Everyone has been there. You’ve spent months working on a deal only to find out that you were talking to the wrong person. 

After conducting three discovery meetings and a demo, the stakeholders level with you that they have no budget. 

You were ghosted after delivering your proposal because all your prospect wanted was your numbers to use against the incumbent vendor. 

It’s heart-breaking when reality slaps you in the face with the cold, hard truth that your pipeline opportunity was just a pipe dream.

The surest way to be aware of the signals that could kill your deal or leave you hanging is a disciplined system for qualifying opportunities all the way through the sales process.

Dawnna St. Louis’ Gauntlet of Disqualification featured on The Sales Gravy Podcast is a fantastic outline for cutting dead weight from your pipeline.

Use a Gauntlet of Disqualification to Root Out Bad Deals

Top sales pros don’t waste time chasing bad deals—they make prospects earn a spot in their pipeline.

The Gauntlet of Disqualification approach roots out poor deal opportunities and unqualified buyers. St. Louis’ three-step process pushes buyers to ‘qualify in’ to her sales process. She spends her time on highly qualified, likely-to-close prospects rather than duds. No more dead end deals, just high value prospects who are ready to buy.

She assumes that a buyer is unqualified until they’ve passed a sales disqualification test. This test helps you avoid wasting your time on deals that will never close.

Every meeting and touch after your initial call should include filters that weed out bad prospects — forcing each one  to earn a spot in your pipeline. 

What you get is a pipeline full of healthy deals and rather than a wish-list of prospects that won’t pan out.

Don’t Allow Prospects to Waste Your Time

Your time is money. You’re investing time in this deal; make sure your prospect will, too.

If your prospect isn’t fully committed, your deal is dead. If they’re not showing up to meetings or prepared to move forward, you’re wasting your time. Don’t wait for them to catch up. Set clear meeting times and hold them accountable. Don’t hesitate—disqualify the sale if they’re unprepared. Your time is too valuable.

Is this the right time for the deal? You’ve identified the pain point your product will solve; you’re ready to move forward. Make sure your prospect is on the same page. This should be an issue they need to fix now. It should be causing enough pain to their bottom line that it’s worth it to invest budget into a solution.

Exploration is fine, but not on your time. The client’s company should be serious about making a change. Tire kickers won’t help you make quota or pad your commission check. You are not a free consultant.

Gain agreement on a decision timeline early in the sales process.

You’re Putting in Maximum Effort, So Should Your Prospect

Deals take effort. On both sides. You need things from your prospect: company history, data, pain points — all the information you should be getting in discovery. If your prospect is showing up unprepared to meetings, skipping meetings, or pawning you off on other people it’s a big red flag. The Gauntlet approach helps you with sales disqualification like this.

Have clear conversations with your contact about what the process will require if both parties and gain consensus before moving forward.

Get the Right People in the Room

The effort it takes to get a deal off the ground isn’t just about time and information — it’s about who you’re talking to. Is your contact a champion, a decision maker or neither? If it’s neither, then you need to find a new contact or a new prospect.

Champions are great. Champions push deals forward but you need a decision maker in the mix and engaged to close the sale. There’s nothing worse than finding out your stakeholders have no real sway. 

Map all of the stakeholders and take action to connect with them all. Getting everyone at the table is one of the real keys to close the sale.

Without Budget, Your Deal is Dead

No money. No deal. It’s that simple. You must qualify for funding early in the discovery process. Beware of prospects who claim they’re interested but can’t or won’t commit financially or aren’t in control of the budget.

You are Not a Quote Factory

Likewise watch out for buyers who are just using you as leverage to negotiate with another vendor.

Being used as a quote factory is just as bad as finding out there’s just no budget. Sure, there’s money allocated for this project – but it’s not going to you. Ask direct questions and watch out for red flags: dodges, deflections and hesitations.

Protect Your Pipeline, Protect Your Paycheck

Every wasted meeting, every stalled deal, and every ghosted proposal steals time you can’t afford to lose. The Gauntlet of Disqualification isn’t just a filter—it’s your shield against time-wasters, budgetless prospects, and dead-end conversations. If they don’t have the time, effort, or money, they don’t belong in your pipeline. Run every deal through sales disqualification—starting now. Your paycheck depends on it.

Learn how to convert more prospecting calls into appointments with our FREE Guide 25 Ways to Ask for the Appointment on a Cold Call