#87: Here’s Why Your Close Rate Is So Low

Read Time: 4 min

I hope everyone had a great holiday season and a happy new year! Let’s crush 2025!!!

Today, I will discuss arguably one of the biggest mistakes I see early-stage founders make when trying to get validation for their MVP. I wrote about this in one of the first issues of this newsletter.

As everyone is excited to tackle 2025, having a solid foundation for bringing the right prospects into your funnel is critically important. I’m seeing a lot of change in terms of customer acquisition channels that used to work, which have significantly slowed down or stopped altogether.

You want to focus on putting the correct copy in your outreach to drive in prospects who have a real need for your product. In this issue, I’ll unpack what this looks like.

The only way to win is to learn faster than anyone else.

~ Eric Ries (Lean Startup)

You learn faster in two ways: first, you have people to speak to prospects who need your product. Second, you need a predictable sales process that solves the customer's unique use cases.

During the early stages of founder-led sales, there's a lot of confusion around what constitutes a real qualification call and what does not.

Implementing this one tip will optimize your top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) activity with better-qualified leads and reduce the frustration of not closing deals.

Let’s define what a product and a qualification call are.

Product calls are designed to solicit feedback and insights from potential users and assess whether you are building something the market needs. Intros are typically generated via VCs and your internal network. 

Qualification (discovery) calls are designed to find people who have a problem and are actively looking for a solution. They are typically generated through cold outbound messaging and considered opportunities once qualified via BANT.

So, how do you actively distinguish between the two?

The meeting, or the intent the prospect agrees to, is based on the messaging you put in front of them.m

Here’s what I mean. Below is an example of LI messaging one of my clients used to generate weekly 12-15 “So-Called” qualification calls.

The language clearly suggests that if the prospect decides to hop on a call, they intend to provide feedback.

This is how you schedule a Product Call.

 Now, let’s look at another LI example of qualification content. I used this exact messaging to build a multi-seven-figure annual recurring business in three years.

Here's another one. 

My messaging is clear, and my CTA is direct.

This is how you schedule a qualification call.

The number one reason deals don't close is because you are speaking with unqualified prospects. This happens because of misaligned messaging in your copy when soliciting new business.

5 Takeaways

1. Remove the words - feedback, favor, pick your brain, and research from your copy.
   
   

2. State what you do in 1-2 sentences. (I’m reaching out because we help (industry/title) __________ by __________ (solving the problem in a simple, fast, and economical way)
   
   

3. Use a direct CTA - (Do you need help with this / Does your team need help with this / Is this something you’d be interested in)
   
   

4. Qualify deals based on budget, identifying decision makers, use cases, and timing.
   
   

5. If the prospect is qualified, schedule the demo by nailing down a day/time followed by a calendar invite.

Direct messaging will reduce your TOFU activity and attract better leads who are more likely to convert.

That’s it for today!

See you all next week.

Darren

P.S. If you’re a venture-backed SaaS company interested in coaching, book a call here.

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