Missed Quota Is the First Sign You’re Bleeding Revenue
When 80% of reps can’t hit 80% of quota, your sales team is costing you millions.
When reps chase activity, pitch features, or run shallow discovery, deals stall. Buyers stay with what they know. Pipeline slows. Revenue forecasts collapse.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Boards start pressing leadership for answers. Growth targets fall out of reach. Expansion plans are delayed or scrapped. Top performers start looking elsewhere. Leadership credibility takes a hit.
Most sales organizations don’t catch it early enough. They focus on volume, CRM activity, or top-of-funnel metrics while execution quality quietly decays underneath.
Quota attainment doesn’t improve with more leads or more dials. It improves when sales teams drive better discovery, uncover business problems, and create urgency to act.
If 80% of your team isn’t at 80% of quota, the problem isn’t isolated. It’s systemic.
Let’s find out what’s broken before it gets worse.
Let’s Get to Work
People We Work With:
01 | Understanding the Problem
The warning signs were there. They always are.
Quota failures are set in motion long before the quarter closes.
Quota attainment starts to fail the moment a rep accepts surface pain as a real business problem.
A buyer mentions an inconvenience, a slow process, or a vague goal. A rep nods, matches it to a feature, and pivots into pitching. Discovery ends before the real problem is understood. It’s never uncovered whether that inconvenience is slowing the business down, the financial impact of the slow process, or what happens if the goal isn’t reached.
When the current state isn’t fully understood, urgency never builds. Without urgency, there’s no reason to act. And without action, deals stall and quota gets missed—one fake opportunity at a time.
One missed discovery call doesn’t destroy a quarter. But a hundred weak calls add up fast. Surface pains slip through. Urgency never forms. By the time leaders see missed targets, the real damage has already been done.
02 | Diagnosing the Root Cause
Quota failures aren’t isolated mistakes. They’re the predictable result of weak discovery and shallow qualification across the team.
Most sales conversations start with surface pain or what we call root causes or technical problems.
The inefficiencies or internal frustrations every persona deals with like the CRM is clunky, the process is slow, visibility is poor.
These are real problems but they aren’t business problems. They’re symptoms.
Business problems are the measurable consequences that matter to leadership. They’re the missed targets, slow ramp times, pipeline bottlenecks, and shrinking margins that come from those root causes. And behind every business problem is impact, the real-world cost to the business: revenue lost, growth delayed, board pressure mounting.
Reps miss quota when they transition from discovery to solution after finding that pain or symptom.
They chase root causes and hope the buyer makes the business case on their own. But buyers rarely connect the dots for you. That’s the rep’s job.
03 | How To Fix It
Quota attainment accelerates when reps stop chasing surface pains and start uncovering real business problems.
Problem-centric selling starts by mapping the buyer’s current state to what’s at risk.
Most reps hear a frustration and jump to a solution. Problem-centric reps slow down. They uncover what’s broken, why it’s happening, and what it’s costing the business to ignore it.
This shift changes the entire sale. The buyer stops thinking about features and starts focusing on the cost of standing still.
Quota is missed when buyers don’t feel a real need to change. Fixing quota attainment starts by teaching reps to uncover problems that are too costly to ignore.
What Is The Gap Selling Methodology
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SALES TRAINING?
Did You Know?
- Buyers Value Problem-Centric Approaches: Buyers are more likely to engage with salespeople when they believe a product will solve their current business problems. 74% are willing to go over budget is the value is present.
- Budget Isn’t the Biggest Issue: Budget, often cited as a concern, is NOT the primary reason deals stall. 37% of buyers cite a salesperson’s lack of understanding of their problems are the top reason they go dark.
The Gap Selling Structure
1. Assess What’s Broken
Before you can fix anything, you need to know what’s broken. We start by assessing your team against the Revenue S.P.E.E.D. Model to identify what’s missing, what’s working, and what needs to change:
- Is there a documented, proven sales methodology in place that every rep and manager follows?
