Why Deals Die Inside the 10-Yard Line with Randy Riemersma

Summary

Revenue Builders Podcast: Why Deals Die Inside the 10-Yard Line with Randy Riemersma

Date: July 19, 2026
Host(s): John Kaplan & John McMahon
Guest: Randy Riemersma, Founder of Sell with Precision

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Episode Overview

This episode tackles one of the most critical yet misunderstood moments in B2B sales: why promising deals often collapse at the very last moment—“inside the 10-yard line.” Randy Riemersma, a sales veteran, joins hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan to dissect the real root cause: it’s not the product, but the buyer’s confidence (or lack thereof) in making a major decision. The trio explores how elite sellers build and reinforce this belief, executive alignment, and the importance of preparation, with invaluable real-world examples and strategies.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Core Reason Deals Die at the End ([00:43])

• Randy Riemersma's Insight: Deals lost late aren’t about product or solution capabilities—they’re about the buyer’s fear and lack of confidence in pulling the trigger, knowing their job is on the line.
• Execution Excellence: Sellers must demonstrate top-tier customer references, executive alignment, and high-frequency, high-quality communication—especially with the internal champion—at this stage.
• Memorable Moment: “If this hits the fan, their job is at risk... Am I going to lose my job for this? And it's our job to make sure they don't.” – Randy Riemersma [00:46]

2. The Science and Transferability of Belief ([01:53])

• John McMahon's Take: Belief is not just emotional; it’s proven to be powerful, influencing real outcomes (even in medicine via the placebo effect).
• In Sales: At decision time, the buyer needs to believe. Sellers must connect with and reinforce this belief, using proof points, case studies, and testimonials.
• Self-Belief is Critical: If a seller doesn’t believe in their own recommendation, they won’t inspire belief in their customer.
• Notable Quote: “If you don't believe, you are not going to get anybody else to believe.” – John McMahon [04:08]

3. Transferring Confidence and Expertise ([04:17])

• Randy's Perspective: Belief, enthusiasm, and confidence are contagious. The prospect will subconsciously sense whether the seller truly believes in the solution.
• Authenticity Counts: Real subject matter expertise and credibility matter—if you fake it, customers sense it.
• Notable Quote: “If you can't [transfer belief], it's going to show up in your pupils and their, their basil brain is going to pick that stuff up. Their limbic system is going to be like ‘danger, Will Robinson.’” – Randy Riemersma [04:47]

4. The Power of a Provocative Point of View (& Preparation) ([05:21])

• Provocative POV: Sellers must have a compelling, distinct stance—especially when engaging executive buyers. This differentiates them from typical sales pitches, creating curiosity and credibility.
• Preparation as a Hallmark of Top Sellers: Exceptional reps do deep research, know the buyer’s business, and challenge their thinking in relevant, meaningful ways.
• Notable Quote: “You cannot sound like a sales rep. You must sound like a peer... No executive cares about your shiny spinning thing. They really don't.” – Randy Riemersma [08:33]

5. Real-World Example: Speaking the Executive’s Language ([08:16])

• Business Impact Focus: Randy describes a past deal where, instead of selling features, they zeroed in on a client’s operational inefficiencies, delivering tailored, concise business insights.
• Conversation Shift: “It was a pure business to business leader to leader call...Our provocative point of view was there’s a way to take this operational disaster...and drive it down so it’s actually contributing back to the business.” – Randy Riemersma [08:28]

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Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “All deals lost inside the 10-yard line had nothing to do with your capabilities. It has everything to do with their lack of confidence.”
  – Randy Riemersma [00:43]

• “They've already decided about the product, they've already agreed to the business case. Now it's like: I'm about to put a pen on paper. Am I going to lose my job for this?"
  – Randy Riemersma [01:14]

• "If you don't believe, you are not going to get anybody else to believe."
  – John McMahon [04:08]

• “Belief is transferable...so many emotions are transferable. If I'm an elite seller...I can echo that back and transfer that belief to them, which is critical.”
  – Randy Riemersma [04:21]

• “You must sound like a peer. I think part of the provocative part is not sounding like a sales rep, understanding their business logic, what they're trying to get done.”
  – Randy Riemersma [07:46]

