Aim for nothing and hit nothing. No goals for revenue, gross profit or NPS. How does the team achieve objectives without insights, what is underpinning the revenue targets, what do we do when our sales are falling behind targets?

Revenue growth has stalled. Is it conversion, new business, or something else? Where does marketing fit in the sales process?

A lack of visible leadership and a directionless team. Is the team cohesive? Is the sales leader skilled in leading people – is there even a leader?

Senior resources require functional skill development or leadership development. Often sales team leaders are promoted from within the business where they are pushed up from within the team and expected to perform as leaders without input or sales leadership development.

No clear process for pre-sales, sales, or after-sales. Sales funnel milestones are not defined. Where does marketing fit into the function, if at all? Do we understand customer conversion at each stage of the sales process? Are we expecting our sales team to do a lot more than sell (one of the most common reasons for failure)?

Unclear sales systems. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is not used or is misaligned with the customer journey. No sales team communication ‘rhythm’ to monitor KPIs and effective conversion of sales qualified leads to sales. No idea of the value in the pipeline, or how to develop it – where is the ‘gold’ in the sales funnel?

No new business of new customer development is happening. The easier option of account managing existing clients means growth is stifled. Lack of clear KPIs within the team is leading to complacency, which when running alongside ineffective leadership inadvertently pulls the business backwards.

Poor performance management is driving under performance in the team. Uninspired and unmotivated staff impact organisational culture. Lack of training and development reduces retention, so key staff with years of experience leave the business.

The sales leader is office bound and not focused on customers. The team do not know how to improve performance or nurture leads through the sales process. There is a general lack of motivation as the leader is not a mentor or effective coach.

No idea of how to turn entrepreneurial vision into sustainable cashflow and therefore a sustainable growth business. The head of the business is spread thin and responsible for functional areas without having functional experience or capabilities.  

No strategy is in place to reduce customer churn. The sole business focus is on customer acquisition at the expense of retention. Misalignment between sales and marketing is reducing customer lifetime value, and no insights as marketing and sales do not work together. The business rarely retains customers, leaving revenue on the table.

How can I execute short-term tactics in time of crisis? Is it possible to generate quick revenue returns to manage a cashflow crisis? Our business needs to develop a ‘rallying’ cry for all teams to lift business quickly and cost-efficiently.