Every business wants to "solve sales."
To crack the code.
Build a predictable machine.
Turn it into a process that just works.
But somewhere along the way, many businesses stop before they ever really start.
They get caught in the trap of overthinking, of chasing the perfect plan, the perfect pitch, the perfect moment. They build sales strategies like ivory towers: too detailed, isolated, pristine, but untouched.
And the irony? That search for perfection, the hesitation, the planning, the whiteboarding, the waiting. It's killing your momentum. It's stalling your progress. It's costing you opportunities every single day.
You've hit sales paralysis.
So if you've been stuck in neutral, if your growth feels sluggish, if you're waiting for "the right time"?
This is your sign.
It's time to just jump in.
There is no perfect time to start
This is the first mindset shift leaders need to make.
So many businesses delay starting outbound sales or building a proper sales engine because they're waiting for the stars to align.
"When we finish this website redesign."
"When we've nailed our ICP."
"When our CRM is fully set up."
"When we hire a sales lead."
But let's be brutally honest. There is no right time. And if there ever was, it's probably already passed. It was yesterday, or the day before that. Or actually, the month before, even that.
The longer you wait, the more distance you create between your business and your market. While you're planning, someone else is pitching. While you're building decks, someone else is building the pipeline.
Sales isn't something you opt into when it feels convenient. It's something you commit to consistently because it's the lifeblood of your business.
So why do we freeze when it comes to sales?
It's easy to say "just start," but let's not ignore what holds businesses back.
There are three common reasons founders and leadership teams fall into sales paralysis.
Fear of failure
This is the big one. Beneath all the process and planning, there's often a deep fear that it won't work. That prospects won't respond. Those campaigns will flop. That sales activity will reveal something uncomfortable, like a weak offer, unclear messaging, or a lack of product-market fit.
But here's the reality ... doing nothing is worse than doing something that doesn't work. Because at least with action, you gain insight. Sales isn't pass/fail. It's test/learn/repeat. Every "no" or "ghosting" brings you closer to understanding what gets a "yes." Every stumble gets you closer to clarity.
Sitting still in fear doesn't preserve your brand. It just prevents growth.
Chasing perfection
The second trap is perfectionism.
Leaders want the sales system to be airtight before they start—with a polished process, nailed personas, beautiful messaging, and seamless CRM automation. While standards and processes are incredibly important, the quest for perfection delays what matters most. Contact with the market.
You don't learn how to sell by theorising in a vacuum. You learn by putting messages into the world and watching how people respond. You learn by having awkward conversations and refining your pitch. You learn by doing, not designing.
Let go of perfect. Progress beats perfection every time.
"We're not a sales organisation"
Which is frankly ridiculous.
This mindset might be the most damaging of all. Many founders of product-led or service-led businesses avoid sales because it feels uncomfortable. They tell themselves, "We're not a sales business. We grow through word of mouth." Or worse, "We'll build a brand that sells itself."
It's a seductive story. But a dangerous one. Because eventually, inbound dries up. Referrals plateau. And without a proactive sales strategy, your business stalls.
Let's make this clear .. every business is a sales business.
That doesn't mean every business needs to cold call 100 people a day or send spammy LinkedIn messages. But it does mean every business needs to take ownership of how it reaches, engages, and converts customers. Sales isn't something to outsource. It's something to lead.
The only way forward
So what's the solution? Simple. Start.
Start before you feel ready. Start before everything's perfect. Start small, start lean. Skin your knees. But start.
Because the moment you begin, you shift from paralysis to momentum. You open the door to insight, learning and growth. You stop guessing and start knowing.
When you start, you also begin to build something far more valuable than quick wins. A repeatable, optimisable sales engine. And that's where real growth comes from.
Sales is not a one-time fix. It's not a campaign. It's a system that gets better over time. Predictability comes from layering activities, testing approaches, and building muscle. Sustainability comes from small, repeated actions that compound.
And that compounding effect? It doesn't kick in until you begin.
Don't boil the ocean. Build your engine instead
Starting doesn't mean doing everything at once. In fact, trying to overhaul your entire sales system in one go is a recipe for burnout. The smarter approach is to treat sales like a product. Build it in stages, iterate as you go, and improve it with feedback.
Begin with the basics: define who you're targeting, articulate what you're offering, and start conversations. Test a few outreach channels. Measure your response rates. Refine your messaging. Layer in CRM or automation after you've proven the fundamentals.
And when something doesn't work. Which it won't at times. Don't take it personally. Don't write off the whole channel or approach. Learn from it. Adjust it. Try again.
The best sales teams aren't the ones who get it right first time. They're the ones who keep showing up, stay curious, and never stop improving.
Let's wrap this up
Sales doesn't start with the perfect plan. It starts with action.
If you've been stuck, waiting for the right time, the perfect strategy, or a magic moment, now's the time to stop waiting. Sales isn't solved in spreadsheets or strategy decks. It's solved in the doing.
So just jump in.
Start small. Start scrappy. Start imperfectly. But start.
Because once you do, you'll be moving. Learning. Improving.
And that's where real sales momentum and real business growth begins.