- Dan McKee
- Jun 1
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 23
If You Think the Problem Is Sales Technique, You’re Solving the Wrong Thing
It’s one of the most common—and costly—misdiagnoses in business:
“Our team just needs to sell better.”
So what happens next?
You pick a one-size-fits-all sales methodology
You invest in flashy new sales training
You build a better deck
You double down on technique—but forget about intent
For a moment, activity spikes. Demos improve. Enablement slides get polite nods.
But the metrics?
Conversion rates stay flat
Forecasts slip
Reps lose confidence
Leadership starts blaming performance—or worse, people
Here’s the hard truth:
“Selling better” isn’t the solution—because selling isn’t the problem.
What Actually Drives Sales Underperformance
After coaching hundreds of sales leaders, founders, and GTM teams, we’ve identified three root causes behind underperformance:
1. Leadership Gaps
The absence of emotional commitment, accountability, and contextual decision-making at the top crushes performance.
2. Systemic Inconsistency
Without a shared operating cadence, even great reps struggle to win consistently.
Related: The Revenue Operating System
3. Contextual Blindness
Executives are too far removed from what’s happening in the field. Strategy becomes disconnected from reality.
Related: The Primary Role of a Leader
Why “Selling Better” Isn't the Real Problem and Fails to Create Predictable Growth
You can coach reps all day. But if the underlying system is broken, your best people burn out—and your average performers stay stuck.
Here’s why:
No shared language → Inconsistent messaging
No clear priorities → Bad-fit deals flood the pipeline
No feedback loops → You stop learning
No operating cadence → Forecast reviews become theater, not strategy
Most importantly:
“Selling better” treats symptoms, not systems.
Related: Circumstantial Management
The Hidden Cost of Misdiagnosing the Problem
When leaders keep “fixing sales” with technique instead of architecture, they create:
Short-term pressure, long-term erosion
Reps who feel unsupported
Constant enablement churn
A reactive culture where urgency replaces strategy
Eventually, your best talent leaves—not because they weren’t capable, but because they couldn’t win in a broken system.
Great sellers don’t need hype. They need a foundation.
What Actually Works: The 4 Levers That Drive Scalable Sales
1. Install a Sales Operating Cadence
A consistent rhythm that connects:
Pipeline hygiene
Deal strategy
Coaching and feedback
Forecasting grounded in reality
Emotional commitment
It’s not a meeting calendar—it’s a go-to-market engine.
2. Build Context Loops Into Sales Leadership
Good decisions come from proximity to the truth.
Your sales leaders need real-time signal from the field, including:
Deal inspection
Lost-deal insights
Competitor behavior
Buyer friction points
This isn’t a “listening tour.” It’s structured, continuous intelligence gathering.
Related: The Power of Context Loops
3. Coach to Inputs, Not Outcomes
Stop coaching just to results. High-impact leaders focus on:
Discovery quality
Deal velocity
Pipeline progression
Follow-up effectiveness
Don’t train people to close deals—train them to think.
4. Don’t Teach Scripts—Teach Judgment
Sales is situational. Scripts crack under real-world pressure.
What scales?
Mental models
Framing techniques
Live role-play
Debriefs on actual pipeline
Judgment is built through culture, cadence, and curiosity—not clever lines.
Related: The Soft Stuff is the Hard Stuff
What Elite Sales Leaders Focus On
High-performing sales leaders don’t obsess over “selling better.”
They focus on building better conditions for sales to thrive:
Consistent execution > Peak performance
System > Superstar
Coaching > Correcting
Context > Assumption
Clarity > Charisma
It’s not about flash. It’s about function.
Want to Diagnose What’s Really Holding Your Team Back?
If you’ve tried sales training, messaging refreshes, or new tech—and still feel like you’re pushing uphill—your team doesn’t need to sell better.
They need a better system, rhythm, and leadership structure.
That’s exactly what our High Achiever Leadership Coaching Program delivers.
Bonus Resource
Download: Unlock the Potential of Frontline LeadersLearn how enabling frontline managers transforms sales performance at scale.
Share This With Your Team
Forward Why Selling Better Isn’t the Real Problem to your GTM leaders today. It might change the way they look at performance forever.
