Are You Focused on the Wrong Things? How focusing on metrics and activities leads to bad conclusions AND takes the fun out of selling.
From Sales [UN]Training by Kelly Riggs & Pod About It Productions
June 8, 2026 · 20 min
About this episode
In this episode, Kelly Riggs challenges the assumption that more sales activity leads to better results, advocating for a focus on meaningful inputs instead of just metrics.
Many sales leaders spend countless hours tracking calls, proposals, meetings, pipeline movement, and CRM activity. But what if that focus is actually limiting sales performance instead of improving it? Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining In this episode of Sales [UN]Training , Kelly Riggs challenges one of the most common assumptions in sales management: that more activity automatically leads to better results. Drawing inspiration from a youth baseball coaching story and lessons popularized by Moneyball, Kelly explores the difference between managing outcomes and managing the inputs that actually influence those outcomes. You'll hear why an obsession with metrics can create unnecessary pressure, anxiety, and disengagement among sales teams. Kelly explains how sales managers often make the mistake of looking at historical numbers and trying to force future performance through activity mandates, only to discover that more calls, more proposals, and more presentations don't necessarily create more sales. Instead, Kelly makes the case for focusing on what sales leaders can truly influence. He breaks down the difference…
People in this episode
Host: Kelly Riggs
Topics covered
- sales performance
- metrics
- sales management
- activity tracking
- customer engagement
Keywords
- sales
- metrics
- performance
- management
- curiosity
- learning
- engagement
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Moneyball
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