As a successful leader in a dynamic business, you’ve likely faced moments where growth feels elusive.
Your team seem motivated and committed, their efforts seem strong, yet the results don’t align with your expectations or their forecasts. When sales performance lags, it’s natural to feel frustrated and question whether your current strategies, people, or even offers are fit for purpose.
One common frustration is the belief that the sales team simply “cannot sell.”
The forecasts that the Sales team leadership said they believed in, keep being proven to be overly optimistic. The time and cost of acquiring new customers seems to grow with every passing quarter. Conversion is lower than you’d hoped. You expected a higher growth rate.
You might wonder:
Do I have the right people? Are they equipped with the right messaging? Is my value proposition truly compelling?
If this resonates with you, know that you’re not alone—and that the right solutions are within reach.
Herald Strategy’s process is designed to help you observe, understand, and resolve the challenges holding back the selling performance of your sales team. By doing so, we can help you—and your business—achieve measurable, sustainable growth.
Diagnosing the Problem: Where Does the Sales Process Fall Short?
At Herald Strategy, we believe every business is unique, shaped by its people, resources, and market environment. That’s why our approach starts with an in-depth data assessment to pinpoint where your sales process may be breaking down.
We don’t rely on assumptions or generic advice.
Instead, our team works alongside you to conduct a thorough performance audit. This involves analyzing your current customer data, assessing the characteristics of your high and low performers, shadowing live sales calls, assessing the training and tools your salespeople rely on and so on. By diving deep into the actual mechanics of your sales process, we identify the specific points where things are falling short—whether it’s the messaging, the skills of your team, or the alignment between your value proposition and customer needs.
Additionally, we emphasize the importance of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in leadership.
The way you lead, motivate, and inspire your sales team can be just as impactful as the tools and strategies you implement. By incorporating EQ into your leadership style, you’ll be better equipped to build trust, foster collaboration, and sustain high performance across your team.
The golden rule: demonstrate don’t assert
One of the key areas to assess is the style of the sell.
For example, successful value-based selling tends to be built on demonstration, not assertion. Your prospects need to see how your product or service solves their problem—not just hear about its features. If your team isn’t effectively showing value, we’ll identify why and develop actionable steps to correct it.
An assessment here includes a review of the teams messaging and it must feature a review of the actual take out. What did the prospect hear? What landed? Where are the gaps? Ideally, this means role playing and auditing the selling story, speaking with new customers and perhaps even with those prospects who haven’t yet converted.
Why Some Salespeople Succeed While Others Fail: being “Salesy” doesn’t always work
Of course, under performance can be about the orientation of people. I’ve seen brilliant, charming, articulate salespeople—people who deeply understand their company’s offering – fail. Conversely, I’ve witnessed plenty of others with less obvious “sales” characteristics succeed spectacularly.
Why?
The answer lies in mindset and approach. The best value-based salespeople don’t make the sales process about themselves. They don’t focus on showcasing how smart they are, or hectoring prospects in the hopes of wearing them down.
Instead, the most successful salespeople start by genuinely understanding the customer’s issues. They take the time to define the areas where their product or service could provide tangible benefits, and then, they focus on demonstrating how their offering will truly help the customer achieve their goals.
This shift – from a “me-centric” to a “customer-centric” approach – can make all the difference. And if your team is struggling, this mindset shift may be exactly what’s needed to get them back on track.
And there’s often brilliant wisdom in the team, just waiting to be unlocked. A workshop around key questions can unlock a tailored solution for your business.
For example, a cocreation process that answers the three key questions for your business can help:
Start with the Customer’s Pain Points: effective value-based selling begins with understanding the challenges your prospects face. What are their relevant problems? Tailor your messaging to solve their problems.
Show, Don’t Tell: against these customer problems what’s the best way to demonstrate the value of your solution, rather than just asserting it? Demonstrate to build credibility and trust.
Sell a Vision, Not Just a Product: sell a promise bigger than the product or service features. What is this promise?
Tailored Solutions, Measurable Results
A key principle of Herald Strategy is that every action plan we deliver is tailored to your business. Your challenges are unique, and so too must be the solutions. From the structure of your sales team to the nuances of your market, we take all factors into account when designing a plan to improve performance.
Our recommendations are rooted in practicality and measurability. This means we don’t just hand you a list of ideas—we deliver clear, step-by-step action plans with metrics to track progress. Whether it’s refining your sales pitch, creating new case studies, restructuring incentives, or investing in targeted training, each initiative is designed to drive measurable results.
Moving Forward: Partnering for Success
What sets Herald Strategy apart is not just our process—it’s the depth of experience behind it. We understand the pressure to deliver growth, manage costs, and make the right hires.
Our firsthand experience means we don’t offer theoretical advice; we offer insights and solutions that come from years of walking in your shoes. We know what works, and we’re here to share that expertise with you.
The process begins with listening—taking the time to deeply understand your concerns, frustrations, and goals. From there, we apply our proven processes to diagnose issues, craft solutions, and implement change.
By partnering with us, you’ll gain more than just advice; you’ll gain a clear path forward—and the confidence that comes from knowing your plan is backed by experience, insight, and measurable outcomes.
Ready to Unlock Growth?
Your sales team has the potential to achieve more—and so does your business.
Let’s work together to observe, understand, and resolve the challenges holding you back. Gain the clarity, tools, and strategies needed to transform your sales process and unlock the growth you’ve been striving for. It’s time to stop wondering if your sales team can sell—and start building a sales team engine that drives real, sustainable results.
