If your sales team is missing targets, your first instinct might be to fire the underperformers or hire a “star” VP. Stop. In our experience auditing over 50 B2B companies at Sales Fundas, we found that 85% of sales failure is due to a broken Sales Process Architecture, not a lack of talent.
Your team isn’t necessarily “lazy” or “unskilled.” They are likely operating in a chaotic environment with undefined stages, “hopium”-filled pipelines, and managers who act as “super-reps” rather than coaches. This guide will help you diagnose the real root causes of your revenue stagnation and provide a technical roadmap to fix it.
The “Bad Hire” Fallacy: Why You Can’t “Recruit” Your Way Out of Chaos
Every Founder loves to blame the “market” or the “talent pool.” “I just can’t find good sales hunters in India.”
While talent matters, placing a Ferrari driver in a car with no engine (process) and square wheels (no value proposition) will still result in a loss.
At Sales Fundas, Jayant Kelkar often asks Founders one question: “If I hired your top competitor’s best salesperson today, would they succeed in your company within 90 days?” If the answer is “maybe” or “no,” your problem is structural.
Let’s dismantle the 5 hidden leaks that are silently killing your revenue.
Leak #1: The “Undefined” Sales Process (The Chaos Factor)
Most SMEs believe they have a sales process. When we ask to see it, they show us a generic funnel: Lead > Meeting > Proposal > Close.
This is not a process; it is a wish list.
The “Entry & Exit Criteria” Gap
A robust B2B sales process must have strict “Exit Criteria” for every stage. Your reps are failing because they move deals forward based on “feelings,” not “facts.”
The Fix: rigorous Stage Definitions
- Wrong: “The meeting went well, moving to Proposal.”
- Right (Sales Fundas Standard): “Moving to Proposal ONLY if: 1) Budget is confirmed, 2) Decision Maker is identified, 3) Problem Impact is quantified.”
Key Takeaway: If your reps cannot define exactly why a deal is in “Stage 3,” you don’t have a pipeline; you have a list of hallucinations.
Leak #2: The “Super-Rep” Manager Problem
This is the most common failure mode in growing Indian companies. You take your best salesperson (let’s call him Rahul) and promote him to Sales Manager.
The Result?
- You lose your best closer.
- You gain a terrible manager.
Rahul doesn’t know how to coach. When a junior rep struggles, Rahul says, “Move over, I’ll close it for you.”
The “Coaching Deficit”
Your team is failing because they aren’t getting better. They are dependent on the manager to save the day.
- The Symptom: The Manager is overworked, and the team is underdeveloped.
- The Metric: If your Sales Manager spends >50% of their time selling directly, your team will never scale.
- You need a Fractional CSO
Leak #3: Pipeline Inflation (The “Hopium” Epidemic)
“Hopium” is a dangerous drug in sales. It’s when a rep believes a deal will close simply because the prospect was “nice” to them.
Our Data Suggests: In un-audited pipelines, 40-50% of deals are dead. They just haven’t been buried yet.
The “Zombie Deal” Trap
These are deals that have been in the “Proposal Sent” stage for 90 days with no movement. They artificially inflate your forecasted revenue, giving you a false sense of security. When the quarter ends and these deals don’t close, the “surprise” failure hits.
The Technical Fix: The “30-Day Purge” Rule Implement a strict CRM rule: If a deal has no activity (call/email/meeting) for 30 days, it is automatically moved to “Closed Lost” or “Nurture.” Force your team to focus only on active reality.
Leak #4: The Value Proposition Disconnect
Why do your reps lose to competitors?
- Rep’s Excuse: “Our price is too high.”
- Real Reason: They failed to establish Value.
If your team is failing, it’s often because they are “Feature Dumping.” They walk into a meeting and talk about your company, your awards, and your product features.
The “Consultative Selling” Gap
In B2B consulting and services, the client doesn’t care about your service. They care about their Business Outcome.
- Feature Pitch: “We offer 50-hour corporate training modules.” (Boring)
- Value Pitch: “We reduce your sales ramp-up time by 40%, saving you ₹20L per hire.” (Compelling)
At Sales Fundas, we train teams to stop “pitching” and start “diagnosing.” If your team can’t articulate the financial impact of your solution, they will always struggle with price resistance.
Leak #5: The CRM Graveyard (Lack of Data Integrity)
“If it’s not in the CRM, it didn’t happen.” Yet, in 9 out of 10 audits we perform, the CRM is treated as a data-entry burden, not a revenue engine.
The “Black Box” Effect
If your reps aren’t logging calls, notes, and next steps, you are flying blind. You can’t coach what you can’t see.
- The Failure: Managers ask “What’s the update?” on WhatsApp instead of checking the CRM. This signals to the team that the CRM is optional.
- The Fix: Tie commissions to CRM compliance. No data = No payout.
The Solution: Build the “Revenue Engine” (Not Just a Team)
Fixing a failing sales team requires a holistic approach. You cannot just “train” them for 2 days and expect miracles. You need Architecture.
Step 1: The Diagnostic Audit
Before you fire anyone, map your team on the Skill vs. Will Matrix:
- High Skill / High Will: The Stars (Leave them alone).
- Low Skill / High Will: The Potentials (Train them intensely).
- High Skill / Low Will: The Detractors (Have a tough talk or exit them).
- Low Skill / Low Will: The Anchors (Fire immediately).
Step 2: Implement the “Weekly Review Protocol”
Stop having “status update” meetings. Switch to “Strategy Reviews.”
- Old Way: “Did you call Client X?” “Yes.” “Okay.”
- New Way: “What is the biggest obstacle stopping Client X from signing? What is our strategy to overcome it? Let’s roleplay that call right now.”
Step 3: Get Expert Help (Fractional or Full-Time)
If you are a Founder still acting as the VP of Sales, you are the bottleneck. You likely don’t have the time to build this infrastructure. Consider a Fractional CSO to build the playbook, install the metrics, and train the team—giving you a world-class engine without the full-time executive cost.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How long does it take to turn around a failing sales team? A: Typically 90 days. The first 30 days are for audit/process fix, the next 30 for training, and the final 30 to see result metrics.
Q: Should I fire my Sales Manager if the team is failing? A: Not immediately. First, check if you have given them the tools and training to coach. Often, the manager is just a “super-rep” who needs mentorship.
Q: Is it the product or the sales team? A: If one rep is selling consistently, the product is fine. If no one is selling, it might be the product-market fit.
Q: Can sales training fix a failing team? A: Only if the process is sound. Training a team to run faster in the wrong direction (bad process) only accelerates failure.
Q: What is the most important metric to track? A: Leading indicators (calls, demos booked) are more important than lagging indicators (revenue) for fixing a failing team.
Q: Why do my reps struggle to close? A: Usually because they failed to “qualify” the lead early on. They are trying to close people who never had the budget or authority to buy.
Q: How does a Fractional CSO help? A: A Fractional CSO acts as a temporary, high-impact VP of Sales to build your strategy, process, and team structure for a fraction of the cost.
Q: What is the “Skill vs. Will” matrix? A: A diagnostic tool to categorize reps based on their capability (Skill) and motivation (Will) to determine who to coach and who to exit.
Stop Guessing. Start Scaling.
Is your sales team stuck in the “feast or famine” cycle? You don’t have to figure it out alone.
At Sales Fundas, we don’t just give advice; we build the engine. From diagnostic audits to hands-on “Fractional CSO” leadership, Jayant Kelkar helps Founders turn chaotic sales teams into predictable revenue machines.
Don’t let another quarter slip by. Book Your Free “Sales Failure” Diagnostic Audit
