When sales performance is under pressure, many organizations look first to pipeline. Are there enough qualified opportunities? Is there enough coverage? Is there enough activity to support the number? That focus is often warranted. Without enough qualified opportunities, growth becomes difficult. Pipeline matters. It always has. But the data suggests there’s more to the story.

Expand Stakeholder Footprints Before Turnover Hits

Scott McDonald
February 25, 2026

In complex deals today, you’re selling into a moving system of stakeholders, not a single buyer. Buying groups are expanding while executive and stakeholder turnover rises. Major decisions often involve double-digit stakeholders across functions, regions, and levels. Unfortunately, many commercial models still behave as if one champion is enough.

Sales Plays: The Path to Diversification and Growth

Scott McDonald
January 14, 2026

If you’re like most CSOs I talk to, too much of your revenue is coming from too few places. Revenue concentration risk (depending too heavily on a small set of customers, products, or markets) is a serious issue. Gartner’s Chief Sales Officer Quarterly (3Q25) highlights just how vulnerable many organizations are when a disproportionate share of growth comes from few sources. What looks like focus on paper often turns into concentration risk in real life.

Win Rates: The Overlooked Lever for Profitable Growth and Sales Efficiency

Scott McDonald
December 10, 2025

Gartner’s 2026 CSO Outlook highlights a central challenge for sales leaders: balancing growth and cost. Too often, the focus falls on cutting expenses when the real opportunity lies in improving win rates. Every percentage point increase in win rate delivers outsized profit growth because most sales costs stay fixed. Even a five-point improvement can generate millions in additional revenue, without adding headcount, territories, or technology.

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