I see it all the time.
A business invests in a CRM, sets up the pipeline stages, and rolls it out across the team. For a while, it looks like everything is in one
place. Deals are tracked, activities are logged, and reports can be generated at the click of a button.
But fast forward, and leadership is back to where they started. Instead of trusting the CRM, they’re firing off emails:
Getting clear on who you serve best
When I ask a business who their ideal customer is, I usually get broad answers like:
Most businesses don’t struggle because people aren’t working hard.
They struggle because effort isn’t translating into the right outcomes.
It’s an easy trap to fall into. Leaders want accountability, so they start measuring activity: number of calls made, meetings booked,
proposals sent, tasks ticked off. Soon, the business becomes obsessed with being busy.
The problem? Activity alone doesn’t guarantee progress.
Most startups are built on intention.
The intention to change how something is done.
The intention to grow fast and win a market.
The intention to create something valuable enough to attract customers and investors.
But intention is not momentum.
Momentum is what happens when good ideas meet repeatable systems. It’s what keeps revenue flowing when the founder isn’t on every call. It’s
what sustains confidence through funding cycles and market shifts.
And momentum, in sales especially, is where many startups stall.