For most businesses, sales is the single biggest barrier to growth.
The conversations that get people to trust you, believe in your approach, and decide to buy.
But, the truth is that most businesses are going about sales the wrong way but unsure where to start tackling sales the right way.
So, if you want to start your journey to solving sales, break that struggle and build a consistent, scalable sales engine. Then this is where you should start by framing the key struggles and priority areas for sales.
The sales mistake most businesses make
The biggest mistake? Outsourcing sales.
And not just the obvious kind, where you bring in a lead generation firm or commission cold outreach from a black-box agency. That rarely works in service businesses anyway because when your proposition is nuanced, consultative and value-led, it's nearly impossible for an outsider to communicate it with the depth and sensitivity it needs or spot the gap in the conversation that leads to a meaningful moment. Not to mention outdated tactics and approaches.
The more dangerous version of the obvious failing point of outsourcing is when you mentally outsource sales.
So, how does that mistake happen?
Well, this happens when founders or senior leaders decide sales is "someone else's job."
They've hired someone, given them a CRM, written a few templates, and then checks out to let them 'do sales'.
That might feel like progress, but what it actually creates is a vacuum.
Because no matter how big your business is, someone senior still needs to own the rhythm, the strategy, the messaging, the passion, and the performance culture behind sales. Without that, everything loses energy. And pipelines flatline.
Sales is not a machine. It's an organism.
We often think of sales as a machine. Input at the top deals at the bottom. But in reality, it behaves much more like a living system. It needs nurturing. It needs rhythm. It needs adaptation.
The business leaders who do this best treat sales like a part of the business that requires ongoing care. They invest time in the middle of the funnel, not just the top. They revisit positioning. They improve CRM workflows. They listen to objections, analyse drop-offs, and refine their messaging. They take a conversion rate optimisation approach to everything that goes through it. And repeat.
The agencies that struggle most are usually the ones who try to "set and forget." They build a sales deck, turn on a sequence, and hope. But sales doesn't work that way. It moves slowly. It demands human connection. And it needs constant attention to stay sharp.
Stop selling. Start building conversations.
A philosophy that works in sales is simple. Don't sell.
That might sound counterintuitive in a sales session, but it makes perfect sense. Too much sales outreach is still stuck in pitch mode. Emails and LinkedIn messages full of self-important credentials and empty phrases like "we'd love to connect" or "we're a specialist in XYZ."
The problem? It's transparent. People know when they're being sold to. And in 2025, most buyers have zero patience for it.
Instead, businesses that see success are using better tactics. They're using outreach to open conversations, not close deals. They're using empathy, relevance, and curiosity to stand out. They lead with value, ask for perspective, invite collaboration or feedback, and give people a reason to respond that isn't just "hop on a call."
Even small touches can make a difference. One example I heard recently was how a business had tried and failed to engage a prospect for months until that person left a comment on a light-hearted LinkedIn post about jammy dodgers. The business sent them one in the post. That one-pound biscuit reignited the conversation, led to a brief, and became a real sales opportunity. That's not a fluke. It's just good human sales.
Change your prospecting game
Top-of-funnel tactics haven't vanished, but they have evolved. LinkedIn remains one of the most powerful outreach channels. If you use it properly.
That means showing up as a human, not a bot. It means connecting from real, subject-matter-expert profiles, not from "Head of Sales" profiles that scream pitch. And it means running outreach at a pace LinkedIn's algorithm won't punish.
The best results come from softer messaging. Think connection over conversion. Personal notes over generic value props. And above all, consistency.
Email still works, but it's softer now. The days of direct offers with sharp CTAs are fading. Today's best-performing emails take more of a consultative tone. They read like thoughtful, relevant, personal notes because that's what gets through the noise.
And then there's the CRM. Everyone talks about it. Very few businesses use it well. A good CRM isn't just a database. It's a second brain. It's what allows you to run proper tagging, segmentation, nurturing and follow-up.
But the key is tone. No one wants another automated "Just checking in!" message. The follow-ups that land are the ones that feel human, timely and intelligent.
