Ep 71: How Much Should You Give Away Before the Contract Is Signed

Jay and Sarah get into the disagreement that comes up most in their business: how much time and effort is too much during biz dev. Jay leans into exceeding expectations on every deal, even before a contract's signed, because he sees it as building a relationship for the long haul. Sarah worries that mindset eats into profitability before the work even starts. They trace it back to their different wiring, one relationship-driven, one process-driven, and talk through where the line actually sits between earning trust and giving away margin for free.Chapters00:00 Kicking off with a little Arizona chaos before getting into the real conversation01:26 The visionary and integrator divide, and why healthy conflict keeps a team honest05:01 Why consulting firms feel this tension more than product-based businesses06:17 The distrust problem: why prospects walk in guarded before you say a word08:39 Jay's case for going all in on biz dev, even when it doesn't pay off right away11:19 Sarah pushes back: when does going above and beyond start costing you money13:32 Personality wiring and why some people are built for process, not rapport17:12 Learning to say "we've done enough" without feeling like you're shortchanging the client19:25 Setting expectations early so nobody's guessing what "done" looks like later23:29 Closing the loop: giving sales the feedback that keeps the whole system honest24:50 Building a culture where feedback isn't a threat, it's the whole point27:30 Where AI tools fall short and why being challenged beats being flatteredSEO Keywordsb2b marketing strategy, sales pipeline management, revenue operations, mid-market sales, sales enablement, sales and marketing alignment, client onboarding process, agency profitability, visionary integrator, B2B consulting, revenue leaks, client retention strategyHostsJay Feitlinger, CEO of StringCan Interactive LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayfeitlinger/Sarah Shepard, COO of StringCan Interactive LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahshepardcoo/About Revenue Rewired and StringCan InteractiveRevenue Rewired is a podcast for B2B marketers, sales leaders, and business owners working through the intersection of sales and marketing. Each episode brings practical insight for mid-market companies that want to grow revenue with real strategy behind it.Website: www.stringcaninteractive.comEmail: [email protected] Book: Revenue Rewired, available on Amazon Buy the Revenue Rewired book: https://www.amazon.com/Revenue-Rewired-Identify-Leaks-Costing-ebook/dp/B0FST7JCXQ Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7423414515779936256/?displayConfirmation=true