Sales is not a hamster wheel

Sales is not a hamster wheel. Even though I have heard many of my clients describe it feeling exactly that way. This came up in particular during a recent discussion with a client during a Sales Audit.

She was exhausted. Putting in consistent effort, showing up, doing what she thought she was supposed to be doing, but with nothing to show for it. Or so she believed. When we sat down together and really dug into her business, I realized very quickly what was happening. She was only measuring her lag measures.

Let me explain the difference, because it changes everything.

A lag measure is an outcome. Number of clients gained. Revenue earned. Proposals accepted. These are the results of your efforts, and they matter. But they tell you what already happened. They are the rearview mirror. And when you have a long sales cycle, sometimes six months to a year or more between first contact and a signed agreement, only counting lag measures means you can go a very long time feeling like you are getting nowhere, even when you are doing everything right.

A lead measure is the activity that produces the outcome. The conversations started. The follow ups made. The referral relationships nurtured. The trust tokens deposited along the buying stages, moving someone from curious to interested to committed. These are the things you can control today, and they are the real indicators that you are on the right path.

My client wasn't failing. She was succeeding in ways she had no framework to recognize or celebrate. After our session together we identified the right lead measures for her business, the specific activities that build reputation and recognition within her ideal client community. Suddenly she had something to wake up to each morning. A clear picture of where to put her time and attention.

This same pattern shows up with business owners who have hired a sales representative. They measure their person only by clients gained, not realizing it often takes a minimum of six months for a new sales rep to build the kind of know, like, and trust needed to move ideal clients along the buying stages. Without lead measures in place, there's no way to know if your person is on the right track, or how to support them in getting there.

Sales is a journey, taken alongside your potential clients. Understanding that journey and the specific activities needed to keep people moving along the trail is the differentiator between feeling drained and burnt out, and waking up each day knowing exactly where to put your energy. Your Trust Style plays a role here too. The lead measures that feel natural and energizing to you are shaped by your personality. Do you know how to connect the dots between the different activities and what your prospects need from you?

If any of this sounds familiar, that hamster wheel feeling, the uncertainty about whether your efforts are actually working, understanding how you build Trust is helpful.

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