5 Signs Your Sales Deal is About to Stall

The most frustrating deals aren't the ones you lose to a competitor—they're the ones that simply disappear. One day you're exchanging emails, the next you're leaving voicemails into the void. Here's how to spot a stall before it happens.

Sign #1: The "Sounds Good" Response

Your prospect responds to every email with some variation of "sounds good" or "let me review and get back to you." They're polite, even warm—but nothing actually moves forward.

What's really happening: They're not bought in enough to take action, but not uncomfortable enough to say no. You haven't created urgency or differentiated value.

The fix: Stop sending information and start asking questions. "What would need to be true for this to become a priority this quarter?"

Sign #2: The Disappearing Champion

Your main contact—the person who brought you in—suddenly becomes hard to reach. Meetings get rescheduled. Responses take longer. Their tone shifts from enthusiastic to formal.

What's really happening: They've either lost internal support, gotten pushback from leadership, or are dealing with competing priorities they haven't shared with you.

The fix: Address it directly but supportively. "I've noticed our cadence has slowed down. Is there something happening internally I should know about? I want to make sure I'm not creating work that isn't useful."

Sign #3: The Expanding Stakeholder List

Every call introduces someone new who "needs to be involved." First it was just your champion, then their manager, then legal, then procurement, then someone from IT...

What's really happening: This can be legitimate buying process OR a sign that no one wants to make a decision. The key indicator is whether these additions come with clear roles and timelines.

The fix: Map the buying committee explicitly. "Help me understand—who are the key people who need to say yes, and what does each of them care about most?"

Sign #4: The Vague Next Step

You end calls with "let's reconnect next week" instead of specific commitments. There's no calendar invite, no clear agenda, no mutual action plan.

What's really happening: Neither side is treating this as a real priority. Vague next steps are a symptom of vague value proposition.

The fix: Never end a conversation without a specific, calendared next step. "I'll send a calendar invite for Thursday at 2pm. The goal of that call will be to review the proposal with your CFO. Does that work?"

Sign #5: The Competitor Question (Late Stage)

Deep into your sales process, the prospect suddenly asks about competitors they should be considering, or mentions they're "doing their due diligence."

What's really happening: Either they're getting pressure to compare options (often from procurement), or they're using competition as leverage. Sometimes, it means someone new entered the buying committee who wasn't part of earlier conversations.

The fix: Don't panic or badmouth competitors. Instead, reframe around their specific needs. "Happy to help you think through options. What criteria matter most to your team? Let's make sure you're comparing apples to apples."

The Stall Prevention Checklist

Run through this checklist for every deal in your pipeline:

• ☐ Do I have a specific next step on the calendar?
• ☐ Have I spoken with my contact in the last 7 days?
• ☐ Do I know at least 3 stakeholders in the buying process?
• ☐ Can I articulate their compelling event or deadline?
• ☐ Has the prospect taken an action that required effort on their part?

If you answered "no" to two or more of these questions, your deal is at risk of stalling. Take action today—not next week.

Let AI Watch for Data-Based Warning Signs

You can't manually track every deal's momentum every day. That's where AI-powered deal intelligence comes in. Opsight monitors your pipeline for data-based warning signs—deals that have gone quiet, stages taking too long, declining health scores, and methodology gaps—alerting you before opportunities slip away.