• “No executive cares about your shiny spinning thing. They really, really don't.”
  – Randy Riemersma [09:13]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:43 – Why deals die late: Buyer confidence, not capability
• 01:53 – Belief in decision-making: The science and self-fulfilling prophecy
• 04:17 – How belief transfers from seller to customer
• 05:21 – The importance of preparation and provocative points of view
• 08:16 – Real-world example: Making the executive business case

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Practical Takeaways

• Deals die late due to fear—address it by building trust right to the end.
• Be the seller who transfers belief, not just information.
• Preparation and business acumen are the difference-makers with executives.
• Don’t be a “feature seller.” Bring a business POV that sets you above other vendors.
• Daily communication with the champion is critical in the final stages.

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This episode blends science, psychology, and hands-on strategy, making it a must-listen for anyone responsible for closing high-stakes deals. For sellers striving to be in the top 1%, Randy, John, and John offer a playbook for building and sustaining buyer confidence when it matters most.

Transcript

[Host]

Foreign.

[John Kaplan]

Welcome to the Revenue Builders podcast hosted by John Kaplan and John McMahon. Today's conversation features Randy Riomersma, founder of Sell with Precision and a sales leader with more than 35 years of experience building and leading B2B teams. Randy explains why deals lost inside the final 10 yards are rarely about product capabilities. They are lost when the buyer no longer has enough confidence to take the risk. He breaks down how elite sellers reinforce belief through executive alignment, credible proof points and consistent communication with the champion. Let's dive in.

[Randy Riomersma]

Look, I'm going to say something crazy. I think all deals lost inside the 10, 10 yard line had nothing to do with your capabilities. It has everything to do with their lack of confidence. Because I think we sometimes we forget as salespeople we're selling somebody $3 million worth of software. If this hits the fan, their job is at risk. Which is why when we get into that 10, you know, inside the 10 yard line, there are some things that we've got to have done very, very well. Our customer referrals have to have gone absolutely cold stone. Fantastic. Our executive alignment with them has got to be fantastic. John, I know you're going to love this. We have to be texting with our champion on a daily basis at this zone because they are going to be getting nervous. We have their hand. Our surround inside the 10 yard line has got to be execution excellence on our side because they've already decided about the product, they've already agreed to the business case. Now it's like I'm about to put a pen on a piece of paper. Am I going to lose my job for this? And it's our job to make sure they don't. That confidence, if we do a great job there creates that urgency that gets us all the way into the end zone.

[Host]

Agree?

[Randy Riomersma]

Totally agree.

[John McMahon]

So one, I'm really fascinated by this conversation and I've been studying it. People, you know, you've heard like when we were younger you'd see it in locker rooms or whatever people say believe. Like they would just have a, they would just have a, you know, sign called believe or so I don't know. A couple years ago I started to really dig into and the science behind belief is so incredibly pure and telling. They have it down to the science of like health care. There are differences in outcomes when a patient believes that they are and even in placebos. So they've given medication to somebody that has a problem and they've given, you know, a placebo effect. And until they did this and studied it in medicine, they really didn't, they really didn't capitalize on it. But people by the very sense of believing something will look for more evidence around them that they're right and it's true. And I find this so fascinating. And if I'm a seller today, I would learn as much as I can about a belief system and how to leverage someone's belief system and incorporate somebody's belief system because they wind up, it's a self fulfilling prophecy in so many cases. Now I don't want to minimize anybody's illness and I'm not trying to do that. You know, what I'm saying is, I'm saying is that if you're a seller and you understand that at the point where Randy's talking about where customer needs belief, they needed you to listen to them, they needed to be heard. Now they're moving to, they needed to understand the differences in the solution. You could do all that great. And at the end, if you haven't plugged into their belief and help them believe by great proof points, case studies, testimonials showing them that it's going to work in their environment, whatever it is, I would just be studying that right now if I was a, you know, and I think all the elite sellers are probably unconsciously competent about why am I so good in the late stage of the ball game on the 10 yard line is because I leave no doubt that that customer believes. Now the other thing is if you don't believe, this is a big thing for me. If you don't believe, you are not going to get anybody else to believe.

