What Are You Really Known for Solving?

The Power of True Differentiation in Sales.

Most businesses think they’re differentiated, until they try to explain why.

Ask someone what makes their business different, and you’ll usually hear some version of the same answers: we care about our clients, we go the extra mile, we deliver great service.

All true, but none of that separates you from the next business saying the exact same thing.

The truth is, differentiation doesn’t start with what you do, it starts with the problem you solve, and even more importantly, the problem you want to be known for solving.

When Leadership Stops Trusting the CRM for Forecasting

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:

• “What’s actually closing this month?”
  
• “What’s the real number for next week?”
  
• “Which deals are genuine, and which ones are just wishful thinking?”
  

The irony? The CRM is supposed to answer those exact questions.

So why doesn’t it?

How to Define Your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)

Getting clear on who you serve best

When I ask a business who their ideal customer is, I usually get broad answers like:

• “Small to mid-sized businesses.”
  
• “Anyone who needs what we do.”
  
• “We can work with anyone.”
  

The problem is, those kinds of answers don’t help.

An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) isn’t about describing everyone you could work with. It’s about getting clear on the businesses that feel the problems you solve the most and what those businesses actually look like.

When you have that clarity, you stop spreading yourself thin. You know who to focus on, what to say to them, and where to find them.

Here’s a simple way to get started.

Busy vs Better: Why Focusing on Outcomes Beats Chasing Activity

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.

When Sales Processes Create Friction (and How to Fix Them)

Why This Matters

Every week I speak with business owners who are doing great work in their field, but who quietly admit something isn’t right in how they’re converting enquiries into paying clients.

They’re investing in marketing. Leads are coming in. The phones are ringing. But the numbers don’t quite add up. Too many conversations end without a commitment. Too many quotes never go anywhere. Growth feels harder than it should.

When you dig deeper, the issue often isn’t “demand.” It’s the sales process itself.

From Intention to Momentum: Why Startups Struggle to Scale Sales

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.

Growth Is the Goal. But Which Path Do You Take?

Most business owners I speak with want the same thing: consistent, predictable, revenue and growth.

Not just a few good months here and there. Not just a streak of referrals. But steady, reliable growth you can plan around. The problem? Getting there isn’t straightforward. Most leaders end up asking themselves two questions on repeat:

• How do we make what’s already working more reliable?
  
• Where else can we grow without wasting time and money on the wrong things?
  

They’re important questions, but they can also keep you stuck in “we know we need to fix this, but where do we even start?”

When Business Feels Good, Don’t Stop There

When business feels good, it’s tempting to think you’ve cracked the code. Work is flowing in, quoting feels smooth, clients are happy, and you’re winning more than you’re losing.

It’s a great place to be, but it’s also one of the most important times to take a closer look. Because while success today is encouraging, sustained success tomorrow requires more than riding a good wave.

The businesses that scale consistently don’t just wait for things to dip before they adapt, they use the good times to build the structure that makes growth predictable.

Stuck in the Price Grinder? Here’s Why Value-Based Selling Isn’t Just a Nice Idea, It’s Survival

You know the drill.

A lead comes in. They ask for a quote. You send it.

Next thing you know, it’s ghost town, or worse, you get told “someone else can do it cheaper.”

And you start doing the maths in your head:

👉 “Should I shave a bit off to win the job?”
👉 “Maybe I’ll throw in a little extra, just this once.”
👉 “That’s just how it is these days, right?”

But what if that is the reason you’re?

Not the economy.
Not the competition.
Not the market.

The way you’re framing your value is what’s keeping you in the grind.

Do You Really Understand the Problem You Solve?

Most businesses can tell you what they do.

The good ones can tell you how they do it differently.

But the ones that grow sustainably, win better clients, and stand out, they understand something deeper:

It’s not just the problem you solve. It’s what that problem really means for the person living with it.

That’s the layer most businesses skip and it’s the one that matters most when it comes to growth, sales, and why someone chooses you over someone else.

When Sales Isn’t Your First Language (But It Still Needs to Work)

If you’re running a business, chances are you didn’t start it because you love sales. You started it because you were good at your trade, passionate about your craft, or saw a better way of doing things in your industry.

But here you are, leading the business and suddenly responsible for keeping the work flowing in. And when sales isn’t your first language, that part can feel like a grind.

Have We Forgotten What CRM Is Really For?

Walk into almost any business today, and you’ll find a CRM at the centre of its sales operations.

The promise is always the same: visibility, accountability, and growth.

But somewhere along the way, many CRMs lose their purpose.
Instead of being tools that help salespeople sell better, they morph into admin-heavy reporting hubs, built more for leadership dashboards than for frontline sales conversations.

And that’s a problem. Because when the CRM becomes about activity management instead of sales enablement, businesses stop seeing the outcomes they hoped for.