Leading a sales team that isn’t delivering is a tough spot to be in, I’ve been there.
You push harder. You chase progress and numbers. You hold more meetings. Yet the results don’t improve. Sound familiar?
Many sales leaders fall into these common pitfalls. Recognizing them is the first step to fixing them.
There are countless reasons for underperformance, both internal and external. But let’s focus on what you can control: your sales team.
Whenever I meet a team that is not performing well enough, I recognize the following signs that hold the team back:
𝟭. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺
Your reps operate in silos. It’s your job to create a strong team culture that drives collaboration and results.
𝟮. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗖𝗥𝗠 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀
If you don’t leverage everything your CRM can offer, you’ll drown in manual work instead of focusing on coaching, strategy, and execution.
𝟯. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀
Instead, use meetings to solve problems, share best practices, and refine your business approach.
𝟰. 𝗬𝗼𝘂, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺
If you’re the top seller, you’re not leading, you’re competing. Your job is to build a team of top sales performers, not to be one. Sales reps and sales leaders have different jobs and require different skill sets.
𝟱. 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀, 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆
The daily pressure drives your activity, leaving no time to challenge your strategy, improve processes, or develop long-term plans. If you’re working on strategy only on weekends, it’s time to rethink your focus.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱:
𝟭. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺
Create a culture of trust and shared success. Your role is to turn a group of individuals into a high-performing team.
𝟮. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗥𝗠 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂
Once data quality is in place, use CRM insights to guide strategic decisions, not just to track target completion.
𝟯. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁
Every sales meeting should add value: coaching, sharing best practices, solving problems. Numbers are the outcome, not the agenda.
𝟰. 𝗕𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽
Invest in your leadership skills as much as you develop your team’s sales capabilities and resilience.
𝟱. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆
Delegate. Empower your team to contribute to and help finetune your strategy. Your job is to lead, not to micromanage.
Do these challenges sound familiar? You’re not alone.
Let’s chat about how to overcome them.
