--- title: Investment First, Results Second (A Note to Sales Leaders) | The Sales Blog description: There is a never-ending demand to increase revenue, to increase profitability, and to grow the business. These outcomes are governed by natural laws, and no matter how much sales leaders, sales managers, or entrepreneurs wish it to be otherwise, the investment in sales comes first, the results come second. Cutting Our Way To Growth I […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_37822903.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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These outcomes are governed by [natural laws](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/06/the-iron-laws-of-sales/), and no matter how much sales leaders, sales managers, or entrepreneurs wish it to be otherwise, the investment in sales comes first, the results come second. #### Cutting Our Way To Growth I am acquainted with one CEO who has recently decided that to grow the business, he needed to reduce his spending on the sales force, cut their [commission-only compensation](http://thesalesblog.com/2011/01/rant-the-inequity-of-commission-only-sales/) plan in half, and refuse to pay for reimbursements for mileage and expenses unless the sales call was an actual presentation. Even though these ideas seem to defy logic, the decisions are, in his mind, completely rationale. First, he has limited profit with which to invest in a sales force, so he reduced the size of the sales force. Second, he needs to retain cash, so he cut the compensation plan in half; now, he is retaining more of the profit for the business. Finally, he had a sales consultant tell him that his salespeople should only spend his time with [qualified prospects](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/05/on-disqualifying-i%e2%80%99m-just-not-that-in-to-you/), and that the qualification can occur before his salespeople ever sit down face-to-face with their potential clients. The consultant told him he was wasting his money allowing the salespeople to complete a needs analysis sales call, and that they only need to be face-to-face to present. So, no reimbursements. So, how’s that working out, you might ask? Well, he has taken to screaming and cursing at his remaining salespeople as a way to “motivate” them to do better. And motivate them he has! They are updating their resumes—even though they [strongly believe in the product](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/01/why-you-have-to-believe/). This is anything but a serious plan for sales growth. There isn’t a way to cut your way to growth. #### Double the Quota, Double the Results Here is another real life example. This business owner wants massive growth. He wants something far, far greater than his industry’s average growth rate; he wants double or triple that rate and a massively increased market share. The answer in his minds is easy: we’ll double our sales force’s [quota](http://thesalesblog.com/2011/04/what-it-takes-to-make-your-number/). It sounds crazy, but you can see his logic. Some of his salespeople are easily doubling their quota. These salespeople are working hard. If the rest of the lot would work as hard, they could do a whole lot better, too. There are plenty of opportunities in the market, they just need to hustle and capture more of them. By doubling the quota, he doubles new revenue generation, right? Except, it doesn’t work that way. The drag on growth may come from any number of real problems. The sales force could be too small for the number of existing opportunities. The salespeople may lack leadership and [an effective process](http://thesalesblog.com/2010/12/you-are-making-too-little-of-your-sales-process-a-note-to-the-sales-manager/). The company may suffer from poor hiring. If you have only [20%](http://thesalesblog.com/2011/06/the-secret-of-the-top-20-of-sales-producers/) of people making quota, raising the quota is not the answer. The answer is something else. #### You Can’t Break Natural Laws Gravity is a law that is very difficult to break. And similar laws apply to generating sales growth. The investment in sales precedes the desired results. It never works any other way. You can’t force growth by cutting your sales expenses—especially when you destroy the culture, morale, and esprit de corps in the process. You can’t force growth by demanding it and doubling quotas. Instead, you have to invest in growth. You have to invest in being properly staffed to reach your goals. You have to have the right salespeople in place. You have to have the right leadership and management structure, which is another significant investment. You have to make investments in coaching, training, development and time. Without these investments, real sales growth isn’t possible. It’s a natural law that investments come first, and returns come second. #### Questions Why do the ideas like a smaller investment producing a greater return resonate with sales manager, sales leaders, and entrepreneurs? Is it possible that those who produce greater results are also making greater investments in the results that they desire? What impact do cutting staff, cutting pay, and cutting reimbursements have on the sales force? These may control costs and increase the profitability of the business but do they ever produce growth? If you can’t afford the investments, is growth the right strategy? If it is, what needs to change to achieve growth? What impact does doubling the quota on non-quota producing salespeople produce? ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2011](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2011) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on July 15, 2011 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at [iannarino@gmail.com](mailto:iannarino@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://www.thesalesblog.com/anthony-iannarino) [Follow me on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thesalesblog) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/) [Follow me on Twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) [![AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/authority) [![ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg?width=318&height=179&name=ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/free-cold-calling-video) ![salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover (1)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg?width=768&height=994&name=salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg) ### Free Sales eBook: Sales Call Planner Planning your sales call improves the likelihood of making a successful call, and it demonstrates to your dream client your professionalism. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2022-06-16T3:28:22 PM", "datePublished" : "2011-07-15 19:06:48", "description" : "There is a never-ending demand to increase revenue, to increase profitability, and to grow the business. 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