← Box #6 Trigger Events · BOX #7 DISQUALIFYING · Box #8 Emotional Favourite →

How to score and disqualify sales opportunities so you only spend time on the ones most likely to close.

Does this sound familiar?

Your pipeline is full, your calendar is packed — and nothing is closing. Every lead feels like it could be “the one,” so you chase them all.

That’s not a pipeline problem. It’s a discipline problem. Every hour spent on a bad-fit prospect is an hour not spent on a great-fit one.

Flip the funnel: disqualify instead of qualify

Most founders ask “can I sell to them?” The strongest founders ask “should I?” — and walk away early from prospects who don’t match their winning profile. Saying no is the hardest, most valuable sales skill. The narrower your pipeline, the faster you close.

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
012345678910
The 2-Point Rule: If your best active prospect scores 8, stop adding prospects who score 6 or below — unless you need the volume. Track how quickly high-scoring leads close vs. low-scoring ones. The data tells you when to raise the bar.

Score every prospect in the first 10 minutes

The 5-Factor Scoring Matrix turns gut feel into a number out of 10 — scored in the first ten minutes of a conversation, on the five things your best customers share. Then the 2-Point Rule tells you exactly when to stop adding weaker prospects to your pipeline.

The full how-to for this box is in the free Traction Canvas toolkit.

"Saying no to bad fits speeds you up. The narrower your pipeline, the fatter your wallet — focus beats volume at every stage." This is the Disqualifying corollary to Box 2's Bifurcation mantra: narrowing your ICP and narrowing your pipeline are the same principle applied at different stages.

3 ways founders blow this box

Skip
You don't disqualify at all — every lead is "the one" — so you get long cycles and low close rates.
Shortcut
You disqualify on company-level criteria instead of the person, screening for the wrong things.
Stumble
You lower the bar when the pipeline feels thin, and bad-fit meetings crowd out the next 8 or 9.

Get Box 7 working for you

→ Get the free toolkit — the fillable canvas, session slides, and a one-hour session recording.

→ Work through it with us — Brandy and Craig run the Traction Canvas live with founder cohorts and accelerators, and complete it 1:1 with funded teams.

→ Next: Box 8 — Emotional Favourite — become the person they call first when they’re ready to buy.

← Box #6 Trigger Events · BOX #7 DISQUALIFYING · Box #8 Emotional Favourite →