Stop Having “Another Good Meeting” in Sales: Why "Good" Isn’t Good Enough

If you're in sales, this scenario will feel painfully familiar: You ask a sales rep, “How did the meeting go?” And with a confident nod, they respond, “It was a good meeting.”

Great. Fantastic. Everyone pats each other on the back, updates the CRM with vague notes, maybe even feels a twinge of optimism. But let’s be honest—who cares?

A “good meeting” is sales code for “we talked, they didn’t kick us out, and I still have a shot at this deal.” But the truth is, a meeting without a clear purpose and defined outcomes is not good—it's a waste of everyone's time.

I call them AGMs. Another Good Meeting.

Let’s flip this thinking on its head and unpack what a great sales meeting really looks like, using timeless sales frameworks like SPIN, Sandler, and Challenger to show you how to stop settling for “good” and start selling with intention.

The Illusion of a “Good Meeting”

In sales, “good” is a mirage. It feels safe. Comfortable. It avoids confrontation. But in the pipeline? “Good” meetings don’t move deals forward. They stagnate in your CRM, aging like milk.

When you hear someone say, “We met with Company X. It was a good meeting,” the immediate question should be:

“What was the goal of the meeting?”

And, more importantly:

“Was that goal achieved?” “What’s the next step?”

If you can’t answer those questions with precision and clarity, then you didn’t have a good meeting—you had a conversation. And conversations, while valuable, don’t close deals on their own.

Begin with the End in Mind

Stephen Covey nailed it:

“Begin with the end in mind.”

In sales, this translates to: before you even set foot in the meeting (virtual or otherwise), you should know exactly what you’re trying to accomplish.

• Are you trying to identify the decision-making process?

• Are you seeking alignment on the customer’s pain point?

• Are you presenting a solution and securing buy-in?

• Are you confirming budget and timeline?

• Are you getting a verbal commitment?

Whatever it is—define it. That’s your meeting goal.

And once the meeting ends, the only metric that matters is: Did we achieve that goal?

Sales Methodologies That Agree With You (and Don’t Like “Good” Either)

Let’s break this down using some of the world’s most trusted sales methodologies. Spoiler alert: none of them leave room for ambiguity.

1. SPIN Selling – Neil Rackham

SPIN stands for Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff. SPIN is built around discovery and the idea that questions drive sales forward.

What SPIN teaches us is that you need to earn the right to pitch by first deeply understanding the buyer’s problems. So if your “good meeting” didn’t uncover critical implications or develop a strong need-payoff conversation, then you didn’t do SPIN right.

SPIN Check: Did you uncover a compelling reason for them to change? Or did you just scratch the surface?

2. Sandler Selling System

Sandler emphasizes mutual qualification, up-front contracts, and control of the sales process. Before every meeting, Sandler-trained reps agree with the prospect on the agenda, outcomes, and time commitment.

In Sandler, there is no such thing as “just a good meeting.” The meeting either progresses the deal (based on pre-agreed outcomes) or it doesn't.

Sandler Check: Did we set an up-front contract with a clearly defined outcome? Did both parties agree on the next step?

3. The Challenger Sale – Matthew Dixon & Brent Adamson

Challengers don’t play nice—they teach, tailor, and take control. They challenge the customer’s thinking, reframe the problem, and drive urgency.

If your “good meeting” didn’t provoke thought or cause discomfort, you didn’t Challenger the prospect—you just chatted.

Challenger Check: Did we teach something new? Did we challenge their assumptions? Did we reframe the status quo?

4. MEDDIC / MEDDPICC

This qualification framework insists on clarity in areas like Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria/Process, Pain, and Champion.

If you didn’t identify or validate any MEDDIC components, you can’t claim progress. A “good meeting” is only as good as the validated information you extract from it.

MEDDIC Check: Did we learn something new about how the deal gets done—or are we still guessing?

Real Example: Two Versions of the Same Meeting

Let’s say you’re meeting with a VP of Operations at a mid-sized manufacturing company. You’re selling supply chain optimization software.

Version A – The “Good” Meeting

• You have a nice chat about their current tools.

• They say your solution is “interesting.”

• You agree to follow up “next week sometime.”

• You log into the CRM: “Good meeting. Seemed interested. Potential fit.”

Outcome? Zero.

Version B – The Purpose-Driven Meeting

• Goal: Confirm if they are experiencing the inventory forecast problems your solution solves.

• You ask pointed questions (SPIN/Sandler-style) to uncover the impact of missed forecasts.

• You quantify the cost of the problem.

• You uncover that the COO is the final decision maker and identify the timeline for budget allocation.

• You gain verbal agreement to demo for the rest of the ops team next Tuesday.

Outcome? Deal moved forward. Real progress.

The One Question You Must Ask Every Time

“What is the goal of this meeting?”

If your team can't answer that question before a meeting, or if they can’t answer whether that goal was achieved after the meeting, you're leaving deals to chance.

And here’s the kicker: your buyers don’t have time for “good meetings” either. Their calendar is full of vendor pitches and generic sales calls. Stand out by having a purpose. Drive value. Make it count.

Action Plan: Stop Having Another “Good Meeting”

Here’s how to put this into practice starting today:

1. Set a Clear Goal Before Every Meeting – Write it down. Share it with the customer. Use Sandler's up-front contract method to align expectations.

2. Use Your Sales Methodology to Guide the Meeting – SPIN for discovery, Challenger for reframing, MEDDIC for qualification—use what works, but use something.

3. Be Brutal in Your Debriefs – Did the meeting move the deal forward? If not, why not? Don’t let vague positivity mask a stalled opportunity.

4. Always Define the Next Step – A meeting without a next step is just another nice chat. Put a date on the calendar. Assign action items. Keep momentum.

5. Coach Your Team to Think This Way – In pipeline reviews, don’t accept “it was a good meeting.” Ask: “What was the goal? Was it achieved? What’s the next step?”

Final Thought

“Good” is the enemy of great, and in sales, it’s often the enemy of progress.

So the next time you or your team walk out of a meeting and say it was “good,” take a moment to pause, dig deeper, and ask:

Did we move the deal forward—or are we just making ourselves feel better?

Stop having another good meeting. Start having intentional ones. The kind that close.