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Diagnosing Sales Team Underperformance

  • Writer: Beth Torres
    Beth Torres
  • Aug 26
  • 2 min read

TL;DR

Sales underperformance rarely comes down to “bad reps.” More often, the root causes lie in misaligned goals, poor processes, weak leadership habits, or missing systems. High-performing teams that drive revenue acceleration are built by diagnosing these gaps early and addressing them systematically.

A person sits at a wooden desk with a laptop, head in hands, showing frustration. There's an iPhone, a mouse, and a cup on the desk.
Photo from SEO Galaxy on Unsplash

Why Sales Teams Underperform

When quarterly numbers miss the mark, leaders often rush to blame talent. But most sales team underperformance is systemic, not individual. Companies with structured sales enablement programs outperform peers by 20% in revenue growth. That means underperformance often reflects a lack of clarity, consistency, or capability; not a lack of effort.


In fact, my personal experience confirms that sales executives are absolutely some of the best and most hardworking professionals that are often hamstrung by process, lack of clarity, and worst of all, inept leadership. The right diagnosis is the first step to transforming stalled sales teams into high-performing teams that consistently drive revenue acceleration.

 


5 Common Causes of Sales Underperformance


1. Misaligned Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

If your reps are chasing the wrong accounts, performance will lag no matter how hard they work. Clear ICP definitions allow sales teams to prioritize high-value opportunities and avoid wasted cycles.


2. Lack of a Consistent Sales Process

Without a shared, repeatable process, every deal becomes a one-off effort. High-performing teams use structured playbooks to guide discovery, qualification, and closing, which ensures consistency across the pipeline.


3. Gaps in Sales Leadership

Sales teams mirror their leaders. Leaders who don’t coach, set expectations, or model accountability create environments where mediocrity thrives. Strong leadership transforms capability into consistent results.


4. Weak Sales Enablement & Tools

Even the best talent underperforms without the right tools. From CRM workflows to proposal templates, under-equipped teams lose time and credibility. Effective enablement accelerates both activity and outcomes.


 

5. Poor Cross-Functional Alignment

When marketing, sales, and delivery operate in silos, revenue stalls. High-performing teams thrive when demand generation, sales execution, and delivery excellence are aligned around shared goals.

 


How to Diagnose Before You Fix

Before implementing new training or hiring more reps, leaders must pause and ask the right questions:

  • Do we have clarity on our ICP and value proposition?

  • Are sales activities mapped to a defined process?

  • Are leaders coaching and holding reps accountable?

  • Do reps have the tools and resources they need?

  • Is there alignment between marketing, sales, and delivery?

 


Building High-Performing Sales Teams

Sales team underperformance is not a permanent condition; it’s a signal to the organization that change is needed. By diagnosing the real issues behind missed targets, leaders can create high-performing teams that consistently deliver growth. The payoff is building a repeatable engine for long-term revenue acceleration.




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