Does Any of This Sound Familiar?
These are the exact challenges that bring sales leaders to i2aDev. If you recognize your team in this list, you're not alone — and there's a proven path forward.
Revenue & Growth
Business development is not growing fast enough
Your pipeline looks busy but the numbers aren't moving. Without a structured growth strategy, effort doesn't translate into revenue.
Cost of sales is way above 25%
When your cost of sales climbs above the 25% benchmark, profitability erodes fast — even when you're winning deals.
Decline in margin
Margins are slipping quarter over quarter. The root cause is usually structural — not market conditions.
Not getting enough business development time to grow
Your BD team is buried in operations, account management, and admin — leaving no time to actually develop new business.
Winning Business
Discounting too much to win business
Your team defaults to price cuts when they should be defending value. Every unnecessary discount trains clients to expect it.
Losing lots of business based on price
If price is consistently the reason you're losing, the problem isn't your pricing — it's how your team communicates value.
Too many extenuating circumstances to win
Every loss has a different excuse. When the reasons keep changing, the real issue is a lack of a repeatable, disciplined sales process.
Not winning enough of the right types of clients
Winning the wrong clients costs more to serve and delivers less value. Your team needs clarity on ideal client profiles and how to pursue them.
Team & Leadership
Poor morale in the business development team
Low morale is a symptom, not a cause. It usually signals unclear expectations, lack of recognition, or a feeling that success isn't achievable.
The business development team lacks accountability
Without clear metrics, regular check-ins, and consequences for inaction, accountability becomes optional — and results become inconsistent.
The team is not aligned
When individuals are pulling in different directions, the collective output suffers. Alignment on strategy, priorities, and process is non-negotiable.
Unclear growth strategy
Your team can't execute a strategy they don't understand. Vague direction leads to scattered activity and zero momentum.
Execution & Operations
Poor execution of key strategic initiatives
Great ideas die in implementation. Without the right structure and follow-through, strategic initiatives stall after the kickoff meeting.
Takes too long for a new person to get up to speed
Long ramp times cost revenue and signal a lack of documented process. New hires should be productive in weeks, not quarters.
BD spending too much time managing projects / in operations
Business development professionals who are pulled into operations aren't developing business. This is a structural problem that requires structural solutions.
My team needs help with key business development skills
Prospecting, qualifying, presenting, closing, expanding — these are learnable skills. Most teams have never been formally trained in them.
We Don't Just Diagnose. We Fix It.
Every challenge on this page has a proven solution. i2aDev works with your team to identify root causes, build the right structure, and develop the skills that create lasting change — not just a temporary lift.