--- title: How to Lose an Opportunity Before Creating It | The Sales Blog description: When you cannot convert a first meeting into a second meeting, you have done something wrong. Here are five ways you might lose your opportunity before creating it. image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/shutterstock_1461166859.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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There are several mistakes that can end your chance of winning your prospective client’s business, and if you’re not focused, your first meeting with a prospect can also be your last. When you cannot convert [a first meeting](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/the-value-proposition-of-your-first-meeting-in-b2b-sales) into a second meeting, you have done something wrong. Here are five ways you might lose your opportunity before creating it. ## A Lack of Preparation One way you can lose an opportunity is by failing to[ prepare for the meeting](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/how-to-prepare-for-a-sales-call). If you haven’t read your prospective client’s website, you may have to ask questions you could easily answer on your own. Equally important, do an internet search to find news about the company. Even if you don’t [find a trigger event](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/what-is-a-trigger-event) you can speak to, you will know what’s been going on in their world. Based on the questions you ask, your contact will know whether you did your homework. Without researching your client’s industry to acquire an understanding of its headwinds (challenges) and the tailwinds (opportunities), you will struggle to create value in the sales conversation. [A serious consultative salesperson](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/how-to-be-truly-consultative) will have done this and more to prepare, including creating a list of hard-hitting questions. ## Failure to Create Value in the Sales Conversation The single vehicle you and I must use to [create value](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/a-value-creation-model) is the sales conversation. Unfortunately, many salespeople skip over value creation and focus instead on the value of their solution. Not only can this feel like a pitch, but it also means you are failing to help the client learn what they need to know to improve their results. A salesperson who is incapable of creating value in the first meeting will lose an opportunity before they can create it. The [buyers and decision-makers](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/how-to-create-value-for-decision-makers) that grant you a meeting are looking for a salesperson who can help them make the best decision to move forward. Without creating value, your prospective client will be unwilling to provide you with more time. ## Underperforming When Compared to a Competitor In the United States, there are [more competitors than necessary](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/the-one-competitive-advantage-not-being-commoditized) in almost every industry. Many salespeople believe the contest is between companies and solutions, but the true competition is between the salespeople competing for the client’s business. It is not uncommon for a buyer to interview several salespeople before deciding who they want to work with and why. When your competitor offers the client a better [sales experience](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/meaning-of-the-sales-experience) than you, they can knock you out of contention. You should hate losing more than you love winning. To execute this idea, you must work on developing yourself and [your sales approach](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/going-all-in-on-your-sales-approach). ## Going Faster than Your Client When a client gives a salesperson time for a first meeting, they may believe they need to work quickly to position their company and their solution. Salespeople who do this are focused on pursuing their own goals instead of helping the client. Words like *velocity* and *efficiency* indicate that [you are going faster than your client](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/51234). Efficiency should never be treated as more important than effectiveness. Moving too quickly makes your contacts and their stakeholders feel rushed or pressured. When you are in a hurry, your client will move on to another salesperson who is willing to invest the time it takes to help them with their goals and needs. Winning four weeks from now is better than losing today. ## A Transactional Approach Since the last decade, anything that is truly a commodity is now sold on the internet. In the future, it is likely that more simple transactions will find their way to e-commerce. For more complex buying decisions, clients need a consultative sales approach to move forward, and [salespeople who use transactional approaches](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/the-implications-for-transactional-sales-approaches) will fail. Regardless of what you believe, if your client needs a consultative approach and you fail to offer one, you risk losing a deal before you create it. Talking about your company, your clients, and your solution is a transactional approach in modern B2B sales. ## A Lack of Expertise and Authority Decision-makers seek a salesperson with the expertise to help them pursue their goals. In other words, they are looking for someone who knows what they don’t, meaning there is an [information disparity between the salesperson and their client](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/how-to-maintain-information-disparity). When you cannot fill the gaps in the client’s knowledge and experience, you make it difficult to create an opportunity. In sales, the foundation of trust is the salesperson’s credibility. This gives their prospective client the certainty they need to be confident in making a decision to do business with one salesperson rather than the competition. If you cannot prove that you know more than your contact, you are unlikely to reach a second meeting, no matter what you document in your [CRM](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/how-to-make-your-crm-a-strategic-asset). ## How to Lose an Opportunity Before Creating It The number of sales organizations that can get a first meeting, but not a second one is growing. Part of this trend seems to result from several ideas that cause salespeople to fail. One idea that causes most of these problems is the prioritization of cold outreach and the large increase in pipeline coverage. Another factor is sales leaders who want to speed up the sales conversation and require their sales teams to use transactional approaches. When we say “[do good work](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/slowing-down-doing-good-work),” we are suggesting you should take care of your prospective client and win their business using the only vehicle available, the sales conversation. If you struggle, [go here for more help](https://www.thesalesblog.com/sales-accelerator). ###### Tags: [Competition](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/competition) [2023](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2023) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on September 4, 2023 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2023-09-05T2:49:01 PM", "datePublished" : "2023-09-04 21:30:00", "description" : "When you cannot convert a first meeting into a second meeting, you have done something wrong. 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