ask a single question to bring the decision-makers into the conversation.

And when she finally asked, “Any questions?”—it was too late.

No Questions, No Engagement, No Deal Movement

Frank stayed quiet. The technical team asked for clarification and said some of the features Judy
focused on weren’t needed. They also brought up functionality they were looking for that she
hadn’t mentioned. Procurement wanted to know pricing.

Judy’s confidence evaporated. What had gone wrong?

The meeting ended with polite handshakes. Judy said she would follow up with a quote based on
the new information she had just received. Then she walked out of the room—knowing she
missed it.

Sales Coaching That Uncovers the Real Problem

Back with her boss, Judy gave a full and honest debrief. She didn’t hide anything. To his credit,
her boss didn’t assign blame—he brought in a sales coach to help.

And the coach got right to the point.

“Assumptions kill deals,” he told her. “You presented based on what you thought mattered
instead of confirming what actually did. You didn’t check the expectations of the room. You
didn’t involve them in the process. You talked, but you didn’t qualify or clarify.”

The Sale Could Have Gone Very Differently

Had Judy started with a few key questions, had she verified what the room wanted to learn, had
she invited participation from the start—the outcome could have shifted dramatically.

Sales presentations aren’t performances. They’re conversations. And conversations require both sides to be engaged.

Why Hire BeenThere Consulting Services and Phil Whitebloom as Your Sales Coach

Because this isn’t just Judy’s story—it’s happening inside your organization, too.
Whether your sales team is made up of seasoned pros or newer reps, it only takes one flawed
assumption, one misaligned pitch, or one missed opportunity to derail a deal.

Phil Whitebloom, founder of BeenThere Consulting Services, has sold over $1.5 billion in
products and services over the course of his career. He’s spent more than 40 years in the
trenches—leading teams, fixing broken pipelines, and turning underperforming sales efforts into
revenue machines.

He doesn’t teach theory. He teaches what works.

Phil specializes in getting results fast, without gimmicks. He helps your team ask better
questions, sell with confidence, and build long-term success while driving immediate wins.

When companies hire Phil, they stop guessing and start closing.

If You’re Talking More Than You’re Asking, You’re Losing Sales

This story isn’t unique to Judy. It happens every day—in every industry. Salespeople walk in
prepared to present, but forget to prepare to listen.

If you’re assuming more than you’re confirming…
If you’re presenting without participation…
If you’re not getting the results you should be…

Let’s change that.