[Randy Riomersma]

And I'm so glad you said that. I'm just going to, I was going to share the best way to create belief. For belief is transferable. Yes, belief, enthusiasm is transferable. So many emotions are transferable. If I am a subject matter expertise, an expert in this situation, I'm an oil and gas guy and we're doing an installation, whatever it is, and I've talked through the whole downstream, blah blah, blah and we're at that 10 yard line of surrounding with all those other things, you're going to look me in the eye, prospects going to look the sales rep in the eye and they're basically going to ask him, yeah, but do you believe? And if I'm an elite seller and I know this stuff cold and I know the use cases and I know our company and I know what we can deliver, I can echo that back and I can transfer that belief to, to them, which is critical. If you can't, it's going to show up in your pupils and their, their basil brain is going to pick that stuff up. Their limbic system is going to be like danger Will Robinson. Which goes back to what John was talking about. They're going to go home with their wife or husband and be like, yeah, I don't know, maybe I don't spend 3 million bucks tomorrow.

[Host]

So Randy, you talked about when people show up, they have to have a, you know, a point of view, right. They should be prepared to understand, like we said, you know, all the Persona, the use case, how that Persona is measured, what they're trying to, what their, what their pains are, what their deliverables are. Talk to us about what you mean by a point of view or a provocative point of view.

[Randy Riomersma]

A great question. So I think, and this is where I see so many reps get stuck and I think this goes back to

[Host]

preparation.

[Randy Riomersma]

You got a preparation. You know, I got this list of attributes for the 1%, right. One of them is preparation. They do the research whether companies publicly traded or not. I believe that if you're going to have a provocative point of view, you and this goes back to a little bit of challenger selling, you know, you're going to teach someone, you're going to tailor the message. You're going to take control of this thing. In, in the provocative point of view is where we take control, right? Because we know stuff. Again, this goes back to that early phase. This guy or gal might know something that I don't know. I am curious about them. That low, that, that brings the defense shields down a little bit, which is the number one thing we can do is increase. If you can increase receptivity for an early stage prospect where they actually might listen to you versus bombarding them with your education, that's a huge thing, right? So I create this idea that I may be a person of interest. I know things about your, your industry. I have a point of view, a provocative point of view of how a different world could look. They obviously haven't imagined that worldview today because they aren't in it or they haven't seen the value of it. They aren't in it. So through preparation, through being a subject matter expertise on this stuff and, and I can't say this enough, we've talked about it three times. Let's talk about it a fourth time. When you are preparing executive messaging, provocative point of view for that economic buyer that has way much, that guy or gal is already way too busy. The requests coming to them for money have tripled what their Budget is you've got to rise above the noise. You cannot sound like a sales rep. You must sound like a peer. So I think part of the provocative part is not sounding like a sales rep, understanding their business logic, what they're trying to get done. You know, I think a very short story about a customer that we dealt with years ago when I was working for Kubeck. You guys remember Tim Kubec in the Contact Solutions in the call center area. All of our deals back there were one, maybe two, three year deals. But we found this deal where a company was their revenue growth. They're doing a bunch of consolidation. Revenue growth was 14%. Their operational expense growth was 17%. So we know that's going out of business sale.

[John McMahon]

We didn't.

[Randy Riomersma]

We did so much work below the line to figure out what was going on, what we could impact. But our message back to this guy was literally three slides and it was on how to get their OPEX growth expense of 17% just escalating like crazy down to 11% and a path to get it to 8%. And we talked about EBITDA, we talked about earnings per share, we talked about what that do for manpower and all these other things. It was a pure business to business leader to leader call. We never talked about the technology. Our provocative point of view there for him was there's a way to take this operational disaster that you have through some consolidations, et cetera, and drive it down so it's actually contributing back to the business in a better way. It's research, it's prep. It's being an executive in the room telling an executive message, not a feature led. No executive cares about your shiny spinning thing. They really don't. They really, really don't.

[Podcast Outro Announcer]

Thanks for listening to today's episode. If you enjoy the content, please subscribe, rate and review the show to help us reach more people. This show is brought to you by Force Management, where we help companies improve sales performance, executing the growth strategy at the point of sale. Check out forestmanagement.com for more information.