Most of what you've read about why most founders get deal scoring completely wrong is wrong. I know because I believed it too, and it cost me.
When I first tried scaling our sales team, I failed miserably. It wasn't until we implemented deal scoring that everything clicked. Here's the exact framework we used to 3x our pipeline without adding headcount.
The Reality Nobody Talks About
Most people approach why most founders get deal scoring completely wrong with assumptions that made sense five years ago. The world has moved on. When I look at my portfolio companies, the ones that succeed are doing something fundamentally different.
The first thing to understand is that your team matters more than your technology. I've seen this play out across dozens of companies. The pattern is unmistakable.
At RemoteTeam, we learned this the hard way. We spent months going down the wrong path before realizing that the data tells a different story than your gut. Once we made the switch, everything changed.
The Counterintuitive Truth
Here's what surprised me most about why most founders get deal scoring completely wrong: the best practitioners do less, not more.
When I was building MovieLaLa, we tried to do everything at once. We had the best technology, the smartest team, and we still almost failed because we spread ourselves too thin.
The lesson I took from that experience, and from watching hundreds of other companies, is that timing is everything in this game. It sounds simple. It's incredibly hard to execute.
What I've Learned From 121 Companies
After investing in 200+ startups and running two companies to successful exits, I've developed a pretty clear picture of what works with why most founders get deal scoring completely wrong.
The biggest misconception is that you need to the best solutions are often the simplest ones. That's backwards. The companies that win are the ones that the data tells a different story than your gut.
I remember sitting with the Anthropic team early on and discussing how they thought about why most founders get deal scoring completely wrong. Their approach was counterintuitive but brilliant.
Lessons From the Trenches
I want to share a few specific lessons I've picked up over the years. These aren't theoretical. They come from real companies, real failures, and real successes.
Lesson 1: The best time to start thinking about why most founders get deal scoring completely wrong was yesterday. The second best time is now. Don't wait until you have the perfect plan.
Lesson 2: Hire for attitude, train for skill. The best why most founders get deal scoring completely wrong practitioners I've met weren't the most technically gifted. They were the most curious and persistent.
Lesson 3: Your competitors are probably getting this wrong too. That's your opportunity. While everyone else is following the same playbook, you can zig when they zag.
This connects to broader themes around revenue intelligence, AI sales tools, outbound AI, sales forecasting AI that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
Wrapping Up
I've shared a lot here, and I know it can feel overwhelming. But here's the thing about why most founders get deal scoring completely wrong: you don't need to get everything right on day one. You just need to get started and keep improving.
The founders in my portfolio who excel at why most founders get deal scoring completely wrong share one trait: they're relentlessly practical. They don't chase perfection. They chase progress.
That's the mindset I'd encourage you to adopt. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. And keep pushing forward.
As always, I'm rooting for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How has this view evolved over time?
My thinking on most topics has changed significantly over the years. Early in my career, I held many conventional views that experience proved wrong. I try to update my beliefs when the evidence changes.
What's the most common pushback you get on this?
People often push back by citing exceptions or edge cases. And they're usually right that exceptions exist. But building a strategy around exceptions rather than patterns is a losing game for most founders.
What experience informs this perspective?
This perspective comes from over a decade of building companies in Silicon Valley, two successful exits (RemoteTeam to Gusto, MovieLaLa to Gfycat), and investing in 200+ startups including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Scale AI. I write about what I've lived.
Do all experts agree with this view?
No, and that's fine. The best ideas in business are often contrarian. I share my perspective based on my experience and data, but I encourage you to seek out opposing viewpoints and form your own conclusions.