Part 4: Priorities: The 80/20 Rule and Beyond for Scaling Systems

A common theme we’ve been exploring is this:

Sales doesn’t scale through hustle.

It scales through systems.

In Part 3 of this series, we walked through how to realign the core of your sales engine — your offer, team, and tech. Because even if you know your metrics, if the foundational parts are out of sync, everything downstream suffers.

We covered:

• How vague offers confuse teams and kill conversions

• Why team misalignment causes rep performance to flatline

• How CRMs often hurt more than help without clear configuration

The core idea was this:

“You don’t need to replace everything — you need to realign what’s already working.”

That alignment stage helps remove internal friction. It brings cohesion back to your message, roles, and tools.

But once that’s in place, another challenge surfaces:

What should you actually fix first?

Is there an order of operations?

We’ll dive in to answer these questions here.

Sales Isn’t Magic — It’s Manufacturing

Founders think they have a “conversion” problem. But that’s just a symptom of what they’re truly facing(remember the Root Cause Analysis?).

They usually have a systemization problem.

You don’t need savant-level closers to grow, as nice as that may be.

You need a system where:

• Intent is high before the call even happens

• Discovery is structured and repeatable

• Follow-up is automatic

• Training is built in

“As Chris Voss says: You don’t rise to your expectations . You fall to the level of your preparation.”

When you prepare your sales system the right way — it won’t fail you.

What Happens Without Systems?

Sales feels unpredictable. Chaotic. Reactive.

• Reps “wing it” on calls

• Follow-up only happens if someone remembers

• Every win feels like a fluke

And the worst part? You, the founder, still hold the whole system together.

That’s the definition of unsustainable.

Now the fact of the matter is you likely have a system in place, so at least that’s a good start.

The question is how do we optimize it?

The Optimal Sales Assembly Line

Before we even consider jumping into what to fix first, we need to identify what are the pieces to begin with.

It’s easy to think your close rate is the issue if that’s all you’re focusing on. When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

What we need is a framework: an Optimal Sales Assembly Line:

A structured, repeatable, step-by-step path from lead to closed deal — where every stage improves the one before it.

Here are the core parts I install, assuming we’re only focusing on from when the lead books in:

1. 🧊 Pre-Call Warm-Up Flow

This is your show rate lever.

The Key: Keep it simple.

Before a lead ever shows up:

• Are they pre-framed?

• Do they understand your offer?

• Do they know who they’re meeting?

Great warm-up flows include:

• Confirmation emails with case studies

• Pre-call videos or Looms

• Calendar confirmations that sell the next step

Simple nurture = higher intent = higher show rate

2. 🎤 The Call Framework

This is your close rate lever.

The Key: maintain consistency to systematically improve the framework

Structure creates confidence. And most closers perform to the level of the system they’re given.

Build:

• A clear discovery-to-close framework

• Objection handling matrix

• Transition language and value framing

Take a look at my previous article on what’s the best way to approach scripting.

Your best rep shouldn’t be your best because of talent alone. That can only take them so far They should be best because the system sets them up to win.

3. 📩 Post-Call Follow-Up

This is your retention and resurrection lever.

The Key: Relentlessly follow up - don’t let them fall through the cracks

Not everyone will buy on the first call. But if there’s no system to re-engage them? You’re leaving money on the table.

Install:

• Follow-up task automation in the CRM

• Post-call email sequences

• Triggered retargeting and check-ins

A “no” today doesn’t have to be a no forever.

Stay top of mind for people so that when they finally come around to solving their problem, you are right there.

4. 🧠 Sales Enablement System

This is your long-term scale lever.

The Key: Develop a culture of improvement 

You can’t improve what you don’t review. And sales orgs that don’t train, decay.

Build a culture of:

• Weekly call reviews

• Feedback loops

• Script updates based on real objections

• Skill path development for reps

The goal here is not to build a culture of hand-holding, but a team of continuous learners.

Within that level of culture, it becomes natural for them to review how to improve and drive the systems.

Teach them the right principles, and they’ll begin leaving themselves.

Real Case Study: The Show Rate Flip

One founder I worked with had a sales team closing ~30% — not bad at all.

But their show rate was barely above 30%.

They were obsessed with improving close rate…

Until we zoomed out.

Trying to double a 30% close rate to 60%? Near impossible. Trying to double a 30% show rate to 60%? MUCH easier.

So we fixed:

• Pre-call nurture emails

• Calendar reminders that built authority

• Pre-framing videos to clarify the outcome of the call

The result? More calls. Higher intent. Same team — better performance.

No talent upgrade. Just a system upgrade.

How to Prioritize: Numbers Don’t Lie

There’s no universal order of operations. But there are core components every sales org must audit:

• Show rate

• Close rate

• Post-call follow-up conversion

• Upsell rate

• Closer churn

Each metric points to a different root problem.

Use metric-based triage to identify the highest-leverage fix.

In your Review stage, you should have gathered all of these data points, maybe even began to draw insights as to why they are the way they are.

Now it’s time to put them in the right order.

The knee jerk reaction for most people is to fix the close rate. If that close rate is upped, then you’ll scale right.

Yes, but that’s a long-term play. Once you’ve developed your team to a considerable level, each additional 1% of an increase in close rate is going to be that much harder.

Zoom out. Maybe your show rate is abysmal - doubling that leads to doubling revenue, all else held equal. That’s much easier than doubling a 30% close rate to a 60%. 

Start where the friction is highest, the opportunity is clearest, and the fix is systemizable.

Tackle it, move on to the next metric on the least, and repeat.

This is how you stop guessing and start operating.

Your numbers don’t lie — but they do point. Treat each like a signal, not a verdict.

What’s Next

Now that your foundation is aligned and you’ve prioritized the right levers… it’s time to implement.

In Part 5, we’ll cover how to install feedback loops, sales reviews, and improvement cadences — so performance never flatlines again.

Until then - go crack some eggs.