Why B2B Deals Arent Lost on Price: Theyre Lost on Strategy
- E550
- 1:25:09
- August 12th 2026
Most B2B tech founders blame lost deals on price, but what if that is rarely the real reason? In this episode of Predictable B2B Success, host Vinay Koshy speaks with Alex M.H. Smith, author of "No Bullshit Strategy" and founder of Basic Arts, to challenge common misconceptions about strategy, value, and what it takes to create breakthrough growth.
Alex highlights a fundamental problem in the industry: most companies think they have a strategy but are really just chasing goals and optimizing tactics. The result is unpredictable revenue, generic messaging, and a business indistinguishable from competitors.
He explains why improving sales, marketing, or even product execution rarely delivers lasting results, and how the real issue starts upstream, in the strategic fog lingering at the very top of the organization. Alex explains why being “better” is never enough, why distinctiveness trumps marginal improvements, and how even funded startups must make the uncomfortable choice to be the only, not merely the best option for their market.
If you want to break out of the "vortex of mediocrity," rethink your company’s value, and create lasting advantages, this conversation is your invitation to see B2B strategy in a totally new light.
Some topics we explore in this episode include:
- Lost deals and unpredictable revenue are caused by poor differentiation, not price.
- Most companies confuse goals with real strategy.
- The ‘better trap’: Trying to outdo competitors instead of being unique.
- Strategic fog at the top leads to confusion in sales and marketing.
- Effective strategy requires motivating and aligning the team.
- B2B value creation is complex with different stakeholders to satisfy.
- Unique value often comes from non-product advantages.
- Strategic breakthroughs happen in informal conversations, not workshops.
- Deliberate weakness enables standout strengths and focus.
- Leaders must relentlessly communicate strategy as companies grow.
Predictable B2B Success
If you lead a bootstrapped or funded B2B tech company and need revenue to be predictable, not just possible, this podcast was built for you.
Predictable B2B Success is the only show built exclusively for CEOs at seed-to-Series C tech companies who are ready to replace random acts of growth with a scalable, repeatable revenue system from first dollar to $50M+ ARR and beyond.
Each week, host Vinay Koshy sits down with elite revenue operators, GTM leaders, and founders who have solved the hardest problem in funded B2B tech: turning chaotic, unpredictable growth into something structural, a system that holds under investor pressure, market shifts, and scale.
What you will walk away with every episode:
- Operating frameworks for building predictable revenue pipelines
- Real playbooks from founders who have scaled B2B companies from seed to Series C and beyond
- GTM, RevOps, demand generation, and category design insights built for C-suite decisions, not marketing teams
- Strategies that compound across your organisation, not one-off tactics that fade
Why 500+ episodes and a 5.0-star rating?
This is not a show about inspiration. It is a show about operating clarity. Every guest is chosen because they have built systems in sales, content, community, product, or customer success that made revenue predictable. After 500+ episodes, the patterns are unmistakable. This archive is your competitive advantage.
Trusted by founders and CEOs at bootstrapped and funded B2B tech companies across SaaS, cleantech, AI, and enterprise software.
Rated 5.0 stars on Apple Podcasts. Ranked top 5 B2B podcast by Feedspot (2026). 500+ episodes since 2020.
Subscribe now and get a new episode every week, turning your revenue from a moving target into a scalable system.
Show notes, frameworks, and transcripts: sproutworth.com Subscribe to The Inclined, the weekly newsletter for funded B2B tech CEOs: sproutworth.com/newsletter Connect with Vinay Koshy on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vinaykoshy