February 8, 2025 | Read online
Sales Success: Why Quantity Trumps Quality Every Time
by Kevin 'KD' Dorsey
Listen up, y’all. I know you’ve heard that “quality over quantity” nonsense before. But let me tell you, in the real world of sales, that mindset ain’t gonna cut it.
After over 12 years of diagnosing and analyzing sales performance, I’ve developed a framework that reveals a controversial truth: sales is fundamentally a numbers game. You can have all the skills in the world, but without a high volume of opportunities, hitting those ambitious targets is nearly impossible. So let’s dive into why sheer quantity of activity is the critical factor that even the best sales reps can’t ignore.
With over a decade of experience diagnosing, documenting, and analyzing the root causes behind sales performance issues, I’ve seen firsthand what drives success and what doesn’t. My comprehensive checklist-based framework systematically identifies the behaviors, processes, and skills that impact sales metrics. And this extensive hands-on experience has shown me that while quality relationships, deep product knowledge, and persuasive skills are important, they are not the ultimate differentiators.
The real game-changer? The sheer quantity of opportunities and leads a salesperson pursues.
The Math of Sales Targets
Let’s break it down with some simple math, y’all. Imagine you have an annual sales target of $5 million in new business.
Now, let’s assume you’re a rockstar closer with a 50% average close rate on qualified opportunities. To hit that $5 million target, you need a $10 million qualified pipeline. Sounds straightforward, right? But here’s the kicker: most companies and reps simply don’t have enough lead flow to build a $10 million+ opportunity pipeline.
Think about it. If you don’t have the volume, even the best close rate won’t save you. Sales is a numbers game, and we should actually embrace this mindset, not fight it. Even if your close rate is 50 percent, if you only run one opportunity, you’re not going to get to your number. The math doesn’t lie.
Quality is the Minimum
Having excellent sales skills is the minimum entry point, not a differentiator. The real differentiator is working a vastly higher number of potential opportunities. More volume allows hitting targets even with lower close rates. For example, a 25% close rate on 1000 opportunities ($1 million target) is better than a 50% close rate on 200 opportunities ($500k).
Sure, quality over quantity sounds great in theory. But that’s not how it works in the real world, y’all. Because even quality needs a certain amount of quantity to be there. You can’t just have one high-quality lead and expect to hit your targets. Nope, it takes volume to make it happen.
Strategies for Higher Opportunity Volume
So, how do you get that volume? Here are some actionable strategies:
- Leverage Marketing and Advertising: Drive more inbound leads through targeted marketing campaigns, advertising, and events. Referrals can also be a goldmine if you know how to tap into them effectively.
- Aggressive Outbound Prospecting: Implement an aggressive outbound prospecting strategy. Cold calls, emails, LinkedIn outreach—whatever it takes to get more opportunities in the pipeline.
- Expand Target Markets: Don’t limit yourself to a narrow market. Expand your target markets and loosen your qualification criteria to include more potential leads.
- Optimize Time Management: Work more opportunities in parallel by optimizing your time management. Use tools and processes to streamline each opportunity’s cycle, so you can handle more leads without sacrificing quality.
- Adopt Tools and Processes: Utilize CRM systems, automation tools, and other technologies to manage your pipeline more efficiently. The more streamlined your process, the more opportunities you can handle.
Sure, quality over quantity sounds great in theory. But that’s not how it works in the real world, y’all. Because even quality needs a certain amount of quantity to be there. You can’t just have one high-quality lead and expect to hit your targets. Nope, it takes volume to make it happen.
Conclusion
The numbers don’t lie—without a high volume of opportunities, even the best closers will fail to hit targets. Historically, only 24.3% of salespeople have exceeded their quotas, indicating many struggle to meet targets due to insufficient pipeline (Sales Insights Lab, 2023).
It’s time to reframe your view of sales from a pure “quality” game to a “quantity” game. Develop strategies to maximize your opportunity pipeline at all times. With enough at-bats and a decent close rate, the numbers will take care of the rest.
So, let’s embrace the numbers game, y’all. Because in the end, it’s not just about being good; it’s about being good and having enough opportunities to show it.
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