Why Your Sales Team Isn't Performing (And It's Not Their Fault)

 

Your sales team missed targets again.

The excuses sound familiar. The market is tough. Competitors cut prices. Prospects won't return calls.

But here's the uncomfortable truth. If your sales organization isn't delivering, the responsibility falls on the leadership.

Tough pill to swallow? Let's dig deeper.

Leadership Doesn't Know What To Do

Most executives I work with are brilliant at running their businesses. They've mastered operations, finance, and product development.

But sales? That's their blind spot.

I recently worked with a manufacturing CEO. He replaced his sales manager three times in two years. WTF?

Each new hire promised to fix the team. Each failed.

"I've tried everything," he told me. "Better CRM. New compensation plans. Sales training programs. Nothing works."

What he hadn't tried was looking in the mirror.

Your brain is playing tricks on you. It's called cognitive bias. A mistake in reasoning where you hold onto beliefs despite contrary evidence.

So when sales numbers tank, you blame the salespeople. They're lazy. Unmotivated. Not following the process.

Meanwhile, you keep doing the same things:

• Hiring the same profile of salespeople

• Setting the same unrealistic targets

• Using the same ineffective coaching methods

• Measuring the same meaningless metrics

And you're surprised when nothing changes?

You cannot change results unless you do something different.

Poor Accountability

"My salespeople just don't do what they say they'll do."

I hear this complaint in nearly every fractional sales management engagement.

Last year, I worked with a technology company where salespeople routinely missed activity targets. The sales manager complained constantly about their lack of discipline.

But here's what I discovered: the problem wasn't the salespeople. It was the accountability system.

The sales manager tracked only two metrics: calls made and revenue closed. Nothing in between.

No wonder accountability failed. They were measuring the wrong things.

What Poor Accountability Costs You

When accountability breaks down, the costs compound quickly:

• Forecasts become fiction

• Resource allocation turns chaotic

• Good performers get frustrated watching others slack off

• Bad habits become entrenched

One of my clients lost $1.2 million in a single quarter because their forecasting was disconnected from reality. Their salespeople claimed deals were "closing next week" for months on end.

Without proper accountability, your sales function becomes a black box. Money goes in. Sometimes deals come out. You have no idea why or how to improve it.

Accountability That Works

Effective sales coaching starts with the right accountability framework:

1. Track the full funnel, not just ends. Monitor prospect progression & pipeline hygiene through each sales stage. Measure meaningful activities that drive results.

2. Create public scorecards. When performance is visible, behavior changes. One client increased sales activity 47% just by publishing weekly metrics.

3. Coach to the gaps. When someone misses targets, address it immediately with specific improvement plans.

4. Link activities to outcomes. Help salespeople see exactly how their daily work connects to results.

When I implemented this accountability system, we fixed the problem. Their pipeline conversion accuracy improved from 35% to 87% within 60 days.

Wrong People In Sales Seats

"Maybe my people just aren't cut out for sales."

This thought crosses every leader's mind eventually. Sometimes it's right.

A client hired a salesperson who was charming, articulate, and had industry experience. They thought the candidate was perfect.

Six months later: zero sales.

Why? They'd hired someone who couldn't prospect. He waited for leads instead of creating opportunities. No amount of sales training would fix that core mismatch.

The True Cost of Bad Hires

The wrong salesperson doesn't just fail to add value—they actively destroy it:

• They burn through your market's goodwill

• They demoralize the rest of your team

• They consume management time and resources

• They cost you opportunity revenue you'll never recover

One wrong sales hire costs 2-3x their annual salary. When you factor in training, management time, and missed opportunities it is 3x to 5x.

But the biggest cost? Time. While you're hoping they'll improve, your competitors are capturing your market.

Get The Right People In The Right Seats

The solution isn't just "hire better" – it's "hire differently":

1. Use sales-specific assessments. Generic interviews don't reveal sales DNA. I've helped companies implement evaluation tools that predict performance with 85% accuracy.

2. Test for skills, not just experience. Have candidates complete actual sales tasks. Role-play calls. Write prospecting emails. Present solutions.

3. Define your sales roles precisely. Not all sales positions are the same. A great hunter will fail as a farmer. A relationship manager will struggle as a cold caller.

4. Upgrade systematically. Evaluate your current team against these same criteria. Make tough decisions about who can grow and who needs to go.

With one client, we replaced just two underperformers with properly matched salespeople. Their team's performance jumped 63% in one quarter.

Fix Your Sales Organization Once And For All

Getting unstuck requires breaking your cognitive bias. Try something different:

1. Get an objective assessment. Most sales problems fall into five categories. Identify which combination is failing.

   1. Sales Team

   2. Sales Management,

   3. Sales Process

   4. Sales Hiring

   5. Sales Leadership.

2. Implement systematic changes. Quick fixes fail because sales improvement requires alignment across multiple dimensions. Fix the foundation first.

3. Consider fractional sales management. Many companies can't afford—or don't need—a full-time sales leader. A fractional sales manager brings expertise without the overhead.

4. Invest in consultative selling skills. Today's buyers don't want product pushers. They want trusted advisors who understand their business problems.

Last year, I helped a business services company. They had a sales team that was not doing well. Their CEO was ready to fire everyone and start over.

Instead, we fixed the underlying issues:

• Rebuilt their accountability system

• Repositioned two team members into more suitable roles

• Replaced one salesperson who couldn't adapt

• Implemented consultative selling processes

• Created proper sales coaching routines

Six months later, their sales grew 37%. Same market. Mostly the same people. Completely different results.

The difference? Breaking the cognitive bias and dealing with the underlying proglem.

If you're frustrated with your sales results, let's talk. No sales pitch. A business conversation. Can't solve problems by pitching (neither can you people). We can add value. The question is are you ready?

The solution exists. But first, you have to acknowledge the real problem.