A sales rep at one of my clients was placed on a PIP (Performance Improvement Plan). His activity level was reported to be too low—not enough meetings, too few leads generated, and far fewer outbound calls and emails than his peers.
He finished the year as one of the top-producing reps in the company, closing some of the largest deals in company history.
How did that happen?
It Wasn’t About Speed
Good sales strategy isn’t about speed. Sales success isn’t about how much you do or how quickly you do it. Speed is just going fast. Speed and volume are just motion—a lot of activity potentially without purpose.
The sales rep had shifted his mindset. He stopped trying to move fast for the sake of looking busy and instead focused on velocity: speed + direction. He aligned every action with a clear direction and purpose—to create the energy needed to power his deals to successful outcomes.
He evaluated every activity and piece of content shared with his customers for its impact on deal velocity. If it didn’t contribute, he didn’t do it. For example, he didn’t waste time on superficial “check-in calls” that added no value. Instead, he prioritized actions that drove momentum, reduced friction, and improved his position.
He stopped making his deals a math problem—how much and how fast he could do things—and started making them a physics problem: how much energy his activities could generate to power deals forward.
Execution.
Here’s how he used velocity to accelerate his performance, close major deals & exceed his number.
1. Generate Power
The rep focused on creating energy that moved deals forward by tailoring his approach to key stakeholders:
Users: He asked for sample data and built a custom dashboard so they could see the product in action. The experience got them hooked—they couldn’t wait to use it daily.
Executives: He created a timeline analysis showing how his offering aligned with their strategic growth goals. The executives even used his material in presentations to their new private equity owners.
Managers: He provided a use case showing how his solution would make their teams more efficient and effective, reducing headcount needs for scaling.
Operations / Finance: He delivered success stories to the CFO demonstrating how his product mitigated risks by preventing bad data from distorting operational forecasts.
2. Reduce Friction
Recognizing that complexity slows deals, he worked to keep things simple:
He curated only relevant materials, packaging them to save the Buyer time.
He minimized communication to reduce disruptions to their workdays. He would send updates on weekends and got rapid turnaround.
He asked directly where they experienced friction in their workflows and adjusted his actions to reduce it.
“How do I make this simple” was his guiding principle.
3. Maintain Momentum
Momentum is created by the steady application of power & time. He kept it constant by:
Establishing the right engagement cadence for both parties.
Ensuring his interactions added value without disrupting the Buyer’s productivity.
4. Improve Position
He focused on building trust and creating value at every level:
Bridging Strategies: He connected executives on both sides to strengthen relationships.
Value Creation: He demonstrated how his offering delivered efficiency, effectiveness, mitigated risk, and created a better customer experience.
Profiling: He constantly updated his understanding of the Buyer’s profile. For example, when he learned of a new ownership structure, he proactively showed how his solution could help facilitate the transition.
Buying Process Education: He guided the Buyer through agreeing to a new purchasing process, eliminating confusion and delays.
5. Compress Time
By identifying and leveraging compelling events, he closed a deal that normally would take 9–12 months in just 7 weeks.
He discovered time-sensitive needs and created urgency around solving them.
The deal was signed mid-quarter (not at end-of-month or end-of-quarter) and required only a modest 15% discount.
The short sales cycle and the minimal discounting for a large Enterprise deal shows the strength of his positioning, the power of the velocity generated and of making time more important than money.
The lead came from a cold outreach on a company he did research on.
Shift Your Strategy
To become a high-performing sales professional, shift your focus from speed to velocity. Here’s how:
Generate Power: Create energy that moves the deal forward by delivering tailored, impactful value to each stakeholder.
Reduce Friction: Simplify processes and communications to save time and eliminate barriers for the Buyer.
Maintain Momentum: Find the right engagement cadence to sustain forward motion without overwhelming the Buyer.
Improve Position: Continuously strengthen your alignment with the Buyer’s priorities and differentiate yourself from competitors.
Compress Time: Identify compelling events and use them to drive urgency while maintaining a strategic pace.
Work Hard to Keep it Simple: Simple means keeping things untangled. That requires hard work.
Velocity: A Key Element to Creating & Executing Winning Sales Strategies.
Enterprise sales isn’t just a math problem of how much you do or how fast. It’s a physics problem. Velocity is about aligning speed with direction—about creating the energy to power your deals toward a successful outcome.
When you focus on Time, Velocity, and Position, you don’t just move faster; you move smarter. And when you move smarter, your close rates and income will increase dramatically.
Remember; in Enterprise Sales, Strategy determines tactics. Letting the reverse happen to you will not produce high-performance outcomes.
Are you ready to shift your focus into high gear?
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Velocity is one of the 3 domains of the Foundation level of sales strategy mastery.
We train sales professionals, sales teams, executive teams, and their AI agents on Sales and Deal strategies using the Compass AI Sales Strategy system. This training acts as a force multiplier, empowering your teams and AI agents to work in alignment to win business and exceed your number.
This was written while listening to ‘Finding the Balance’ by Anthony Island.
Artwork: Dynamism of a Rugby Player by Umberto Boccioni.
