Last week, one of my clients—we’ll call him Rick—had a demo scheduled with a prospect. It was supposed to be the standard “show up and throw up” sales pitch, the kind they typically did early in the cycle.
But I stopped him. Instead, I asked a simple question: “Why does the customer want to buy? What are they trying to accomplish?”
Rick didn’t know. Neither did his sales team. So I gave him an assignment: he had to find out the answers to three key questions:
- Why buy?
- Why now?
- What’s it worth?
The rule was clear: no compelling reason to buy, no demo.
Rick took the risk, shifted his approach, and within days he was moving into a fully-paid trial implementation.
This story isn’t unusual. More and more executives and entrepreneurs are asking me not about long-term strategy, but about what to do now to boost revenues and profits. They want fast, practical results. The answer? Put the bulk of your energy into sales—and do it differently than before.
Here are five proven ways to bring in more business right away:
1. Sell Return on Investment (ROI)—Especially to the CFO
Pipelines may look full, but deals often stall because decision-makers are hesitant to spend unless they see near-term payback. CFOs, in particular, are killing deals left and right.
The solution: sell ROI, not just features. Arm your team with two powerful tools:
- Case studies showing financial returns from your product.
- An ROI worksheet co-developed with the CFO, so they take ownership of the numbers.
When the financial leader sees your solution as their idea, they’ll become your ally in closing the deal instead of your obstacle.
2. Forget USP—Focus on Usage Cases
Instead of pitching your “unique selling proposition,” shift to usage cases. Talk less about what your product is and more about how customers can use it to solve costly, measurable problems.
Don’t tell prospects your product is the solution—that won’t land. Instead, ask if your product might help fix their issue. If they believe it could, they own the conclusion. Then, guide them to quantify what solving that problem is worth in real dollars.
This approach turns vague interest into urgency and commitment.
3. Increase Sales Training With the 10% Solution
No salesperson is perfect across every step of the sales process. But you can raise the bar for the entire team immediately using the 10% solution.
Here’s how:
- Break your sales process into distinct steps: prospecting, cold calling, writing proposals, presenting, and closing.
- Identify which reps excel at each step.
- Have them teach their best practices to the rest of the team—either in a marathon training session or step-by-step.
This process-driven peer learning raises performance across the board, and fast.
4. Apply the 80/20 Rule—And Cut the Bottom 20
There’s no room for mediocrity in today’s competitive landscape. Hold your team accountable to two benchmarks:
- Results metrics (revenue, repeat business, new accounts).
- Activity metrics (calls made, meetings booked, new contacts).
Salespeople who don’t carry their weight drain the team and the company. If they aren’t producing, give them a 30-day activity plan to turn things around. If they can’t? Let them go. Empty desks cost less than unproductive reps.
5. Track Results and Push Harder
Too many companies track only revenue without analyzing activity. This is a mistake.
Instead:
- Break sales into measurable steps and track completion rates.
- Calculate averages and closing ratios.
- Use this data to forecast sales more accurately and pinpoint areas for improvement.
Once you set benchmarks, raise them. Improving sales effectiveness is critical—but working harder is equally important. Sales teams need to be both smarter and more driven.
And for those unwilling to push harder? Revisit point #4.
Final Thoughts
Sales success doesn’t come from gimmicks—it comes from strategy, discipline, and execution. By focusing on ROI, usage cases, peer-driven training, accountability, and detailed tracking, you can create immediate improvements in both revenue and profitability.
I’ve developed a unique Sales Audit Process based on W. Edwards Deming’s optimization principles. This program consistently produces a 10–25% immediate sales improvement. If you’d like to learn more, visit paullemberg.com/contact.html and share details about your sales situation.