THE COST OF BEING AVERAGE: BREAKING THE CYCLE
In our last blog, we exposed a hard truth: being average [or below average] is costing your business millions.
The middle 60% of your sales team—your “core performers”—represent the biggest untapped growth opportunity. The Cost of Being Average likely represents an opportunity cost of about 15% of your annual revenue. But despite the massive potential upside, most companies struggle to move the middle in any meaningful way.
Why? Because the way they try to fix the problem doesn’t work.
Why Traditional Approaches to Sales Improvement Fail
Most companies attempt to improve sales performance by doing one (or more) of the following:
1. Investing in Efficiency Tools
CRM upgrades, AI stuff, sales automation, and marketing-driven lead generation improve activity levels—but not conversion rates. These tools could make reps more productive, but they don’t make them better in front of customers.
2. One-Time Training Events
Workshops, boot camps, and certifications create a temporary lift in energy, but they rarely lead to sustained behavioral change. Studies show that event-based training alone has a long-term effectiveness rate of just 25%.
3. Coaching Initiatives
Many companies invest in leadership training, hoping that better coaching will drive better selling. But the reality? Most frontline managers are stretched too thin to consistently coach their teams in a way that leads to measurable improvement.
4. Reverting to Old Habits
When new methods don’t immediately yield results, companies often pivot back to what’s familiar—creating a cycle of mediocrity and lost momentum.
At best, these efforts deliver incremental gains. At worst, they lead to frustration, wasted resources, and disengaged sales teams.
Over the course of the past 12 years, the collective “we” at BETR have been involved in over 700 sales transformation type projects that have touched over 20,000 sellers. We were working as outside consultants for a large research-based organization that was utilizing our skills and extensive experience to bring credibility to new sales research and a new selling model. Clients globally flocked in, searching for a fresh approach and eager to engage and launch to their leaders and sellers. We supported the delivery and on the ground execution. Although far more strategic for most companies, it often felt like a 2-day workshop and at a non-descript airport hotel. People enjoyed the experience, learned new concepts, then got on a plane to return to the status quo. Despite best intentions from smart, hard-working, well-intentioned leaders, the results did not align with the effort or investment. In discussions we have had with the authors of the research [and books] plus the CEO of their company, they all independently thought that clients achieved their project goals about 10% of the time. The concepts are easy to understand, but the application is very difficult. We are here because we believe there is a better way.
So what’s the alternative?
Application in Real Time (AIR): Moving Beyond Concept
The fundamental flaw in traditional approaches is that they treat sales effectiveness as something separate from the job itself.
● Training is separate from selling.
● Coaching is separate from deal execution.
● Process improvements are separate from real-world application.
What works? Embedding learning, coaching, and skill-building into daily sales activities—where and when sellers need it most.
We call this Application in Real Time (AIR), and it’s built around three key principles:
1. Learning While Doing
Instead of pulling salespeople away from their actual work for training, AIR integrates skill development into live deal execution. This means:
● Equipping reps with real-time insights and guidance within active sales conversations
● Structuring deal reviews to focus on specific, coachable behaviors
● Reinforcing the right sales motion through repetition, not one-off events
2. Manager-Driven Execution
Sales managers play a critical role in driving effectiveness, but they need more than generic coaching frameworks. AIR helps them:
● Identify specific skill gaps in their team based on real deal data
● Provide immediate, practical feedback linked to active opportunities
● Ensure that the behaviors being coached align with a differentiated sales motion
Instead of abstract coaching, managers become active enablers of real-time skill application.
3. Aligning Process, Tools, and Behaviors
Too often, new sales methodologies are layered on top of existing processes and tools, creating confusion and friction. AIR takes a different approach:
● Sales motions are designed to fit seamlessly into existing workflows
● CRM and sales tools are optimized to reinforce the right behaviors
● Coaching and reinforcement happen within the flow of work—not in separate training sessions
This ensures that effectiveness isn’t an “extra” task—it’s how the job is done.
The Business Impact of Doing This Right
When sales organizations apply these principles, the results speak for themselves:
✔ Higher Win Rates – Because reps are selling differently, not just more often
✔ Larger Deal Sizes – Because sellers are solving bigger problems, not just pushing products
✔ Shorter Sales Cycles – Because reps are better positioned to win from day one
✔ Fewer “No Decisions” – Because sellers know how to disrupt the status quo effectively
The bottom line? Organizations that move beyond efficiency and focus on effectiveness can increase revenue by 15%+ — without adding a single new rep.
Your Next Move
If your sales organization is stuck in the cycle of mediocrity, the solution isn’t another training event or technology investment. It’s about:
● Embedding real-time application into daily sales activities
● Empowering managers to be true enablers of effectiveness
● Aligning process, technology, and behaviors for sustained impact
The cost of being average is too high to ignore. The companies that win are the ones that stop treating effectiveness as an afterthought—and start making it the foundation of their go-to-market strategy.
It’s time to move the middle. Let’s talk about how to make it happen.