After reviewing $1B+ in deals and working with countless sales leaders this year, I’m sharing my learnings from 2026 or what I call – “20 percent actions that get you 80 percent results.”

The growth multipliers, blindspots and little hinges that can swing open the big doors.

Let me share these 5 game-changing insights that can help you drive larger deals and transform your sales outcomes from good, to great, to outstanding in 2026.

Let’s dive in.

1. See the Bigger Picture

When I review deals with sales teams, most focus solely on matching their solutions to functional requirements. While this is important, it misses the bigger opportunity hiding in plain sight.

The real transformation happens when you understand the larger context. Think consciously about how your solution connects to organizational priorities and shows up in board-level initiatives.

I’ve seen countless deals multiply in size when sales teams make this pivot – from solving departmental needs to enabling organizational transformation.

2. Create Measurable Business Value

Here’s something that still surprises me in deal reviews – the lack of measurable, monetizable business value.

Creating real value isn’t just about your solution’s features or benefits.

• It’s about driving specific, quantifiable achievements that your customer can present to their board.
• It’s about getting clear attribution for the results you enable.
• It’s about securing meaningful acknowledgments that showcase your impact.

Remember – unless your customers can calculate the value you bring, they won’t be able to translate it into sustained momentum or renewals for your deal.

3.Build Organizational Consensus

The larger the deal, the more critical organizational consensus becomes.

Think about consensus across multiple dimensions:

• Is there alignment on the business case?
• Do you have a financial justification?
• Is there buy-in for change management?
• Have you secured platform selection consensus?

Without this comprehensive consensus, you’ll have qualified opportunities that may end up going nowhere.

I’ve seen this over and again – deals stall not because of capability or pricing, but because of fragmented stakeholder alignment.

4. Proactively Address Future Risks

The sales process is the systematic elimination of risk. This means having candid conversations with your customers about what could derail success.

Ask them directly:

• What could slow down this project?
• What might prevent investment approval?
• Where could consensus break down?
• What deployment challenges keep you up at night?

Remember – your customer’s risks are your opportunities in disguise. When you understand these risks early, you can transform potential roadblocks into accelerators for your deal.

5. Elevate the Quality of Customer Experience

There’s a saying that has served me well over decades in sales: “The way you sell is a free sample of the way you solve.”

Every customer interaction is an opportunity to demonstrate your value.

• Are your engagements distinct, differentiated, and memorable?
• Does your customer feel elevated in your presence?
• Do they invite other stakeholders to your meetings because they find such remarkable value?

This experience-driven differentiation is something competitors can’t easily replicate. It becomes your unique signature in the market.

To conclude, 2026 presents immense opportunities for those who focus on these fundamental elements. I’ve seen sales teams transform their results by mastering just one or two of these areas. Imagine what you could achieve by elevating all five.

Looking forward to hearing about your breakthrough results in 2026.

Best wishes for an outstanding new year,

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