Why You Need Structure in Sales Processes

Founder-led sales is the most dangerous drug in growth. It’s fast. Addictive. Convincing. You're closing deals. People are leaning in. You think this is working. And it is… Until it’s time to hire your first sales rep And everything falls apart. Suddenly: Deals stall. Pitches feel flat. The reps you were so excited about? They’re missing targets, second-guessing themselves, and asking you for answers you never had to write down. The problem? They’re not you. They weren’t there when the product was born. They don’t wake up thinking about your customers. And they can’t run on pure conviction. Because reps don’t run on passion. They run on structure. And if you haven’t built that structure, It’s like asking someone to run a race with a pulled hamstring. Even if they want to help Even if they show up with heart They’re still not going to win. Maybe they get lucky. But luck doesn’t scale. Structure does. So, what does real structure look like? ★ Crystal-clear ICP Not “anyone who might buy” but the exact buyer you win with and why. ★ Sales materials that actually help Talk tracks. Use cases. Case studies that answer objections, not just decorate a deck. ★ Real product training Not just features, but the actual value story from the customer’s point of view. ★ Defined sales process What good looks like, step by step. From first call to closed-won. ★ Coaching and feedback They need more than numbers. They need to grow in a system that teaches. You can’t scale on founder magic alone. It starts with it but it never ends there. If you're in that messy middle wondering why it's not clicking It's not the people. It's the structure around them. 👇 Seen this happen? Or lived it? Let's talk about what really works when you're ready to scale. 🎥VC: gcarralejo #SalesAndMarketing #RevenueGrowth #Strategy #CustomerExperience #JuddBorakoveStyle 

“You’re not scaling excellence. You’re just celebrating survivors.” Most sales teams aren’t following a process. They’re surviving one. I worked with a B2B sales org where three reps consistently smashed quota. Everyone else? Average at best. Leadership said, “Let them do their thing — it works.” But here’s what “their thing” actually was: – A jumbled blend of SPIN, Challenger, MEDDPICC, Sandler and instinct – CRM updated only when deals closed – Coaching sessions that relied on anecdotes, not systems When one of those top reps quit, the pipeline fell apart. Why? Because success lived in their head, not in the process. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: – If only your best reps can navigate your system, you don’t have one – If deal reviews sound different every week, your methodology is broken – If forecast accuracy depends on “gut feel,” you’re scaling luck, not learning ✅ Want to fix it? – Shadow your best reps — not for charisma, but for structure – Document their patterns in a step-by-step format anyone can use – Build coaching and CRM workflows around that structure, not in parallel to it 🎯 Psychological landmines to watch for: – Outcome Bias: Just because a deal closed doesn’t mean it was the right process – Survivorship Bias: Don’t replicate what worked for one without knowing why – Resistance to Codification: Top reps may resist standardizing what makes them feel unique Process isn’t about rigid steps. It’s about giving everyone a fair shot at consistency, especially your middle 70%. 📌 You don’t need 10 reps winning 10 different ways. You need 1 way that scales to 100 reps. 🔁 Repost if your top performers have become your entire process 💬 What happened when your star seller left? 📥 Follow for repeatable systems that scale skills, not just results

When my client took over as Sales Director at a cybersecurity company two months ago, he walked into a situation many leaders would recognize. An organization built entirely on raw talent with zero process. No phone blocks. No time management. No pipeline visibility. No forecasting capabilities. No documentation. No Salesforce discipline (reps going entire quarters without logging activities). The company had been stagnant for three years. They were consistently missing their targets ($45M annual), tracking toward just $39M this year. Despite having genuinely talented salespeople, they couldn't grow. Why? Because talent without structure has a ceiling. Here's the three step process he implemented to create immediate structure. 1️⃣ Daily Architecture Method I mapped every rep's day hour by hour, creating specific blocks for prospecting, follow ups, and admin work. The goal wasn't micromanagement but rather intentionality. Ensuring high value activities receive adequate time. 2️⃣ Mandatory Pipeline Visibility I established the core principle: if it's not in Salesforce, it doesn't exist. Two reps hadn't entered data for an entire quarter. They were the first to go. Harsh? Perhaps. But you can't improve what you can't measure and if you’re not coachable? You can’t be on the team. 3️⃣ Standardized Sales Process I helped build a repeatable selling system that worked with their unique 3-4 week sales cycle. This included consistent discovery frameworks, value articulation methods, and urgency creation techniques. The results after just 60 days? $7.3 million in new pipeline and, for the first time, the ability to forecast our business with confidence. Most importantly, we've shifted from a "referral and relationship" business model (which is inherently limited) to a proactive, scalable approach. Here’s some truth for you… If your sales organization runs on tribal knowledge and raw talent alone, you're leaving millions on the table. Structure isn't boring. It's the foundation that makes predictable scale possible. — Hey Sales Leaders. Want to build a top 1% sales team? Let’s talk: https://lnkd.in/gfn_qi9E

I just talked to a new AE. She was a recruiter who thought, "Selling jobs makes me less money than selling a product," so she switched jobs. Cool...but she is set up to fail. Why? Despite having beautiful decks and $60M+ in funding, there is no sales process. The evidence? - vaguely names sales stages - everyone uses stages differently - stages are determined by the leader in forecast calls ("That feels stage 4") - forecast categories - same deal - no exit criteria - feeling lost at the end of a deal ("What do I do now" syndrome) A repeatable sales process helps reps to: - know where to go next - practice at things to master them - receive clear and precise coaching - benefit from structured, consistent data that can provide meaningful insights - understand a unified sales language and vocabulary If you are a new AE (as in new to selling) and your company does not have a documented sales process, don't take the job. It took me weeks to create this laminated document while I was at Outreach. It was the basis for every seller, every deal, every coaching conversation. I sent it as a PHYSICAL thing to every seller so it would stay on their desk as a guide. We built out training for every exit criteria. We built out materials specific for every stage. We built out a deal review process around helping sellers move deals through the stages in this card. We built stage duration and conversion dashboards that were wildly valuable. We built a sales culture around mastering this process. We built feedback loops to make sure we improved. By doing all that...ultimately, we built a high-powered, self-sufficient sales team where 80%+ of reps hit aggressive quotas. Many of those reps moved on to be top reps and leaders at other companies. This is how we took someone who was a: - former school teacher to a top enterprise AE - former manufacturing line manager to a top AE - great SDR to a great AE - failed AE and sent them to President's Club - good AE and got them their first VP gig - power washing rep to a founding AE at an awesome startup The sales process isn't just about developing deals. It's about developing sellers.