Why Most Small Businesses Struggle With Sales (and How to Fix It)
If you run a small business, you already know sales can feel like an uphill battle. You’re busy running the company, taking care of customers, and putting out fires — and sales often ends up being reactive instead of consistent.
But here’s the truth: most small businesses struggle with sales for the same few reasons. The good news? They’re fixable.
1. No Real Sales Process
Many small businesses rely on word-of-mouth or repeat customers, but when that slows down, so does the revenue. Without a clear way to capture leads, track them, and follow up, sales become random instead of predictable.
How to fix it:
Start by writing down the steps from lead to sale. Even a simple process — capture lead, qualify, follow up, close, deliver — gives you clarity and helps your team know exactly what to do next.
2. The Wrong Hires (or No Hires at All)
Hiring a salesperson is tough. Too many businesses either hire the wrong person, overpay someone who isn’t producing, or keep sales on their own plate too long.
How to fix it:
Write a clear job description, set performance expectations, and pay in a way that rewards results — not just time on the job.
3. No Accountability or Tracking
If you’re not tracking sales activity, you can’t improve it. Business owners often don’t know how many leads they got this month, how many quotes went out, or what their close rate is.
How to fix it:
Use a simple CRM or even a shared spreadsheet to track every lead and sale. Review it weekly so you know what’s working and what’s not.
4. Inconsistent Follow-Up
Most deals are lost simply because no one follows up. Leads sit in inboxes, and opportunities slip through the cracks.
How to fix it:
Set a rule: no lead is left uncontacted, and no quote goes more than 2–3 days without a follow-up. Consistency wins deals.
5. Owner Burnout
You can’t be the owner, the salesperson, and the manager forever. Eventually, sales suffers because you don’t have the time or energy to stay consistent.
How to fix it:
Delegate sales tasks, build a process your team can run without you, and review performance weekly — not daily.
Turning Sales Into a System
Small businesses don’t have to settle for inconsistent sales. By building a simple sales process, hiring the right people, tracking what matters, and staying consistent, you can turn sales from a headache into a system that grows with your business.
Need help putting a sales system in place? RevWorks works with small and service-based businesses to build simple, effective sales processes that keep revenue growing.