- Is there a certification process in place to ensure reps and managers can execute the methodology consistently?
- Is Buyer Input Data (BID) defined, captured in you CRM, and used to score and advance opportunities?
- Are your reps trained on customer’s business problems including root causes and impacts?
- Are structured pipeline and deal reviews run that are aligned with the sales methodology and BID data?
2. Co-Design Your Problem Identification Chart (PIC)
After assessing the gaps, it’s time to build the foundation for consistent sales execution. It starts with the Problem Identification Chart (PIC).
The PIC:
- Defines the specific business problems your product solves
- Clarifies the impacts those problems have on your buyer’s organization
- Identifies the root causes driving those problems
- Aligns your team around the BID data needed to move deals forward
The PIC becomes the playbook that defines every discovery call and deal review. Reps know exactly what problem they’re solving, why it matters, and what information is needed to advance the sale.
3. Implement Training
With the structure in place, it’s time to align the team. Training brings the system to life and gets every rep, manager, and leader running the same plays. The core programs:
- Gap Selling Problem-Centric Sales Training
- Gap Selling for Managers
- Gap Selling Prospecting
4. Reinforcement
Training is not enough. The system only works if it’s reinforced every day, in every deal, at every level. Reinforcement tools make consistent execution the norm. Gap Selling Reinforcement Tools:
- GapUp
- Noted Analytics
- Deal Reviews, Call Coaching, and Role Plays (facilitated by Gap Selling Certified Instructors)
Want to see Gap Selling in action?
My team is struggling with…
The Root Causes
When it comes to converting opportunities, the root causes can be extensive. The primary reasons a deal doesn’t convert to a client is simply the salesperson didn’t uncover the buyer’s motivation for change. Why should that buyer by? This lack of understanding can stem from poor qualification criteria up front; it never was a qualified opportunity. The CRM or sales software isn’t being effectively used so deals slip through the cracks. The discovery process is really a feature dump where no real value is built to drive the deal forwarded. All of these root causes lead to opportunities not converting to customers.
Impacts of a Low Close Rate
When sales teams don’t convert deals, the impact in felt throughout a company. Revenue forecasting is wildly inaccurate. Cost of sales and marketing sky rocket. Fulfillment and supply chain are unclear how to plan. Stock holders and board directors become nervous. Salespeople are missing quotas. Growth goals are all on shaky ground.
Addressing Root Causes
Implementing firm and consistent qualification criteria that is customer-centric (AKA, no BANT or MEDDIC. That’s you focused) will begin cleaning up the pipeline. Implementing a sales methodology will create consistency in how deals are discussed in both deal reviews and pipeline meetings. Structuring value-based conversations around the buyer’s business problems will outline a buyer’s motivation to change, what they are changing, how, when, and the value of change.
Future State Outcomes
Can you imagine this beautiful world where your opportunity to closed won is over 50%? Sales forecasting has under 15% variance? Over 80% of your sales team makes or exceeds quota? The stock holders / owners / board are thrilled?
The Root Causes
There are two primary aspects surrounding a low average sale price. 1) Discounting. We all know it, see it, hate it. Whether it's the end of the month, quarter, year, salespeople push discounts to expedite the time to close or to compete on price. 2) Approaching sophisticated sales with transactional mindset. Here, the customer often leads the sale, the value is never defined or realized, and the solution is inevitably the cheapest plan with hopes of upgrades.
Impacts of a Low ASP
Whether its discounts or grabbing the cheap plans, these two approaches can cause major havoc in a company. Mainly: PROFIT! Those pesky discounts can yield low profit, no profit, or negative profit contracts in order to acquire that new customer. Some salespeople have ended up creating a cost of customer acquisition that ends up being 3 years of renewals before that customer begins generating profits. Ouch! The most painful part? It simply was a bandaid covering up the lack of a solid business case for the purchase at full price. All that profit loss was unnecessary.
