Good Morning. According to a new WSJ article, Companies are scrambling to hire "storytellers" right now. LinkedIn job listings with the term ‘storyteller’ doubled this year, and it was mentioned nearly 500 times on earnings calls. It’s like they want people who can turn data and features into compelling narratives that resonate with customers and sell the product. I wonder if there’s a job title that already does that? Hmm, anyways… Let's get into today's Follow Up. (:
Discussing price early on 💰
The December buzzer-beater playbook 🏀
How sales teams will look in 2026 👀
Sales jobs & a meme 😂
Sales Tip of The Day 💡
When a prospect asks for pricing early, they’re typically asking if this is even worth the conversation.
❌ “No problem, I’ll send over our pricing sheet.”
✅ “Absolutely. Before I throw out numbers, can I sanity-check what you’re comparing us against?”
This anchors the price conversation in context and stops you from being judged against the wrong alternatives.
Price without context is neither cheap nor expensive.
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The December Buzzer Beater Playbook
You've got two weeks left in the year and deals still sitting in your pipeline.
This is when things get scary. And how are you going to relax during the holidays when you’re short on quota?
Your first instinct is probably to start panicking, sending desperate follow-up emails, or offering last-minute discounts to get something, anything, across the line.
But here's the playbook that top performers will be running for the next 14 days:
The triage happens now
Most salespeople make the same mistake in late December. They keep working on every deal in their pipeline with equal intensity. This is how you close nothing.
The best closers get honest about what's actually closeable.
Right now, this week, you need to segment your pipeline into three categories:
Deals with real year-end possibility: Prospects who have expiring budgets, annual planning deadlines, or already told you they need to decide before January. These get 80% of your time.
Deals that could move with the right push: Prospects who've been engaged but stalling. These get 15% of your time and a very specific strategy (more on this below).
Everything else: These aren't closing in two weeks. Accept it now. Stop wasting time on them.
The 3 plays you can run this week
If you've got deals in that first bucket (real year-end possibility), here's what to do starting today:
Multi-thread immediately
If you're still talking to just one person at the company, you're in trouble. That person could go on vacation, get pulled into other priorities, or simply not have final approval authority.
To do today: Send a message asking, "Who else should be involved in finalizing this?" Then get them on the phone or in your email thread before Friday.
Offer the scope-down
Can't get approval for the full deal? Come back with a smaller pilot or Phase 1 that solves their most urgent problem and can start in January.
This IS NOT discounting. Although sometimes a discount can get the deal done…
This play is about removing the decision friction with a smaller scope so you can make it easier for your champion to get internal buy-in.
Schedule the signature meeting now
Don't leave it vague. Say somethinglike: "Let's get 30 minutes on the calendar for December 27th to review the final terms and get this signed."
Lock in the time today, even if they're not ready to commit yet.
For the "maybe" deals: The resurrection play
Those deals in your second bucket (could move with the right push) need a different approach.
Send a message like this (adjust to your voice):
"Hey [Name] - I know year-end is chaos. Quick question: Is this still a priority to close before year's end, or should we reconnect in January? Either way is fine, I just want to respect your time."
This gives them an out. Paradoxically, giving people permission to say "not now" often triggers them to re-engage. And if they do say January, you stop wasting time on them this month.
What NOT to do
Here's what desperate salespeople do in late December that kills deals:
They apologize for following up. Don't. It’s literally your job. And you're trying to help them hit their goals, not bothering them, of course.
They offer discounts unprompted. This signals you're desperate and trains buyers to always wait for year-end pricing.
They send "just checking in" emails. These get ignored. Every message needs a clear question, next step, or call to action.
Your two-week checklist
This week:
Ruthlessly triage your pipeline.
Multi-thread on your hot deals.
Lock in signature or closing meetings asap.
Next week:
Follow up on your resurrection emails.
Send final proposals with clear next steps.
Accept that some deals won't close, and that's okay.
You've got 14 days. Use them wisely.
What’s the hardest part of selling in the last two weeks of the year?
