table to play-by-play analysis. Why did some things work and others did not? If Representative A is getting many meetings but few sales, then why – and how can sales leaders help them close? If Representative B isn’t getting a lot of deal flow, but closes what lands on their table, then how can they get more meet- ings in their calendar? Not to men- tion, what can these two representa- tives teach each other?


In short, sales managers need data


that tells them where to focus next. Insights that drive change, such as: • A drop in meetings booked in late December that impacted the pipeline in January


• The team hitting activity volume but struggling with conversion quality


• Repeatable behaviors from top performers that others aren’t adopting


• Performance metrics that look healthy on the surface but signal risk underneath This is the difference between managing the scoreboard and managing the game. Granular vis- ibility into team activities, not just outcomes, gives managers leverage. It shows where momentum is build- ing and where it’s breaking down, so the manager knows what’s changed, why it matters, and where their at- tention is needed. They can change the strategy mid-game – reinforc- ing what works and coaching in real


SELLING TIP On Courage


Would you like to have more courage? Here are four short rules, which, if you follow them, I guarantee will increase your store of fortitude. 1. Act as if you were courageous. This makes you a bit braver – as if one side of yourself had been chal- lenged and wished to show it was not wholly afraid.


2. Pause to reflect that others have had to face great discouragements and great obstacles and have


time. This allows them to take action, create new activities, and shift each team member’s focus to play to their strengths, target the right prospects, and close more deals. Tracking activity shouldn’t just mean


setting a “calls completed” or “meet- ings booked” target to show manage- ment that the team is busy. That kind of activity tracking used as a compli- ance tool either creates blame or it excuses bad results with effort. Proper activity tracking becomes a reinforce- ment system – highlighting what works, weeding out what doesn’t, and aligning effort with results. Working this way, you only look at


the scoreboard periodically rather than stare at it every day. Manag- ers are able to play to their team’s strengths, adjust the playbook, and al-


ready have the answers management is looking for about why the Q2 sea- son will be a good one. Not because they hope it will be, but because they already made changes at the end of January and can point to a positive trend and predictable performance. It’s a mindset change, but it’s a


pretty big one. Analyzing each play and using it to adjust team strategy and individual behavior gives man- agers the oversight they never had before, allowing them to take action early. Stop managing results after they happen; instead, start manag- ing the behaviors that create them. Because by the time Q1 looks bad, it’s already too late. 


Sindre Haaland is the CEO and co-founder of SalesScreen.


overcome them. And what others have done, surely you can do.


3. Remember that your life forces move in a sort of rhythm and that, if you feel depressed and without the power to face life, you may be at the bottom of the trough. If you will keep up your courage, you will probably swing out of it by the very forces which at the moment are sucking you down.


4. Remember: You feel more defeated and downcast at night than during the daylight hours. Courage comes with the sun. Courage is the measure of a big soul. Try to measure up. – DALE CARNEGIE


SELLING POWER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | 45 © 2026 SELLING POWER


VIDEO: ALWAYS BE CONTRACTING: WHY THE BEST SALESPEOPLE USE THE CONTRACT AS A CLOSING TOOL


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