Mastering Long Sales Cycles wth Brian Hayes

Building Your Sales Engine

• 47 min

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Long sales cycles aren't a patience test—they're a process. In this episode, Mark McGraw and guest Brian Hayes break down how to win 12–24-month capital deals without rushing: speak the buyer's language, use curiosity to find context, and build momentum through meaningful next steps instead of shortcuts. In this episode: <ul> <li> Why speed kills deals (and how context saves them) </li> <li> Capital buying reality: budgets, board approval, and timing </li> <li> Cost of delay as a lever to align urgency </li> <li> The Italy negotiation story: delivery date > everything else </li> <li> Stakeholder mapping: "Who else is involved?" and signatory authority </li> <li> Meaningful Next Steps: an operating system for long cycles </li> <li> "Help me understand" → "What if" (first 30 min vs. next 30 min) </li> <li> Pre-call reports, 3×3 matrix, and pre-mortems to avoid blind spots </li> <li> Being the Sherpa: guide the buy, don't just pitch </li> </ul> About Brian Hayes: VP of Sales & Marketing at GPA (Global Process Automation). Brian sells and leads large, complex automation programs across paper, mining/minerals, and chemicals—bringing a Sandler-driven approach to discovery, stakeholder alignment, and clarity in next steps. 🔗 Download exclusive sales resources at: <a href="https://buildingyoursalesengine.com/giveaway" rel="nofollow">buildingyoursalesengine.com/giveaway</a>   Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://www.Sandler.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.Sandler.com</a> <a href="https://www.BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/36" rel="nofollow">https://www.BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/36</a> <a href="https://linktr.ee/buildingyoursalesengine" rel="nofollow">https://linktr.ee/buildingyoursalesengine</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-frank-hayes/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-frank-hayes/</a>