One system. Five stages.
CRAFT replaces passive relationship selling with a repeatable, outside-in process. Each stage produces evidence that the next stage needs. Skip one and the deal stalls in the middle.
Conduct Research
The FLOW Filter
Qualify the account before you spend time on it. Research the target from the outside in and decide whether it is worth the pursuit.
What you do
- 01Run the FLOW Filter on every target before it earns a slot in your pipeline.
- 02Build the account picture from public signals: budget cycles, mandates, leadership changes, incumbent vendors.
- 03Walk away from the accounts that fail the filter. A disciplined no protects the forecast.
Outcome
A target you can justify, backed by evidence rather than hope.
Refine & Target
Three Spheres of Influence
Map the buying coalition across three spheres: the people who decide, the people who shape, and the people who can quietly block.
What you do
- 01Map every stakeholder into the three spheres of influence.
- 02Identify the advocates, the economic buyer and the quiet saboteurs.
- 03Sequence your outreach so the people who decide hear from you after the people who shape.
Outcome
A stakeholder map that tells you exactly who to reach, and in what order.
Act
Ecosystem Trust & Air Cover
Borrow trust before you ask for it. Use partners, peers and marketing to build credibility and air cover ahead of the first serious conversation.
What you do
- 01Identify the partners, alumni and peers who already have the buyer's trust.
- 02Earn air cover through ecosystem partners and credible third-party proof.
- 03Build the trust chain first, then request the meeting.
Outcome
Doors open because someone the buyer trusts has already vouched for you.
Find the Value
Hypothesis of Value (HOV)
Lead with a testable hypothesis about the value the buyer is missing. Confirm it in their words, or drop it and try the next one.
What you do
- 01Write a hypothesis of value in one or two sentences: a specific, testable claim about the buyer's problem.
- 02Test it in discovery. Ask the question that would prove you wrong.
- 03Confirm it in the buyer's language, or retire it and form the next hypothesis.
Outcome
A value case the buyer helped you write, not one you pitched at them.
Tailor & Validate
Fear, Blockers & Saboteurs
Name the fears, blockers and saboteurs before they name you. Neutralize each one with a specific de-risking step and a clear path to signature.
What you do
- 01List the fears, the blockers and the saboteurs by name, for each person in the coalition.
- 02Neutralize each one with a specific de-risking step: a pilot, a reference, a phased rollout.
- 03Set a close plan with a dated path to signature and a clear owner on both sides.
Outcome
A close that survives the committee, the incumbent and the last-minute objection.
Put it to work