2025 is history. At least in the world of selling it is. “What have you done for lately?” is not some trite, overused question but a real challenge that we all face daily. Your selling world is now all about 2026 and truthfully, Q1! As such, the good fortune of winning a major deal to kick off the new year is a truly tempting proposition. But just as I cautioned in closing out 2025, I offer similar guidance in cranking up the January sales engine. Make sure your eves are wide open in the hunt for whales, but keep your fishing lines baited and in the water to catch the meals that will feed you and your quota.
Major deals are things of beauty. The revenue and profit faucets begin to flow right away while the specter of account expansion grows as you and your team serve your new client with distinction. But hold your horses. The big deal vision demands shifting your focus away from other business opportunities, those very opportunities symbolized by the fishing lines in the water. And the big deal focus demands that other things be be neglected. Things like those fishing lines. But more importantly, things like your current client accounts. They matter greatly and, by all rights, they force you to make rational decisions about where to spend your time. Especially early in the year, when your current accounts need your attention as they chart their courses for 2026.
As I’ve often shared, I grew up at Xerox where I learned sales blocking and tackling in an electric selling environment. At Xerox, we lived by a menu of deals – breakfast, lunch and dinner. We were taught that each of the meals is absolutely required for your well-being – each of them. You can’t ignore breakfast and lunch by overeating at dinner. And don’t forget the four most important words in selling – It’s not about you. Because beyond your well-being, your clients depend on you and your organization regardless of the size of the deal. And just like the size of the meal, all deals matter. What may be a small opportunity for you may deliver tremendous value to your account. That’s right – It’s not about you.
Whale hunting can also cause you to take your eye off opportunities where you already have an advantage and a strong probability of success. Maybe it’s an opportunity with a long-term client where you have a great track record. Or a pursuit where your solution matches your satisfied client account’s needs perfectly. In situations like these, you optimistically assign high winning probabilities, assured of success. Yours to lose?
In consulting with selling organizations globally, I find that focus often gets watered down on high probability deals. 80-90% success predictions are considered “done deals”, while hard work is diverted to the whale hunt. Proceed with caution. Whatever advantage or goodwill your confidence in a high-percentage deal is based on, you’re betting that focusing on that whale won’t impact your chances of winning. Losing done deals won’t happen. Or will it?
High-probability opportunities are treasures. And actually, they’re not about probabilities, but about deserved goodwill that can be squandered in a moment. While you’re chasing that whale, on the account side of your high probabilities are real clients who are counting on you but still considering their options. Probabilities? They mean nothing to your clients. If they feel you’re taking their business for granted, your real probabilities are much lower than you forecast. If you’re not giving your current clients your best, they will know. If you don’t give your best, be assured you have competitors who will give theirs and be more than happy to increase their probabilities.
The challenge is how to find a balance between fishing and whale hunting? Start with your Go/No-Go process to make sure you’re attacking the right pursuits. Without it, you’re flying blind. Win probability, of course, is only one of the considerations. Concerning high probability deals, I suggest that selling organizations track their three highest percentage opportunities, regardless of size. For each, craft specific four-step value propositions covering the solution proposed, what it does, how it benefits and how the benefit will be measured. Then identify the actions required to maximize the chances of winning, utilizing RACI for accountability. And the three highest-probability opportunities are constantly refreshed. Win one and replace it with the next, continually working a trio of opportunities. Effort, focus and client-focused opportunity tracking. Real strategy as opposed to assumptive and risky neglect.
Always follow your Go/No-Go process. And to kick off 2026, treat your opportunities with the highest probabilities as the treasures they are, never neglecting them. Achieving those probabilities took time and effort. Don’t do your organization, yourself or your client a disservice by watering them down in any way. Focus on value and then earn the right to deliver it. Your long-term clients will stay long-term.
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