Why Your Deals Are Stalling and How to Fix It (Ask Jeb)

Why Your Deals Are Stalling and How to Fix It (Ask Jeb)

From Sales Gravy: Jeb Blount by Jeb Blount

June 10, 2026 · 13 min

About this episode

Jeb Blount discusses why deals stall in education sales and how to effectively engage risk-averse buyers.

Sean sells a family engagement survey tool to public schools and charter systems, and prospecting is not his problem. His deals are moving through the early stages just fine. But somewhere around stage three, things slow down, conversations keep happening, and the deal stops going anywhere. In this episode of Ask Jeb on the Sales Gravy Podcast, Jeb Blount breaks down exactly why this happens and what Sean needs to do differently to get deals moving again. The answer starts with understanding who you are selling to. Education is one of the most risk-averse buying environments in any industry. The people you reach through prospecting are typically consensus builders, a personality type that asks a lot of questions, gathers information, and then stalls before making any decision. They will keep talking to you, keep asking to see more, but they will not move forward on their own or step out and advocate for you unless the conditions are exactly right. In this episode: The biggest mistake salespeople make when selling to risk-averse buyers and why confidence in your product works against you Why consensus builders are the most common buyer type in education sales and how to recognize…

People in this episode

Host: Jeb Blount

Guest: Sean

Topics covered

  • sales strategies
  • risk-averse buyers
  • education sales
  • stakeholder engagement
  • decision-making process

Keywords

  • sales
  • deals stalling
  • risk-averse
  • consensus builders
  • stakeholders
  • micro stories
  • social proof

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: public schools, charter systems, education

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