- A seller does three things: build pipeline, advance pipeline, close pipeline.
- Each is measurable, so you can see exactly where a rep or a deal is stuck.
- Everything else is usually a distraction. Better process rarely drives growth; focus does.
Sales management gets overcomplicated. Strip it back and a seller does exactly three things.
Build pipeline, advance pipeline, close pipeline
Laurie Mascott's rule from the session is deliberately simple. A salesperson builds pipeline, advances pipeline, or closes pipeline. Early on, with nothing in the funnel, all of the time goes on building, and that is fine. Each of the three is measurable, so you can see exactly where a rep or a deal is stuck. Anything that is not one of those three is usually a distraction, and sellers are gifted at finding distractions, often dressed up as needing more process.
The discipline for a founder is to keep pointing back to the three: this is what I need you to do, and this is how I will measure it. Better process rarely drives growth. Focus does.
More in our guide to creating a repeatable sales process. The stages, qualification and weekly rhythm that keep build, advance and close on track are Closing OS.
