How to Refocus Your Sales Team and Strengthen Business Development
Ask most sales leaders why their teams aren’t hitting their numbers right now, and you’ll hear a familiar set of complaints:
“The market’s too unpredictable with the tariffs thing, and pipelines are frozen.”
“We’re buried, and everyone’s too busy for real selling.”
“AI is going to save us!”
These distractions are nothing new. For decades, the economy, time crunches, and technology disruptions have been common excuses from underperforming buyers and sellers.
At Next Level, after working with hundreds of organizations across industries and markets, we’ve seen a clear pattern:
Distractions don’t derail businesses. Weak systems do.
When teams struggle, it’s usually because they have failed to anchor their sales behaviors in timeless principles—trust-building, qualification, and disciplined execution of a disciplined sales process.
Here’s where distractions creep in and what it takes to correct course heading into Q2.
Market Distractions: “It’s just a bad time to sell.”
It’s easy to blame external conditions. Tariffs, budget freezes, summer slumps, election years, there’s always something.
Common Misconception:
“When the market gets better, sales will pick up.”
Reality:
The best firms grow even during uncertainty because their teams stay laser-focused on behaviors they can control: building trust, uncovering real client needs, and maintaining equal business stature. They lean into challenging markets as opportunities to expand relationships and market share.
Sandler Action Plan:
Establish behavior plans based on activity goals, not outcome goals.
Shift sales conversations from pitching to diagnosing client pain, because people spend money to eliminate problems even in downturns.
Use market uncertainty to deepen client risk, priorities, and impact conversations.
Strategic Distractions: “We’re busy but not growing.”
Sales teams today are drowning in activity—meetings, CRM updates, email chains, and endless Zoom calls. But being busy does not equal effective business development.
Common Misconception:
“If we stay busy enough, the numbers will come.”
Reality:
Without a defined, repeatable sales process, activity becomes motion without meaningful progress. Your team may work hard, but accomplish little that moves real opportunities forward.
Sandler Action Plan:
Implement and reinforce a shared sales methodology (no freelancing, no guessing).
Train sellers to build clear next-step commitments into every meeting (no more “I’ll get back to you” endings).
Challenge self-limiting beliefs around assertiveness that stop professionals from leading sales conversations with confidence.
Technology Distractions: “We have the tools… why aren’t we closing more business?”
It’s easy to believe that the right tech stack will solve BD challenges. AI tools, CRM dashboards, enablement platforms, analytics, there is a flood of options.
Common Misconception:
"The right tech stack will fix our business development problems."
Reality:
Technology amplifies both good systems and chaos. If your team isn’t strong at qualifying, questioning, and closing, technology will speed up the wrong behaviors.
Sandler Action Plan:
Use technology to supplement, not replace, human connection and client understanding.
Leverage tech for speed—automating research, presentations, and reporting, not for client engagement itself.
Focus CRM metrics on behavior tracking and pipeline health, not just data collection.
How to Refocus Your Team
Distractions are inevitable, but they don’t have to be fatal. Successful firms use challenges to sharpen their focus, not scatter it.
The key is to re-anchor your team around:
A shared selling framework that prioritizes trust, pain discovery, and equal business stature
Behavioral standards and leading indicators, not just end-of-quarter numbers
Strategic use of technology that supports—but never replaces—human sales interactions
You cannot eliminate distractions from the outside world.
You can build a sales system that rises above it.
Upcoming Executive Roundtable:
Learn How to Lead Through Distractions
We’re hosting a focused 45-minute Executive Roundtable specifically on this topic.
Are Distractions Derailing Your Sales Team? Timeless Sales Psychology to Get Them Back on Track!
Wednesday, May 14, 2025 | 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM ET (Live Zoom)
Haley Haggerty, Mike Montague, and Megan Courcy will share practical strategies for diagnosing distractions inside your firm and leading your team back to focus, discipline, and consistent results.
Leaders Only. Register here.
