Thoughtful Action Wins
If you’re in B2B sales and trying to close deals in a fast-moving, AI-powered environment, this essay is for you. You’ll learn how to:
- Make better moves with less effort.
- Focus on what really advances your deal.
- Separate yourself from competitors.
What you gain if you read this:
A clearer, simpler approach to sales.
A smarter use of time and energy.
A repeatable method for creating momentum.
What you lose if you don’t read this:
You risk wasting time
Chasing the wrong buyers
Letting AI-level efficiency beat you at your own game.
AI agents now handle tasks like booking meetings, writing emails, and scoring leads. Everyone is investing time & money here. Unfortunately, that is no longer where you win.
You win through thoughtful action by applying your human judgment and insight where it matters most. This is where the Principle of Least Action (PLA) comes in.
---
What Is the Principle of Least Action?
PLA is a principle of physics first introduced in the 1740s by a Pierre-Louis Maupertuis.
He asked: How does nature choose a path for going from point A to point B? So, he and his followers ran a series of experiments.
They studied all possible ways a particle could move from point A to point B in a given time. For each possible path, they calculated the action. Their research showed that of all the possible paths available, nature selects the one that requires the least energy over time. Every time.
That idea became foundational across all physics from Newton to quantum mechanics.
In simpler terms:
In physics: The system finds the cleanest, most efficient path forward.
In sales: Why do we insist on making this so complex? Shouldn’t we simply follow the proven laws of the universe that are proven all around us every day?
Steve Jobs once said '“Simple can be harder than complex." That’s what PLA captures: the discipline to take the most effective path not the easiest, but the clearest.
The best path to closing is the one with the fewest, most thoughtful actions with no wasted energy, no extra drama.
PLA isn’t just about speed. It’s about deal velocity. It about creating the most momentum moving forward with the least resistance.
---
How PLA Applies to Sales Strategy
Sales is a value ladder. PLA applies at every level:
- Efficiency: Do things right. Eliminate unnecessary effort.
- Effectiveness: Do the right things. Prioritize what moves the deal. Eliminate the rest.
- Risk Mitigation: Avoid unnecessary exposure.
- Strategic Growth: Pursue high-value paths with low drag.
- Customer Experience: Reduce buyer-side friction.
- Intrinsic Value: Align with what truly motivates the buyer.
At every level, PLA guides clean, focused momentum.
---
How It Works: From Concept to Close
PLA gives you a three-part filter for every action:
1. Is this action necessary to advance the deal?
2. Is there a lower-resistance path to the same result?
3. Am I aligning with the buyer’s natural momentum or creating artificial friction?
Think of PLA as a decision lens:
- Path: What’s the cleanest route to close?
- Leverage: What gives you the most impact for the least effort?
- Alignment: Are you moving with the deal or against it?
This is how high-performing sales professionals reduce energy waste and increase clarity without losing intensity.
---
PLA in Action: Real Examples
You’re in a late-stage deal. The default playbook says: schedule another discovery call, build a custom deck. PLA asks: Do those steps help or do they just slow you down?
Here’s how PLA shows up in practice:
- You skip the second discovery call and move to a working session with the economic buyer.
- You align your timing with a real internal deadline or compelling event like budget season.
- You stop working a deal that’s stalled and shift energy to one that’s moving.
- You simplify your deck to only what the buyer needs and send the rest later.
Daily PLA Habit: Before your next meeting or message, ask:
“Is this the clearest, most effective step that moves this deal forward?”
PLA doesn’t mean doing less. It means doing what works—with less waste and more focus.
You’ll know you’re applying PLA when:
- You stop overexplaining and ask sharper questions.
- You invest energy where there’s actual movement.
- You follow the buyer’s timing and not try to force your own.
- You skip box-checking tactics and center on value.
---
How to execute PLA in AI environments
How do you scale PLA in our AI powered world?
1. Make it repeatable: Can PLA become a decision framework inside a sales agent?
2. Make it agent-aware: Can your CoPilot flag wasted motion and suggest high-leverage moves?
3. Train your AI: Strategy must be system-ready. PLA applies to people and agents.
Inputs: Deal stage, signals, internal pressure.
Outputs: Ranked next-best-actions by effort vs. impact.
---
What To Take Away
Simple can be harder than complex. PLA demands clear thinking—not more activity.
Final Takeaway:
- Less friction. More clarity.
- Less effort. More progress.
- Less chasing. More choosing.
The Principle of Least Action (PLA) isn’t just efficient. It’s professional. When a Buyer engages with a Seller who follow PLA, they know they are dealing with a pro. They take you more seriously and you will find them mimicking your Least Action principles where they see you doing what matters, being disciplined in your approach, direction, and taking a cleaner line to the close And in a world where AI automates the noise, your ability to cut through it with thoughtful, intentional action is your edge.
High-performing sales professionals don’t do more. They do what matters—cleanly, clearly, and with purpose.
---
Navigation
I train sales professionals, business leaders, and their AI agents on Sales and Deal strategies using the Compass Sales Strategy Operating System. This training acts as a force multiplier, empowering you and your AI agents to work in alignment to win business and exceed your number in competitive environments.
The Principle of Least Action is just one of the principles of physics that have been developed into our AI Agents.
This was written while listening to ‘Ocean’ by the Lil Smokies.
Picture: J-Class Racer. The ultimate display of the Principle of Least Action.
