Everyone’s Closing Differently — That’s the Problem
Ever asked one of your reps, “How did that call go?” and got the all-too-familiar, “It went well!”
Ah yes — the beautifully vague and wildly interpretive “went well.”
Here’s the problem: Went well to one person might mean, “I built rapport and booked a next step.” To another, it might mean, “They didn’t hang up on me.”
To a veteran sales leader it likely means they’ve imagined five specific things that “must have” happened — none of which actually did.
Sales Has a Language Problem
In most departments — accounting, engineering, marketing — teams operate within a defined process and shared language. But in sales? It’s often the wild west.
Everyone’s using the same words — qualified, closable, warm lead — but each person has their own interpretation. It’s like playing message game with your pipeline, and by the time the message gets to you, it’s scrambled beyond recognition.
This lack of shared language and process is one of the most common — and fixable — reasons why sales organizations underperform.
Try This with Your Team
Here’s a challenge: Ask everyone on the sales team to write down the steps of their sales process, from prospecting to upselling existing clients.
Compare the results.
If they match? Congratulations, you’re in the rare percentage of sales leaders with process alignment. But odds are, you’ll find that everyone’s doing it just a little differently — some dramatically so. That’s your first red flag.
The Real Cost of Inconsistency
When sales leaders say, “We don’t have enough time,” that’s often a symptom — not the root problem.
The real issue? You’re spending too much time coaching every rep like they’re a unique case study, because they’re all working from different playbooks.
No common language means:
- Coaching becomes reactive and inconsistent.
- Onboarding is a chaotic guessing game.
- Performance is unpredictable.
- Culture feels disjointed, at best.
Sound familiar?
The Solution: Standardize, Simplify, Scale
Implementing a common sales process and shared language won’t just save you time — it’ll help build a coaching culture, reinforce muscle memory, and make scaling feel less like herding cats.
With everyone speaking the same language, feedback is sharper, data is more meaningful, and wins are more repeatable.
So, Ask Yourself:
- Are your reps aligned in their definition of “qualified”?
- Is there a shared understanding of what “next steps” should look like?
- Can you quickly diagnose deal health without a translator?
If not, it's time to put a process in place that gets everyone on the same page.
Ready to create clarity, consistency, and culture across your sales team?
Let’s talk about how a common language can become your competitive edge. Your team, and your sanity, will thank you!
