When it becomes clear that targets won’t be met, the instinct is to act fast. I’ve been there.
But I’ve often observed that rushed decisions can lead to costly mistakes.
Some of the most common “quick fixes” don’t just fail, they make things worse.
So should you act fast, or smart?
Let’s review a few of them.
1️⃣ Intensifying pressure
Pushing the team harder, expecting better results?
More pressure doesn’t equal more revenue.
Increasing activity without strategic direction is just ‘doing the same and expecting different results’.
The results and hidden costs? Exhaustion, frustration, and declining morale, not better sales.
2️⃣ Adding internal meetings
If your sales team is in meetings, they’re not selling.
Protect their time for revenue-generating activities.
Reevaluate your meeting culture, and before adding another internal meeting, ask: Is it truly necessary?
3️⃣ Sudden incentives
Last minute bonuses may signal desperation, not strategy.
It can make leadership look reactive. It might even suggest to your team that they weren’t giving full effort before.
How connected is the new bonus with your sales cycles?
Suggesting a quarterly bonus when it takes six months to sign a new deal?
4️⃣ Increased reporting
More reporting won’t fix sales.
When leadership gets anxious, layers of reviews multiply, but tracking numbers more often won’t change them.
Avoid the temptation to micromanage.
Instead, prioritize action. Focus on core sales activities that generate the highest ROI, remove inefficiencies, and drive productivity where it matters most.
5️⃣ Discounts
Dropping prices to win deals?
‘Last-minute’ discounts erode margins and lower the perceived quality of your offerings (for current and future business opportunities).
This signals desperation, not strategy, to both your teams and your clients.
Discounting isn’t a growth strategy. It weakens margins and trains customers to expect lower prices.
Here’s what to do instead:
✅ Eliminate inefficiencies
Free your team from non-revenue-generating tasks and delegate whenever possible so they can focus on selling.
Prioritize predictable revenue, existing customers & strong sales processes.
✅ Leverage collective intelligence
The best ideas come from the front line, your sales reps.
Engage sales teams in meaningful conversations about what’s working, and where they see potential improvement.
✅ Strengthen the fundamentals
Reassess market trends, strengthen customer relationships, and improve sales processes.
✅ Create urgency beyond the sales team
Sales isn’t just a problem for the sales team: look for good ideas, and involve people throughout the company.
✅ Strengthen your leadership
Motivation is a sales accelerator. Celebrate victories and re-energize your team!
💡 What strategies have worked best for you when sales are down?
