Posted in May, 2025 

In early-stage Health IT sales, “Maybe” is the most expensive word in the funnel. It’s not a rejection, not a win—just a slow leak of time, attention, and resources. "Maybe" deals clog your pipeline, distort your forecast, drain rep bandwidth, and distract leadership from winnable opportunities. 

This white paper breaks down why “Maybe” thrives in provider sales, how to recognize it early, and how Elevate HIT Sales helps teams eliminate it using frameworks like MEDDPICC® to drive clarity, qualification, and momentum. 

The Quiet Killer in Your Funnel: “Maybe” 

When a deal goes quiet, it doesn’t always die.
Sometimes, it lingers. And that’s worse. 

What “Maybe” sounds like:  

• “We’re still reviewing internally.” 
• “It’s with compliance right now.” 
• “They haven’t said no, but haven’t moved forward.” 
• “We’re waiting on next quarter’s budget.” 

These aren’t just delays—they’re signs of poor qualification, internal friction, or buyer hesitation. And they crowd your pipeline with false confidence. 

Why “Maybe” Is So Common in Health IT 

• Multiple Stakeholders, Multiple Agendas

Deals often involve clinical, IT, finance, and operations—each with their own pain points, timelines, and political weight. Without alignment, inertia wins. 

• Deep Risk Aversion

Health systems aren’t incentivized to take risks. Even a small misstep in procurement or implementation can carry major clinical or reputational consequences. 

• Lack of Decision Criteria

Many buyers are exploring options without knowing what a good decision looks like. If there’s no internal clarity on how a solution will be evaluated, no one can champion the decision forward. 

•   Messaging Misalignment

Founders love talking innovation. Health system buyers want risk mitigation, workflow fit, and proven value. If you’re selling vision, but they’re hearing disruption, deals stall. 

The Real Cost of “Maybe” Deals  

• Overweighted forecasts → missed revenue targets 
• Bloated pipelines → loss of visibility and focus 
• Lost rep time → chasing deals that aren’t progressing 
• Lower win rates → fewer resources focused on real opportunities 
• Decreased sales team morale → chasing shadows feels like failure 

How to Turn “Maybe” Into Movement—or a Clear “No” 

1. Treat No Decision as a Competitor 

The status quo is your biggest rival in healthcare sales. Every discovery conversation should explore what happens if the buyer does nothing—and why that matters. 

Ask:  

• “What happens if you don’t solve this in the next 6 months?” 
• “Is this problem tied to a broader initiative or budget cycle?” 

2. Start Every Deal with Decision Criteria 

If the buyer doesn’t know how they’ll decide, they won’t. Use MEDDPICC® to guide qualification around the how, not just the what. 

Uncover:  

• Who signs (Economic Buyer) 
• What metrics define success 
• Who’s involved in the decision and procurement process 

3. Reframe Your Pipeline Review 

Instead of asking “What’s next?”, ask:
“What’s the last thing the buyer did—without being prompted?” 

Silence isn’t neutral. It’s a signal the deal is drifting. Reps need to recognize buyer inactivity as a call to re-engage, qualify out, or escalate. 

4. Coach Disqualification as a Strength 

A clean, trusted pipeline is more powerful than a full one. Train reps to qualify out early, confidently, and with discipline. “No” is better than “not now” disguised as “maybe.” 

How Elevate HIT Sales Helps Eliminate “Maybe” 

We help small and scaling Health IT teams:  

• Operationalize MEDDPICC® to prevent false positives in the funnel 
• Build deal inspection cadences to spot indecision and re-qualify stalled deals 
• Coach founders and sellers on navigating multi-stakeholder friction 
• Create win/loss playbooks to improve pattern recognition and sales judgment 
• Structure pipeline reviews around buyer behavior—not seller optimism   

In complex sales, confidence doesn’t come from how many deals you have.
It comes from knowing which ones are real—and which ones need to go. 

Conclusion 

"Maybe" isn't a sign of hope. It's a sign your deal has lost momentum, clarity, or priority.
And if left unmanaged, it becomes the single biggest threat to your sales productivity and forecast accuracy. 

It’s time to move beyond “Maybe.”
Elevate HIT Sales helps you build qualification systems, inspection discipline, and sales coaching programs that replace ambiguity with action—and give your team the confidence to win what’s winnable. 

📩 Let’s build your system for saying yes to the right deals—and walking away from the rest. 

  

✅ Health IT Deal Health Checklist 

Use this to assess any deal in your pipeline in under 5 minutes. 

🔍 Buyer Engagement  

• Buyer has taken an unprompted action in the last 14 days (e.g., shared internal updates, scheduled next steps) 
• You’ve had at least one conversation with the Economic Buyer 
• Champion is actively coaching you on internal dynamics 

📊 MEDDPICC® Alignment  

• Metrics: You’ve agreed on specific, measurable outcomes tied to their pain 
• Economic Buyer: You’ve confirmed who holds the budget and they’re engaged 
• Decision Criteria: You understand exactly how they’re evaluating options 
• Decision Process: The buyer has outlined their internal buying steps 
• Paper Process: You know the timeline and steps for procurement/IT/security reviews 
• Identify Pain: There’s a documented business problem they’ve acknowledged as urgent 
• Champion: You have a stakeholder willing to advocate internally 
• Competition: You’ve identified who else is being considered—including the status quo 

🧭 Deal Momentum  

• Next steps are scheduled with a clear owner (on their side) 
• Deal aligns with an internal initiative, mandate, or active budget 
• Buyer has stated a target go-live or decision date 
• Procurement and legal have been mentioned or engaged 

🚩 Red Flags (Score 1 Point for Each “Yes”)  

• “Still evaluating” with no specific timeline 
• “We’ll circle back” without a scheduled follow-up 
• “It’s with the team” but unclear who owns the process 
• Buyer hasn’t responded in 10+ business days 
• No clear budget, initiative, or executive mandate behind the project 

If 3+ red flags are present:
⚠️ The deal may be in “maybe” mode—re-qualify, re-engage, or consider disqualifying. 

✅ Healthy Deal Traits  

• Momentum is buyer-driven 
• Champion is active and visible 
• Deal has a defined decision path 
• Pain is quantified and urgent 
• Buyer has shown intent via action, not just words