- Dan McKee
- Jun 1
- 4 min read
If You Think the Problem Is Sales Technique, You’re Probably 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?
We choose a one size fits sales methodology
Our new sales training cannibalizes focus
We develop a new “deck” to save the day
We focus on technique and forget about intent
For a moment, activity goes up. Demos get flashier. Teams nod at enablement decks.
But then… nothing really changes
Conversion rates stay flat
Forecasts slip
Reps lose confidence
And leadership blames performance—or people
The truth? Selling better isn’t the solution—because selling isn’t the root problem.
What Actually Drives Sales Underperformance
It’s easy to focus on the surface: reps saying the wrong thing, losing deals, missing pipeline targets.
But at High Achiever, after coaching hundreds of sales leaders and exec teams, we’ve found that most underperformance comes from three deeper issues:
1. Leadership Gaps
Lack of emotional commitment, rigor, accountability, results.
🔗 Learn how the leadership gaps crush performance and what to do about it Leadership By Design
2. Systemic Inconsistency
The operating cadence is the fly-wheel of revenue acceleration. In the absence of it even the best sellers will likely fail.
🔗 See how execution gets fixed at scale in The Revenue Operating System
3. Contextual Blindness
Leadership is too far removed from the buyer experience and frontline challenges. They’re operating on assumption, not signal.
🔗 We break this dynamic down in The Primary Role of a Leader
Why Selling Better Isn't the Real Problem & Fails to Create Predictable Growth
You can train reps to sell “better” and we should—but if the underlying system is broken, your best people burn out and your average reps stay stuck.
Here’s why:
💬 No shared language → Messaging feels misaligned and inconsistent
🧭 No clear priorities → Reps chase bad-fit deals or fill pipeline with noise
📉 No feedback loops → Sales org doesn’t learn or evolve with the market
🔄 No operating cadence → Pipeline reviews become performative, not productive
And most importantly:
“Selling better” focuses on symptoms, not systems.
🔗 Related: Circumstantial Management.
The Hidden Cost of Misdiagnosing the Sales Problem
When leadership keeps trying to “fix” sales by making reps sell better, and ignores the root issue it creates:
🌀 Short-term pressure, long-term erosion
😒 Frustrated reps who feel unsupported
🔁 Constant enablement churn with little traction
🧯 A reactive culture where urgency replaces strategy
Eventually, the highest-potential people leave—because they can’t win in a broken system.
Great salespeople don’t need a hype session. They need a foundation to operate from.
So If Not “Selling Better,” What Actually Works?
The highest-performing revenue organizations don’t focus on selling harder—they focus on leading better and executing consistently.
Here’s what that looks like:
1. Install a Sales Operating Cadence
A structured operating rhythm that connects:
Pipeline hygiene
Deal strategy
Coaching and development
Forecasting grounded in context
Emotional commitment
It’s not just a meeting schedule. It’s an execution engine.
🔗 See this in action in Building High-Performing Customer-Facing Teams
2. Build Context Loops into Sales Leadership
Great decisions come from proximity to truth.
Your VP of Sales, Sales Managers, and even CRO need live feedback from the front lines to adapt fast.
Active deal reviews
Buyer behavior feedback
Competitive intel straight from lost deals
This isn’t “listening tours.” It’s systematized insight gathering.
🔗 Learn how to operationalize it in The Power of Context Loops
3. Coach to Inputs, Not Outcomes
Most sales coaching is reactive and tied to closed-won revenue.
But high-impact sales leadership focuses on:
Discovery quality
Opportunity progression
Deal risk flags
Follow-up effectiveness
You don’t need better sellers. You need better thinking in motion.
🔗 Start building it in Accelerated Learning: The Key to Leadership Growth
4. Don’t Teach Scripts—Teach Judgment
Sales is situational. Scripts break down fast in dynamic environments.
What works?
Mental models
Framing techniques
Roleplay across actual pipeline
Shared debriefs on what worked and why
This kind of judgment comes from culture, coaching, and cadence. The Soft Stuff is the Hard Stuff instantiates that step function.
What Elite Sales Leaders Focus On Instead
Here’s what leaders who scale sales effectively prioritize:
Consistent execution > peak performance
System before superstar
Coaching over correcting
Context over assumption
Clarity over charisma
They don’t obsess over selling “better.” They focus on building better conditions for selling to thrive.
Want to Diagnose What’s Really Holding Your Team Back?
If you’ve tried messaging changes, sales training, or new tech—but still feel like you’re pushing a boulder uphill—your team doesn’t need to sell better.
They need a better system, better rhythm, and better leadership clarity.
That’s exactly what our High Achiever Leadership Coaching Program is built to deliver.
🎯 Bonus: Download “Unlock the Potential of Frontline Leaders” to see how enabling frontline sales managers unlocks performance across your org.
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