Most sales teams are eternally optimistic about bad prospects.

I'm The Real Jason Duncan, back with another edition of Beyond the Grind – showing entrepreneurs how to stop being slaves to their own businesses and start building assets that run without them. 🚀

Last time, we tackled Stage 4 of the XOS™ Method (see graphic below): Mastering Systems & Automation. Now, we're moving into Stage 5 of the XOS™ Method: Creating a Passive Profits Machine.

You can't swing a dead cat on social media without seeing some self-appointed guru telling you the “number one secret to make passive income”. 

Now don't get me wrong – everybody wants to get passive income. I mean, why wouldn't you?

After all, passive income is income that you receive without having to actively do any work.

In the XOS™ method, we strategically put this as stage five because it is where you can turn your business into a passive profits machine. 

Most passive income gurus never mention that your business can become one of those sources.

But if you get your sales process fixed, you can turn your business into a passive profits machine.

Stage 5 transforms your business into an asset that generates predictable revenue without constant owner involvement. 

But here's the problem: most sales processes depend entirely on the owner's personal relationships and charisma.

For your business to truly become a machine, sales must be systematic and predictable.

The $50,000 Problem

Here's what I see in most businesses: Sales teams chase every opportunity. They believe every prospect will eventually buy because they're... well, eternally optimistic.

Remember that scene in Dumb and Dumber where Jim Carrey's character asks his love interest if he has a shot with her? She tells him "one in a million," and he lights up and says, "So you're telling me there's a chance!"

That's exactly how most salespeople operate. 

The prospect has no budget, no authority, and no timeline, but the salesperson heard them say "maybe next quarter" – so there's a chance! 

They'll spend months nurturing a dead lead instead of moving on to qualified prospects.

This costs serious money.

One client told me his team spent six months pursuing a "$50,000 deal" that was never going to close. 

They burned through hundreds of hours because they couldn't identify the red flags early.

The prospect had no budget, no decision-making authority, and no real timeline. But the salesperson kept believing "this could be the one."

That's not optimism. That's expensive delusion.

The Three-Part Sales System

The solution? A systematic approach that helps you close more deals by spending less time on prospects who will never buy.

This system has three components that work together to create predictable revenue:

Part 1: The Four Buying Reasons Framework

When a salesperson loses a deal, they should only be able to choose from four reasons – because these are the only reasons anyone buys anything, ever:

1. Relationship: The prospect must trust the seller or company. No trust means no sale, period.

2. Need: The perceived value must outweigh their current situation. If they don't see the problem, they won't buy the solution.

3. Timing: Budget cycles, competing priorities, organizational changes – factors largely outside your control.

4. Money: Their actual ability to pay, not just whether they like your price point.

Your sales process must uncover these four factors early in every conversation. If any is missing, you should be ready to lose early rather than waste months chasing ghosts.

Want a deeper look at these buying motivators? Download my e-book "Why People Buy" at therealjasonduncan.com/whypeoplebuy

Part 2: The 20-Point Matrix

Once you understand why people buy, you need a tool to determine who is worth pursuing.

The 20-Point Matrix eliminates time-wasters by scoring every opportunity:

1. Identify Six Criteria: Work with your team to define the top six criteria of your ideal client based on your actual business data – things like company size, decision-maker access, or budget range.

2. Rank Each Criterion: Score each criterion on a scale of 1-5 based on how favorable it is for closing the deal.

3. Set Clear Rules: Maximum possible score is 30. Only pursue opportunities scoring 20 or higher without hesitation. Scores between 15-20 require management approval and additional qualification. Below 15? Walk away immediately.

This tool prevents your team from being "eternally optimistic" about prospects that will never close. It forces objective evaluation instead of wishful thinking.

Part 3: The Seven-Step Sales Sequence

For consistent execution, your team needs a predictable sequence that builds value before pitching solutions.

The sequence has seven components (I call them the seven "F" words):

1. Foundation: Show you understand their industry challenges and pain points

2. Framing: Frame the conversation around the result they need, not your product

3. Figures: Expose the cost of inaction in clear dollar amounts they understand

4. Feelings: Appeal to emotions – all buying decisions are made emotionally, then justified logically

5. Fairness: Get agreement on THE solution needed, not YOUR specific solution

6. Fulfillment: Present YOUR solution as the best fit to fulfill the agreed-upon need

7. Formalize: Ask for the sale directly and handle objections

Follow this sequence consistently, and you'll transform your sales process into a Passive Profits Machine that generates predictable revenue.

Implementation Results

These three systems work together to create a complete sales transformation:

The Four Buying Reasons eliminate deals that were never going to close. 

The 20-Point Matrix focuses your team's energy on qualified prospects. 

The Seven-Step Sequence ensures consistent execution that builds value systematically.

The result? Higher close rates, shorter sales cycles, and revenue that doesn't depend on the owner being personally involved in every deal.

This is how you create Stage 5: a business that generates passive profits through advanced revenue optimization.

Words of Wisdom

"The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps." – Proverb 14:15

Salespeople naturally believe every deal is possible. Prudence requires clear systems to eliminate bad opportunities and focus time on prospects who will actually buy.

Your Next Move

If you're struggling to generate predictable revenue and still finding yourself personally involved in every sale, you're sacrificing both freedom and business value.

For established business owners doing $3M+ in revenue or $300K+ in EBITDA, I'm hosting a private training called "What to Fix Before You Exit".

We'll assess exactly where your business depends on you and map out your specific path through the XOS™ stages, including how to implement Stage 5 revenue systems.

Register at whattofixbeforeyouexit.com.

Until next time...

Go beyond the grind,
The Real Jason Duncan 🚀

P.S. One of the differences between an Owner-Operator and an Owner-Investor is often just a documented sales system. Stop being the hero of every sale. Start being the architect of predictable revenue.