Speed feels like confidence. It often isn’t. After watching Adam Erhart break down buyer behavior, I’m convinced many sellers are chasing the wrong signals. My view is simple: stop equating fast decisions with good decisions. If you want loyal clients, build a path that helps serious buyers prepare fast, and filter out the ones looking for magic.
Fast Isn’t Always Better
Erhart has worked with Google, Amazon, and Meta. He’s seen thousands of deals in motion. His core claim flips a common belief. Your best clients often take longer to buy. Not because they’re timid. Because they’re doing real due diligence.
“Prepared buyers ask about the foundation before they move in. Desperate buyers just want a roof, any roof, and then they’re going to blame you when it leaks.”
That line hit me. I’ve watched “fast” buyers flame out because they never cared about process or fit. I’ve also watched slower, engaged buyers become repeat customers and strong referrers. The difference isn’t speed. It’s preparation.
The Four Buyer Types
Erhart maps buyers into four clear groups. It’s blunt, and it tracks with my experience across crypto, social, and SaaS.
- Prepared Fast: Educated, specific, and ready. They ask about responsibilities and risks.
- Desperate Fast: Outcome-only questions. No curiosity about process. Unfair expectations.
- Due Diligence Slow: Progresses between touches. Reads, asks sharper questions, sets a real timeline.
- Stuck Slow: Circles the same questions. No authority, no timeline, no movement.
He tells a story where a buyer signed fast, then bailed in three weeks because “this requires more work than I thought.” That wasn’t confidence. That was panic buying.
“He wasn’t listening to understand. He was listening to buy.”
That line should be taped above every sales rep’s monitor.
Build A Pre-Education Machine
Here’s the unlock. Erhart realized he was doing “human FAQ” on every call. So he front-loaded education with specific content: a short process video, an article on client roles, an industry case library, and a candid “when this won’t work.” He made it required pre-call homework.
The results were striking: calls dropped from 45 to 25 minutes, the close rate jumped from 32% to 78%, and refunds sank from 13% to under 1%. Buyers arrived prepared. Tire kickers opted out.
As someone who’s built and sold digital products for decades, I see this as smart filtering, not gatekeeping. Education is qualification. If a prospect won’t watch a seven-minute video, they won’t follow a seven-step plan.
Green, Yellow, Red: Decide Fast
Erhart also uses a simple live triage that takes minutes on a discovery call.
- Green: References your content. Asks application questions. Knows their problem. Has authority and budget clarity.
- Yellow: Real problem, weak prep. Send back to the content with a clear task and date.
- Red: Won’t review material. Repeats basic questions. No authority. Wants magic, not partnership.
This is clean. It respects the buyer and your time. It also protects your energy, which matters more than most sellers admit.
My Take And Action Steps
I’ve preached this for years: preparation beats persuasion. Erhart’s system is a practical map for anyone who sells expert work. You can bolt this into a CRM or even run it with simple tools. The point is the sequence, not the software.
Here’s how I’d roll it out this week:
- List the seven most common questions you answer.
- Create a short process video and a “client duties” one-pager.
- Publish two case studies by industry or use case.
- Write a frank “who should not hire us.”
- Make this content required pre-call. Reschedule if not reviewed.
- Use the green/yellow/red triage on every call.
You’ll close fewer wrong deals and more right ones. You’ll also sleep better.
The Bottom Line
Fast isn’t the hero. Prepared is the hero. Adam Erhart shows that when you teach before you pitch, great buyers move fast for the right reasons. Build your pre-education path, set your filters, and commit to the triage. Then say yes to green, coach yellow, and pass on red.
Do this now. Your future self—and your refund rate—will thank you.
