Many industrial and manufacturing companies operating in the U.S. under European leadership unknowingly slow down their sales process. Their teams spend too much time on deals that will never close, overly nurture prospects who are just “interested,” and fail to recognize when they need to move on.

The Problem: Wasted Time is the Biggest Sales Killers

This isn’t a talent issue—it’s a process issue. Too many teams treat every opportunity with the same level of engagement instead of identifying and prioritizing high-value deals early. The result?

• Long, inefficient sales cycles that drain resources.
• More discounting as reps try to force deals that aren’t qualified.
• Wasted effort on prospects who were never serious buyers in the first place.

The fix? A disciplined, structured qualification process that helps your team focus only on the opportunities that matter.

The Engineering Sales Trap: When “Talking Shop” Doesn’t Close Deals
One of the biggest mistakes I see companies make is hiring engineers as salespeople with the expectation that their deep technical knowledge will translate into sales success. On paper, it makes sense: Engineers understand the product, can speak the customer’s language, and seem like the perfect bridge between the technology and the sale.
But too often, these highly technical salespeople fail to close. Why?

• They engage in great conversations—but not great sales conversations.
• They invest time in the wrong prospects who were never going to buy.
• They lack a structured qualification process to separate serious buyers from tire-kickers.

It’s not about intelligence, knowledge, or work ethic. It’s about focusing efforts on the right people, at the right time, with the right process.

How I Discovered the Power of Qualification
Early in my career, I followed the typical approach: I shadowed top salespeople, hoping to learn their habits and replicate their success. I outworked them, making twice as many calls and visits. And it worked—but it was exhausting.

Then I tried something different. Instead of copying sales reps, I studied customers.

1.I analyzed why customers bought from us.
2. I analyzed why customers stopped buying from us.
3.I analyzed why we lost deals to competitors.

After dozens of conversations, one thing became clear: Customers buy for only a few core reasons.
I grouped these into three main drivers—because if I couldn’t simplify it to three, I knew I wouldn’t remember them when it mattered. From there, I built a qualification system around those three reasons.

• If a prospect fit at least one of those reasons, they were worth pursuing.
• If they didn’t, I knew early on—and I stopped wasting time.

That shift changed everything. Instead of chasing deals that felt promising but went nowhere, I focused on the ones that had a real chance of closing. My pipeline got leaner, but my close rate skyrocketed.

The Qualification Framework: PPVVC
I’m a big believer in structured qualification frameworks like BANT, but I needed something practical for real-world industrial sales. That’s why I built my approach around PPVVC—Power, Pain, Vision, Value, and Control.

1️⃣ Power – Who controls the budget and makes the final decision?
If you’re not speaking to the right person, the deal will stall.
2️⃣ Pain – What is the real business problem?
Not just a technical issue, but a problem that affects cost, efficiency, or competitiveness.
3️⃣ Vision – Where does the customer want to go?
If you only focus on the pain and not on the bigger picture, the deal won’t move forward.
4️⃣ Value – What specific impact does your solution bring?
Customers don’t buy features—they buy results. Are you articulating real business value?
5️⃣ Control – Are you leading the process, or are they?
Without clear next steps, momentum dies. The best sales reps keep control of the sales cycle.

The Qualification Framework: PPVVC
Most sales teams in European-led industrial companies in the U.S. struggle because they:
❌ Over-educate the customer instead of qualifying them.
❌ Engage in endless technical discussions that don’t lead to sales.
❌ Get stuck in “nice conversations” instead of moving deals forward.

By using PPVVC, you cut through the noise and focus on what matters:
✔️ Is this prospect worth your time?
✔️ Are they serious about solving a problem?
✔️ Do they have the power to make a decision?

If a prospect doesn’t check the boxes, move on. The best sales teams don’t waste time convincing—they qualify, engage, and close.
The Bottom Line: Qualification = More Sales, Less Stress

If you’re leading an industrial or manufacturing company in the U.S. with a European-style sales culture, you need to simplify and strengthen your qualification process.

• Help your team identify the right opportunities faster.
• Teach them when to consult and when to sell.
• Reduce time wasted on deals that will never close.
• Build a pipeline full of winnable deals, not hopeful ones.

Want to see how a structured qualification process can drive real results?
Let’s talk about how we can help your team move faster, close more, and eliminate wasted effort.