Fix Your Sales Performance: The 3 Incorrects Holding Your Team Back

Is your sales team hitting its targets? If not, you're not alone. Studies show that only about 46% of sales reps meet their quota each year. This trend has lasted for over a decade.

We recently hosted Steve Reid, CEO of Venatas, on our Revenue Hotline webinar. With 30+ years of sales experience, Steve has identified the three main reasons why sales teams underperform - what he calls "the three incorrects." Best of all, these problems can be fixed.

What Is Chronic Sales Underperformance?

Let's start by understanding the problem. Chronic sales underperformance means that your team consistently fails to hit their targets. This creates problems for:

• Individual reps who miss their commission goals
• Sales teams that fall short of expectations
• Companies that can't rely on forecasted revenue

As NFL coach Bill Parcells famously said, "You are what your record says you are." In sales, we must be measured by our numbers. When nearly half of all sales reps miss their targets year after year, something is clearly wrong.

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Incorrect #1: Making Wrong Assumptions About Your Team

The Problem: Companies overestimate what their sales teams can do. They set unrealistic targets based on how they feel rather than on facts.

Why It Happens: Most companies judge their sales teams based on personality traits or cultural fit rather than actual sales skills. They use assessments that tell you if someone is outgoing or detail-oriented, but these traits don't predict sales success.

"Personality is not predictive of selling success," says Reid. "I've seen introverts and extroverts who either thrive or struggle at sales."

The Solution: Use skill-based assessments that measure specific sales competencies. Look at:

1. Will - Does the person truly want to be great at sales? Are they committed to doing the hard work?
2. Skill - Can they build a pipeline? Are they good at value selling? Can they qualify prospects?

Action Steps:

• When hiring, ask behavior-based questions like "Tell me about your daily routine" or "What are your deal breakers?"
• Look for candidates who can stay "in the moment" with customers, focusing on their needs rather than rushing through a pitch
• Be honest about what it takes to succeed at your company - don't set people up for failure

"No really great successful salesperson does it alone," Reid points out. Look for team players who can collaborate, not lone wolves.

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Incorrect #2: Following the Wrong Sales Process

The Problem: Most sales processes are built for the company, not for the customer. Companies measure adherence to process steps that don't actually help customers buy.

Why It Happens: Sales leaders create processes that serve internal needs (like forecasting or data collection) rather than focusing on how customers actually make decisions.

The Solution: Design your sales process around the customer's buying journey. Ask yourself: "What is my customer thinking? How do I help them solve this problem?"

"Our playbooks should be designed with the idea of what the customer needs and what problem they're trying to solve," says Reid. "People are not buying your product - they're buying what your product can do for them."

Action Steps:

• Start with the ideal buyer journey, not your internal process
• Remove unnecessary steps that create friction
• Remember that customers don't buy in a straight line - they jump around your process
• Focus on the micro-decisions customers need to make along the way
• Be willing to adapt when a customer is ready to move faster

As Reid notes, "Process is good, but process isn't sacred. What is sacred is the outcome."

Reid points out that customers don't follow a linear buying process: "Customers are bouncing all over the place, all around your checklist and all across your stages simultaneously. This is why I'm so enthused by a product like Recapped, because it allows us to really manage in a collaborative way how the customer wants to buy, and then allow that to fill in the blanks with our sales process."

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Incorrect #3: Training Your Sales Team Incorrectly

The Problem: About 80% of sales training focuses on product knowledge, not on business conversation skills.

Why It Happens: Companies assume that if reps know everything about the product, they'll be able to sell it. But executives who make buying decisions aren't looking for product experts - they want business problem solvers.

The Solution: Train your team on the four "winning moments" in sales:

1. Discovery - Skills for understanding what customers need and care about
2. Value Alignment - Connecting your solution to their specific needs
3. Business Case Building - Creating compelling reasons to buy that resonate with executives
4. Close Management - Getting from "yes" to signed contract efficiently

Action Steps:

• Balance product training with business conversation skills
• Teach reps how to engage executives in value discussions
• Help them build business cases that show ROI, not just feature benefits
• Train them to manage the closing process after getting verbal agreement

"You add that to your product training, and now you've got a really well-rounded salesperson who understands how to converse about business, how to work with a customer appropriately, and can still talk about your technology accurately," Reid explains.

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The Cost of Getting It Wrong

Bad sales hires and poor processes are expensive. The total cost of a bad sales hire can range from $150,000 to $600,000 when you factor in:

• Recruiting costs
• Onboarding investment
• Lost revenue during ramp-up
• Customer relationship damage
• The cost of starting over

Even more concerning is the time factor. Research shows it takes an average of 27 months for a salesperson to reach peak performance. That's over two years before you can count on them to consistently hit their numbers without extra support.

"That's a lot of money to spend on a mistake," Reid notes.

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A Framework for Success

So how do you fix these incorrects? Start with these principles:

1. Adopt a Customer-Focused Mindset

Remember that customers buy the value you create, not your product itself. Ask:

• What future state does the customer want?
• How would they measure success?
• Why do they care about solving this problem?
• Can you prove you can deliver the value they seek?

"Our product really is the bridge. It gets them there," says Reid.

2. Take an Iterative Approach

Don't expect to get everything right the first time. Build a process, test it, measure results, and improve:

• Start with good intentions but be willing to change
• Keep what works and remove what doesn't
• Look for ways to simplify rather than add complexity
• Get feedback from your sales team on what's creating friction

As NBA legend Kobe Bryant said, improvement starts with "looking at what I need to edit out" - not what to add.

3. Bring in Outside Perspective

It's hard to see your own blind spots. Consider getting an outside view:

• Someone who isn't emotionally attached to your current process
• Someone who can share best practices from other companies
• Someone who can help you see what to remove, not just what to add

"You gotta get out of your own echo chamber," advises Reid.

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How Recapped Can Help

At Recapped, we've built a platform that addresses these exact challenges. Instead of forcing customers through your process, Recapped creates a collaborative deal room that:

• Guides buyers through their journey while meeting your process needs
• Provides complete visibility into buyer engagement and deal health
• Gives both sides a single place to see the entire story of the deal
• Reduces friction in the buying process

As Steve Reid emphasized during our webinar: "Recapped allows us to really manage in a collaborative way how the customer wants to buy, and then allow that to fill in the blanks with our sales process, but let activity and facts tell us the truth about how healthy this deal is and how far we have to go to get there."

Our AI Sales Manager even coaches reps on what they should be doing, helps qualify deals, and automatically updates your CRM - ensuring your process is followed without creating extra work.

Ready to improve your sales process and give your buyers a better experience? Request your personalized demo of how Recapped can help you unify your sales process with your buyer's journey.

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Taking Action

As you think about improving your sales performance, consider which of the three incorrects might be holding your team back:

1. Are you making assumptions about your team's capabilities without measuring their actual skills?
2. Is your sales process designed for your internal needs rather than your customer's buying journey?
3. Are you training your team primarily on product knowledge instead of business conversation skills?

Fixing even one of these incorrects can dramatically improve your results. Fix all three, and you'll join the ranks of high-performing sales organizations that consistently hit their targets.

Remember Steve Reid's parting wisdom: "If we can correct those incorrects, we will see things change."

Connect with Steve Reid on LinkedIn or send him an email: steve@venatas.com. He's always open to help. (Seriously, he's the best!)