May 2025
New Article for Harvard Business Review
Organization Leadership: Winning the Right Customers Isn't Just a Sales Issue
Does your organization sell what you want, to whom you want, the way you want? Or do you have too many instances of selling whatever you can, to whomever you can, however you can? If your strategy is built on winning in specific target markets with solutions you’ve invested in to drive high-margin growth, the latter approach undermines that focus.
It’s easy to point to the skills (or lack thereof) of your sales team as the cause of the problem. There are always opportunities for sellers to improve the way they interact with customers and prospects. But not winning enough of the right customers, selling what you’ve prioritized and invested most in, at the prices you need, is a leadership and strategy issue. Not only a sales issue.
To learn how leaders can align their sales teams with strategy, read my latest article for Harvard Business Review. Winning the Right Customers Isn’t Just a Sales Issue
Case Study: Leading Growth by Leveraging the Sales Experience
I was the Keynote Speaker for the Restoration Industry Association Annual Conference a few weeks ago.
One of the case studies I profiled was that of Tomas Mejia and Sonia Gonzalez, PuroClean franchise owners with 10 franchise units across the country from California to North Carolina. They’ve earned "Franchise of the Year" awards twice (in 2022 and 2023). And they used the ideas in The Growth Leader to increase their closing rates by 31%. That’s not just winning a few more jobs. That is a meaningful difference in the way customers choose them.
Tomas told me that what really struck him was the idea of using the sales experience itself to stand out in a crowded market. He and Sonia were feeling the impact of industry trends—more competition, more customers getting multiple estimates, and closing rates starting to slip. But instead of just lowering prices or pushing harder, they rethought the entire sales experience they were delivering for the homeowner.
They focused on education, professionalism, and creating value for customers, by helping homeowners navigate the insurance process, clarifying confusing estimates, flagging hidden risks in jobs and identifying the unintended consequences of decisions. Tomas and Sonia weren’t trying to close—they were working to provide value. The goal was to educate property owners so the customer could make an informed decision, helping PuroClean set themselves apart as the most professional and expert service provider in the industry.
Closing rates increased from percentages in the the low 40s to the high 60s. A 31% increase in closing businesses. That shift has become their differentiator.
LinkedIn Live
The success or failure of your strategy is reflected in every sales call. Learn what leaders must do to drive their go-to-market strategy so that your sales organization can execute it in every interaction with prospects and customers.
Join me to dive into the key ideas from my latest Harvard Business Review article:
“Winning the Right Customers Isn’t Just a Sales Issue”
I’ll highlight the ways executives can translate strategy in to action, win more than your fair share of the right customers, and lead your business to growth.
📅 Tuesday, May 20th
🕙 10:00 AM ET
Watch this short video to see how I work and the impact it creates.