Productisation makes sales easier
This is a big one. And it starts with Sales Ladder design. A model for structuring your services into gateway, core and premium offers.
The idea is simple. Most businesses try to sell big projects cold. It rarely works. Instead, you need accessible, low-risk entry points that give prospects a way to engage with you without huge commitment.
A "gateway product" might be an audit, a workshop, or a fixed-price discovery phase. Priced under £20k, they're easy to say yes to, especially when budgets are tight or procurement is slow. But more importantly, they give you a platform to prove your value. And they lead naturally into higher-value work.
A real life example of this is from the first agency I founded. A mobile product agency. When the market shifted, everyone had a mobile app, so buyers weren't open to talking about full app builds. So instead, we created a mobile app "MOT". A £20k audit of your existing product's UX, codebase and strategy. High-value, low-risk and a perfect lead-in to bigger projects. It was incredibly successful.
The best businesses treat productisation not as a constraint but as a qualification tool. You find out who's serious, who's got budget, and who's just browsing without wasting time or compromising your value.
Sales and marketing are not separate teams
Another critical insight to consider is that sales and marketing are not two separate functions anymore. At least not in high-performing businesses.
In fact, most of what we call outbound sales is now powered by what would traditionally be seen as marketing tactics like content, campaigns, automation, and design. And a lot of what we see as inbound marketing needs to convert with the clarity and confidence of a good sales process.
Content is the fuel for the sales engine. Without it, the outreach has nothing to say. Emails fall flat. Follow-ups feel empty. But with good content that's authentic, helpful, and intelligent, you suddenly have reasons to stay in touch, nurture interest, and build trust over time.
This alignment shows up most clearly on LinkedIn. Marketing might own the company page. But the personal profiles doing the heavy lifting? That's sales. The stories, insights, perspective, and invites that build familiarity and momentum? That's marketing in a sales wrapper. The lines are blurry, and that's exactly how it should be.
If it's a big deal, go big and personal
When the stakes are high and when there's a dream client you want to land. Scale is the wrong approach. That's where Account-Based Marketing (ABM) tactics shine.
Businesses that invest big in high-touch, creative campaigns designed for one prospect at a time will win. Personalised printed materials. Doorstep drops. Custom-built prototypes. Not spray-and-pray, but craft-and-convert.
This kind of strategy only works if the prize is worth it. But when it is, it's powerful. And you don't have to bet everything on one brand, you can build a small cluster of similar targets and repackage what you've created to go again.
ABM isn't hyper-scalable at this level of fidelity. But it's memorable. And when done right, it's incredibly effective.
Don't worry about the likes. Just keep going.
Finally, a truth most of us need to hear. Engagement on LinkedIn is not a reflection of success. Most people are lurkers. They won't comment, won't like, and won't DM. But they're watching. And when the time is right, they'll remember you. If you keep turning up, showing value and keeping your awareness up.
Just ask yourself, do you want clicks for clout or conversion? So maybe drop those irrelevant cringy selfies and work a bit harder to find an image that fits the message. I know the algorithm favours them (right now), but it's not doing your personal brand any favours, and it's most likely not converting.
So don't get discouraged. Don't stop sharing your perspective just because the algorithm didn't give you a dopamine hit. Consistency builds trust. And trust drives action. Eventually.
Sales is a game of consistency. Just because they're not responding doesn't mean they're not listening.
Let's wrap this up
Solving sales isn't about sending more emails or writing a sharper pitch deck. It's about designing an engine that matches how modern buyers behave and owning it from the top.
It's about rejecting the idea that sales is something you can outsource, automate or ignore.
And it's about building conversations, not campaigns. Trust, not transactions.
If you're a founder, leader or commercial owner inside an agency, and your sales function still feels fragile, inconsistent or frustrating—look inward first. What are you expecting sales to do? Who's really driving it? Are you selling, or just shouting?
And maybe, just maybe, you need a few more jammy dodgers in the mix?