Hey Niepodam,

I used to think deals stalled because of budget.

Or timing. Or “internal alignment.”

Then I reviewed 27 late-stage opportunities in one quarter.

18 of them had:

• Clear pain
• Confirmed budget
• Engaged champions
• Strong demos

And zero urgency.

No deadline.
No consequence.
No tension.

Just “We’ll circle back next month.”

That’s when it clicked.

Deals don’t close because they make sense.

They close because staying the same feels risky.

The Framework: Urgency. Tension. Scarcity.

Most reps try to manufacture urgency with discounts.

“Sign now for 10% off.”

That’s fake urgency.

Real urgency is tied to business impact.

Let’s break it down.

1️⃣ Urgency = Time-Based Impact

Urgency isn’t “end of quarter.”

It’s: “What happens if this doesn’t change by X date?”

On discovery, you need this line: “If nothing changes in the next 90 days, what’s the impact?”

Make them quantify delay.

Revenue lost.
Headcount wasted.
Opportunities missed.

Now time costs money.

2️⃣ Tension = Consequence

Tension is emotional.

It’s not about the company.

It’s about the person.

Ask: “If this initiative stalls, how does that reflect on you internally?”

That’s where deals move.

Because now inaction has personal weight.

No tension → comfortable delay.

3️⃣ Scarcity = Limited Access

Scarcity isn’t pretending your calendar is full.

It’s structural limitation.

Examples:

• Limited onboarding capacity
• Implementation windows
• Pricing tied to scope before expansion
• Beta features capped

One client implemented a real onboarding cap: Only 4 enterprise implementations per quarter.

We communicated that early.

Close rate improved 31%.

Not because we pressured.

Because buyers realized waiting had consequences.

The Real Case

SaaS company selling into COO at $180K ACV.

Deal stuck for 6 weeks.

We reframed the next call like this:

Rep: “You mentioned delays are costing roughly $20K per month.

If this pushes another quarter, that’s $60K in drag.

Is that acceptable internally?”

Pause.

COO: “No. That’s not how I want this perceived.”

Then: “We’re allocating two implementation slots this quarter. After that, next window is June.

Do we want to secure one?”

Deal signed in 11 days.

No discount.
No gimmick.

Just clarity.

The Mistake Most Reps Make

They build desire.

They don’t build consequence.

Desire creates interest.

Consequence creates action.

Alan "Modern Seller" Ruchtein.

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