Are You Focused on the Wrong Things? How focusing on metrics and activities leads to bad conclusions AND takes the fun out of selling. episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 8, 2026 · 19 MIN

Are You Focused on the Wrong Things? How focusing on metrics and activities leads to bad conclusions AND takes the fun out of selling.

from Sales [UN]Training

Many sales leaders spend countless hours tracking calls, proposals, meetings, pipeline movement, and CRM activity. But what if that focus is actually limiting sales performance instead of improving it? Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs challenges one of the most common assumptions in sales management: that more activity automatically leads to better results. Drawing inspiration from a youth baseball coaching story and lessons popularized by Moneyball, Kelly explores the difference between managing outcomes and managing the inputs that actually influence those outcomes. You'll hear why an obsession with metrics can create unnecessary pressure, anxiety, and disengagement among sales teams. Kelly explains how sales managers often make the mistake of looking at historical numbers and trying to force future performance through activity mandates, only to discover that more calls, more proposals, and more presentations don't necessarily create more sales. Instead, Kelly makes the case for focusing on what sales leaders can truly influence. He breaks down the difference between outputs and inputs, explains why quality matters more than quantity, and shares the two characteristics he believes have the greatest impact on long-term sales success. You'll learn why learning is a critical driver of growth, how curiosity improves customer conversations, and why both should become foundational elements of a high-performance sales culture. If you're a sales VP, sales manager, business owner, or team leader looking for a more effective way to develop people and improve results, this episode provides a practical framework for managing what matters most. Here is the link to the article that Kelly references in this episode:  https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-simple-fix-for-americas-broken-youth-sports-machine?author=Gates+Garcia&category=News&elementPosition=0&row=0&rowType=Vertical+List&title=The+Simple+Fix+For+America's+Broken+Youth+Sports+Machine Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don't and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales.  Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com.  Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes' Coaches Council since 2019.  Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson  

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Are You Focused on the Wrong Things? How focusing on metrics and activities leads to bad conclusions AND takes the fun out of selling.

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