Relationships have gravity, and over time, they pull downward.

You might have started as a strategic partner. Someone at the executive level brought you in to solve a big problem. You had access to decision-makers who valued your input on their business challenges.

That was three years ago, maybe five, maybe even 20 years ago. Your contact is now the operations manager, and you're responding to purchase orders. The conversations are about delivery dates and pricing instead of solving business problems. You've drifted from strategic to transactional.

This happens slowly, so slowly you don't notice until you're already there.

Here's why it happens:

The executive who championed your company moves on, and the new person has their own vendor relationships. They don't know your history or owe you anything.

Priorities shift. The problem you solved isn't the problem anymore, and the company is focused on something new. If you're not connected to those new initiatives, you become less relevant.

Your team gets comfortable. When an account is stable, sellers focus elsewhere and chase new business rather than do the relationship work that made the account stable in the first place.

You're still doing business with them, but you're vulnerable. One competitive bid, one relationship change, or one reorganization is all it takes.

Accounts can stay stable for years, even decades. Revenue keeps coming in, relationships seem solid, and everything feels fine. But revenue can stay stable while your positioning deteriorates.

The problem is that you're leaving the account vulnerable. At any point, the situation could change. A new competitor could show up, leadership could change, or the budget could get tight. When that happens, you find out how well-positioned you really are.

Growing an account means solving new problems, understanding what's changing in their business, and having relationships across the organization so you know about opportunities before they become RFPs.

Your competitor could be doing that work right now. They could be building relationships with new leaders, learning about initiatives you don't know exist, and positioning themselves to solve problems you haven't identified yet.

You think you're safe because you've been working with this account for years, but your competitor only needs one good relationship and one unsolved problem to get in the door.

Once they're in, they may build relationships with people who haven't been getting your attention, learn their business, and solve their problems.

Multi-threading isn't optional. One good relationship won't protect you. You need connections across the organization at multiple levels and in multiple departments, so when your main contact leaves or gets promoted or stops returning calls, you're not starting over.

Even if you have a dozen relationships in an account, if they're all at the operational level or all in one department, you're still vulnerable.

If a strategic account makes up a large percentage of your business, losing it could mean your company doesn't survive. This is especially true if you planned hiring and production for that client and invested in anticipation of that revenue.

To stay afloat, you will have to scramble. You may have to lay off people until you recover the revenue. In any case, you will need to generate revenue from existing or new accounts.

You can't prevent every loss. Some accounts will leave no matter what you do, but you can significantly reduce your risk. For those that you lose despite the effort, you're more likely to predict the loss and work to replace the revenue before it's gone.

First, identify which accounts are strategic. Focus on the ones that are too big to lose.

Second, map your relationships. Who do you know? Who should you know? Where are the gaps? If your main contact left tomorrow, who would you call?

Third, understand their business. What are they trying to achieve? What problems are they facing? What initiatives are coming down the road? If you can't answer these questions, you're already at risk.

Fourth, solve problems before they ask. Don't wait for them to come to you with a need. Be proactive. Bring ideas. Show them opportunities they haven't seen. That's what strategic partners do.

This requires a formal approach that's deliberate without being complicated. Create a plan for each strategic account that addresses relationships, positioning, and opportunities.

Most companies rely on sellers to "manage relationships" without giving them a framework or holding them accountable. Instead, think of the account manager as the quarterback and define roles in the relationship for all the important players, including the CEO and COO.

If you want to keep your strategic accounts, you need a system that builds and maintains relationships across the organization, keeps you positioned as a strategic partner rather than a vendor, and helps you identify and pursue growth opportunities before your competitors do.

Once you have that system in place, strategic accounts become more stable and are more likely to grow. You stop reacting and start leading while solving bigger problems and growing revenue.

A Gartner survey found that 90% of salespeople in the United States experience burnout. Of that group, a staggering 70% are actively seeking new job opportunities. This data highlights that simply compensating salespeople is insufficient. When we ask salespeople about their frustrations, they often mention something we call “drag.”

What is Drag?
Drag consists of obstacles hindering a salesperson's ability to sell. Common issues include excessive administrative work, too many meetings, and the paperwork necessary for various approvals. Many salespeople face challenges with technology that doesn't function properly, forcing them to juggle multiple tools that complicate their workflow.

For instance, I once encountered a company whose CRM system would refresh and erase filled-in data, leaving salespeople frustrated. Roadblocks disrupt progress; salespeople may require input from engineers or legal teams before moving a deal forward. When responses take weeks, these delays interfere with selling efforts and create what can be deemed a "sales prevention" environment.

When considering the investment in hiring salespeople, the financial commitment averages around $200,000 per sales rep. This figure may include salary, training, and technology support. In some cases, that’s base pay. With such a considerable investment, businesses must think strategically about how to maximize their expenditure.

Statistics reveal that 60% of salespeople will not reach their targets. Of that 60%, half are performing at less than 50% of their goals. This means one-third of the sales team is significantly underperforming. Only 30% hit their targets, while a mere 8% exceed them. This represents a significant loss of investment and productivity.

Moreover, the average tenure for sales positions is three years, with an annual turnover rate of approximately 30%. In practice, this means companies constantly replace one-third of their sales teams each year, at a cost of almost $100K per turnover. It becomes evident that while compensation is important, it is far from sufficient.

In light of these challenges, I propose three critical steps sales leaders can implement to enhance their teams’ performance:

1. Hire the Right People

Hiring must be targeted and strategic. Many organizations look for a salesperson who can do everything well. This ideal does not exist. Instead, focus on hiring individuals with the specific skills needed for the role.

2. Set Realistic Goals

Avoid making wild guesses when setting sales targets. Businesses often aim for a 10% or 20% increase without considering actual data. Half of sales leaders lack confidence in their ability to meet forecasts. In fact, 80% of American companies struggle to predict revenue accurately within a 25% margin. This leads to confusion and anxiety among sales teams. Analyzing your current landscape before determining future goals is essential.

3. Support Your Team

Salespeople need comprehensive support to thrive. This support encompasses training and motivation. Ensure your team understands the product, the company, and the market. Invest time in educating them about the sales process and trends. Regular coaching and guidance are crucial. As a sales leader, your role should be to help remove obstacles rather than contribute to them.

Focusing on these three areas allows business leaders to create an environment where salespeople can flourish. Many leave their roles due to poor management, with 70% of interviewees citing a bad manager as their reason for quitting. Therefore, excellence in leadership is non-negotiable.

Successful sales leaders foster a nurturing environment where salespeople feel valued and supported. They must be proactive in identifying signs of burnout and provide the resources necessary to help their teams succeed.

Ultimately, creating a culture that empowers sales teams leads to greater success—both for individual team members and the organization as a whole. Big investment, bad odds. Let’s shift the odds in our favor by applying these strategies to our sales teams.

AI for List Building