Before anyone buys, they must be at a 10 on three scales: certainty in the product, certainty in you, and certainty in the company. Build all three.
Three Tens Certainty
Core Principle
Belfort's Three Tens is a diagnostic framework for why deals stall. Every buyer needs to reach a 10 on three certainty scales: product (does it work?), personal (do I trust this person?), and company (is this organization reliable?). When someone isn't buying, one of the three is low. Identify which and address it.
Step-by-Step Execution
Example in Action
The deal is stalling. Time to diagnose. You: I want to make sure we're on the same page. How do you feel about the solution itself -- does it solve the problem we discussed? Prospect: Absolutely. The product is exactly what we need. [Product = 10] You: Great. And how do you feel about working with me? Any concerns about how I've handled things so far? Prospect: No, you've been great. Very professional. [Personal = 10] You: Appreciate that. Last question -- how do you feel about our company overall? Our track record, stability, support? Prospect: Honestly... I did some Googling and found a few negative reviews from 2022. [Company = 6] You: Thank you for being honest. Let me address that directly. Those reviews were from our first year. Since then, we've rebuilt our support team from the ground up. Our current satisfaction rate is 96%. Here are three references you can call today. Would that help? Prospect: Yeah, that would help a lot.
Practice this technique with an AI-powered roleplay scenario.