Addressing Root Causes
Negotiating price to overcome a lack of value is a loosing scenario, even when you "win." Learn how to have business problem conversations and discoveries so the value is clear, compelling, and price isn't a factor. Truly! Would you spend $50,000 to make $5,000,000? That's what I thought.
Future State Outcomes
When price negotiations are out of the sales cycles, your average deal size will go up, the number of deals needed to make quota go down, lead generation efforts become wildly more profitable. It is an efficiency and profitability game here. Get more revenue with less time, effort, money, and headaches.
The Root Causes
Similar to when deals do not convert, a long sales cycle is often related to a messy pipeline, filled with non-customers and truly unqualified opportunities. Sales cycles can also be unnecessarily lengthen due to poor opportunity cadences/management, extended price negotiations that involve excessive back and forth, or those extra sales calls where you are working to feature compare against your competition. What do these items have in common? They are all the traps when business value is missing from the sales cycle.
Impacts of Long Sales Cycles
We hear sales leaders say they need "time management training" for their salespeople. Stop it. No you don't. You need to shorten your sales cycles which is behind the time management problem! Think about it. Let's say your average sales cycle is 6 months, average deal is $50,000 and quota per rep is 1 million. This amounts to 20 deals per year. If each opportunity involves 8 hours per week, this is 208 hours per deal. That's 80 hour work weeks per rep! Cut the sales cycle in half though, and your "time management" problem is gone. Hello 40 hour work weeks! Hello making quota! Hello happy salespeople! Hello good company culture!
Addressing Root Causes
Cleaning up a pipeline means 1) Implementing problem-centric qualification criteria, 2) holding problem-based deal reviews, 3) understanding the business problems and related business value in the purchase, 4) know when you can't help or the value is low so you can stop wasting your time on non-customers.
Future State Outcomes
Picture your sales reps working only a 40 hour work week AND making quota. Or your sales organization collectively hitting targets. They are happy. They have life balance. They stick with you. Long gone are the days 2.8 stars on glassdoor and a 1 year average tenure. Long gone are the days of tedious hiring, product training, ramp times, missed quotas, slow growth, unhappy investors...can you see it? It's a beautiful place when your reps are not spending time and effort on things that don't influence the sale or help your buyers.
The Root Causes
When it comes to building a pipeline, a lot goes into it: outbound efforts, inbound efforts, brand, messaging, market positioning...but truly, in spite of these efforts, so much of outbound and inbound efforts fail simply because they don't connect with why that buyer should even consider your product or services. How will it all help them? Instead, its all you focused: your product, your story, your fancy features, you, you, you.
Impact of Poor Pipeline
When you don't have the pipeline, the number of deals, the size of deals...when the pipeline doesn't support the goal, the impact should be obvious: you won't make your goal. You won't hit your growth target. You won't be prime for acquisition in 3 years. You won't raise that next round of funding. You won't have the cash to reinvest. You just won't.
Addressing Root Causes
Value is an agreement. It is unique to each person, company, and situation. It is not finite. It is fluid, dynamic, and contextual. Your outbound and inbound efforts, messaging, ICP, targeting, all need to align to the value you bring to your customers. The problems you solve for them. It's both simple and hard but critical to success.
Future State Outcomes
When the pipeline is clean and the numbers support the goal, you win! You hit your growth targets! You are ready for a top valuation for acquisition! You raise that now round of funding! You get the cash to reinvest! That beautiful plan you had in mind when you wrote out the revenue targets, you get to do that!
Struggling to convert leads to sales? Deal Size plummeting?
It’s possible you’re using outdated sales training and selling tactics, putting the buyer in the driver’s seat, and not effectively highlighting the cost of inaction to your prospects.
21st Century Sales is Centered Around Change Management
In Gap Selling Sales Training, sellers are taught to identify the problems they can help buyers fix, get prospects talking about these problems quickly, and quantify the costs of not addressing these problems.
