How to Know If a New Idea, Strategy, Offer, Tool, or Partnership Is a Distraction

The Mental Filter That Can Save Your Business

I’ve seen business owners lose hundreds of thousands of dollars —
Go into the red every month.
Fire their team.
Even lose their business entirely…

All because they didn’t stop to ask one question.

One of our clients recently got offered a big opportunity:
A SaaS partner with 100+ clients.
They wanted him to fix their CRM, run their ads, and take a slice of the upside.

It sounded like the shortcut to his ultimate revenue and profit target.

But I asked him:

He paused.
“...No.”

That one moment saved him from months of distraction — and forced us to uncover the real constraint keeping him stuck.

Why Most Business Owners Misread Opportunity

He’s not alone.

Agencies, coaching businesses, service providers — anyone with momentum — will always attract shiny opportunities.

And most of the time, they only think through what could go right.

Rarely do they ask:
What happens if this doesn’t work?
What if I fix their CRM, install all my processes, and they ghost me?
Is this even the best partnership I could say yes to out of all the ones that might be out there?

I’ve seen it go wrong a dozen different ways:

• Referral partners setting the wrong expectations

• Sabotaging results behind the scenes

• Copying your system, replacing you, and walking

• Burning you out while you try to fix their broken ops

• Covertly owning assets such as websites, ad accounts, data, or software and then holding it hostage!

Without a clear agreement and the right structure, a great-sounding deal can cost you way more than it makes you.

The Sales Bottleneck Hiding in His Financial Model

Back to the client.

He thought this partnership was the key to growth.

But when we pulled up his financial model, we saw the truth:

• Ad spend: Fine

• CPL: Healthy

• Show rate: Holding steady

• Close rate: The real problem

His close percentage was below target — which meant he couldn’t scale ad spend, and he couldn’t hit his revenue goals even if he had more leads.

So when I asked him what he’d do to hit an additional 50k next week…

He said, “Spend more on ads, get more calls.”

But not exactly...

Because based on his model — he couldn’t spend more on ads until he increased his close rate.

That was the real constraint.

The Trap: Complexity Over Focus

That partnership sounded exciting…
But it wasn’t solving the real problem.

It would’ve added more tasks, more expectations, more risk — with no guarantee of revenue.

And if we’re being honest?

They don’t zoom out.
They don’t ask: “Is this the top 1% of all possible options?”
They just say yes because it showed up at the right time.

What Charlie Munger Can Teach You About Deal Selection

Charlie Munger famously said:

He and Warren Buffett didn’t build wealth by chasing volume.
They filtered harder. Said no more often.

Same applies here.

Partnerships, software, referral opportunities — they all create drag if they don’t directly solve your constraint.

The One Question That Protects 7- and 8-Figure Businesses

When a new opportunity shows up, use this filter:

If the answer is no…
Don’t get distracted.

Then ask:

Often, it’s one of these:

• Train your closer

• Tune your funnel

• Improve follow-up

• Get more calls booked

• Increase pricing

It’s almost never “sign a deal and rebuild someone else’s ops.”

Focus Is What Builds Independence

Just to be clear:

But they’re not a substitute for a sales process that works.

Referrals, ideas, new strategies, and partnerships come and go.
What stays is your ability to consistently generate, close, and fulfill leads on your own.

That’s how you scale — and stay in control.

Bonus Mental Model: This Applies to More Than Just Partnerships

This isn’t just about rev-share deals.

You can use this same filter when evaluating:

• A new offer

• A new funnel

• A new piece of software

• Some automation you heard about in a podcast

• A referral opportunity

• Something someone told you worked for them

The question is the same:

If the answer is no — it’s probably a distraction.

—Lance C. Greenberg

PS: If you’re not sure what your real constraint is, or what’s worth your time and what isn’t — go to LanceCGreenberg.com and check out how I help business owners break through without the rollercoaster.