In the past few years, I’ve discovered that LinkedIn isn’t just a place to collect connections—it’s a powerful tool to generate leads, build relationships, and convert business opportunities. If you're just using LinkedIn passively, you're missing out. In this post, I’ll walk you through how LinkedIn connections can impact your business sales, what current trends show, and how I leverage the platform strategically for real results.
One of the most frequent frustrations heard in the business world is this: “Our sales team just isn’t selling.” But the deeper, more revealing question is:
Do you have a sales team — or a sales force? There’s a big difference.
Through decades of experience helping companies scale their revenue efforts, we’ve identified 6 key reasons your sales team is falling short of becoming a true sales force — and what you can do to change it.
1. Culture: The Silent Killer of Sales Performance
The most important — and most overlooked — factor in sales success is culture. A true sales culture is one of accountability, urgency, and ownership. Yet many teams fall into unproductive habits:
Sales doesn’t start and end with the sales department. A sales culture must extend from the receptionist to the CEO. Everyone must own and support the mission of growth. Set clear, challenging but achievable goals. And once those goals are set — don’t move the goalposts mid-year. Nothing demoralizes a team faster.
- Starting work at 9:00 AM with 30 minutes of email sorting
- A coffee break here, a long lunch there
- Browsing social media between calls
Sales doesn’t start and end with the sales department. A sales culture must extend from the receptionist to the CEO. Everyone must own and support the mission of growth. Set clear, challenging but achievable goals. And once those goals are set — don’t move the goalposts mid-year. Nothing demoralizes a team faster.
Tip: Goals shape behavior. Align incentives and expectations to promote consistent action.
2. Configuration: Right Roles, Right People
Structuring your sales organization properly is like setting the right foundation for a building. When the wrong people are in the wrong roles — like assigning a hunter to manage accounts, or a relationship-builder to cold prospecting — productivity plummets.
Even worse is over-engineering your structure. We’ve seen billion-dollar companies reorganize four times in 18 months. The result? Confused reps and zero focus on actual selling.
Even worse is over-engineering your structure. We’ve seen billion-dollar companies reorganize four times in 18 months. The result? Confused reps and zero focus on actual selling.
Tip: Build your structure strategically, and once it’s working, optimize — don’t overhaul.
3. Compensation: Motivation Misaligned
Salespeople are driven by outcomes. If your compensation plan is vague, constantly changing, or unfair, you are undermining the very motivation that fuels performance.
The worst mistake? Changing commission structures mid-year or retroactively. Salespeople are quick to recognize manipulation — and just as quick to check out.
Tip: Design a commission plan that is clear, fair, challenging, and consistent. Great reps don’t mind working hard — but only if the reward makes sense.
4. People & Training: No Substitute for Skill
While anyone can improve with the right attitude, sales success requires innate skill and a willingness to work hard. The most effective sales forces invest in continuous training — from lead generation to closing — within a structured sales cycle.
If your reps don’t know how to source, qualify, propose, and close — or worse, they’re winging it — no compensation plan will save your numbers.
If your reps don’t know how to source, qualify, propose, and close — or worse, they’re winging it — no compensation plan will save your numbers.
Tip: Equip your team with the training and coaching they need. A great compensation plan fuels motivation — training fuels ability.
5. Forecasting & Outcomes: No Metrics, No Movement
If you’re not tracking sales progress through reliable tools and systems, you’re flying blind. Sales forecasting tools like Salesforce, Zoho, Pipedrive, or Insightly are now affordable and easy to use. Without visibility into your pipeline, it’s impossible to course-correct in real time.
6. Administrative Overload: Paperwork Over Prospecting
Too many companies bury their reps in non-revenue-generating tasks like admin, reporting, or customer service. In extreme cases, reps fear closing deals because they know it will lead to a mountain of post-sale work.
Your salespeople are not administrators. Their job is to sell — not to process paperwork, fix billing errors, or chase down support issues.
Final Thoughts: Build a Force, Not Just a Team
Your salespeople are not administrators. Their job is to sell — not to process paperwork, fix billing errors, or chase down support issues.
Tip: Streamline pre- and post-sales processes so your reps spend more time selling — and less time stuck in spreadsheets.
Final Thoughts: Build a Force, Not Just a Team
If your sales team is falling short, take a closer look at these six areas:
- Culture
- Organizational Configuration
- Compensation
- People & Training
- Forecasting
- Administrative Burden
Ready to Build Your Sales Force?
Our team specializes in transforming underperforming sales environments into high-performing sales machines. Connect PEONIES DIGITAL.
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