Google Search Console doesn’t lie. I checked mine recently and saw exactly which of my 2,100+ sales articles CEOs are actually clicking on. It wasn’t the latest closing tricks, prospecting hacks, or AI miracles. It was the foundational stuff — how many salespeople should report to a manager, what the different sales leadership roles really look like, and the uncomfortable truths about why revenue isn’t growing the way it should.
That data became the spark for this piece.
If you’re a CEO who wants more revenue in 2026 — without throwing money at more headcount, shiny tech, or another reorg that goes nowhere — here are 10 questions you need to answer honestly. Each one comes straight from my recent rants, articles, and data dives. Answer them, act on them, and you’ll see movement faster than you think.
1. Are you still chasing tactical sales tricks when your foundation is cracked? Google Search Console showed me that CEOs are searching for — and actually reading — articles about sales org structure far more than anything flashy. Way #1: Fix your sales organization structure first. Get the right number of reports per sales manager (optimally 6-8, no more than 10), clarify roles and responsibilities across the different sales leadership positions, set realistic expectations, compensation plans, and strategies. Do this before you spend another dime on anything else. When the foundation is solid, everything else — coaching, pipeline, forecasting — becomes dramatically easier. [Link to the must read Google Search Console post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/davekurlan_the-google-search-console-revealed-which-activity-7449814243945705472-PLZ9]
2. Is your team’s “success” really just relative underperformance? We love to celebrate being “up 8%” or “better than last year.” But what if that’s still nowhere near what the market actually allows? Way #2: Stop celebrating relative performance and demand absolute standards. Performance is relative — better than the worst rep, better than the industry average, better than last year — but still missing quota, budget, and realistic potential. Use sports analogies if it helps your leadership team get it. Raise the bar to real market opportunity and watch the excuses disappear.
3. Are you betting the farm on AI doing the complex “and” when it only does the simple “or”? After 18+ months of hands-on experimentation, I can tell you exactly where AI shines and where it collapses. Way #3: Use AI for single tasks, never for complex sales processes. AI is outstanding at isolated jobs like building prospecting lists or summarizing calls. It falls apart when it has to combine multiple steps intelligently. Keep the humans (properly coached) in the driver’s seat for strategy, qualification, and closing. This realistic hybrid approach is already delivering measurable revenue gains while others chase the hype. Must read: My 18 Months of AI Experimentation in Sales.
4. Is your sales coaching actually happening, or do they think they are coaching when in reality they are merely having conversations about the rep’s days and contacts? Most companies say they value coaching. Very few actually do it consistently or effectively. Way #4: Require daily, real-time coaching from every sales manager. Consistent daily coaching can lift revenue by 28%. Pair it with proper training for managers and that number jumps even higher. Treat coaching like deliberate sports practice — role-playing in the moment with immediate feedback. Only a tiny percentage of managers do this well today. Change that and your average reps will start producing like consistent winners. Must read: The Baseball Dad Lesson That Made Me a Better Sales Coach
5. Are your real revenue killers still hiding in plain sight? Most CEOs think they know what’s holding revenue back. Way #5: Attack the top 5 revenue killers head-on. The biggest drain on revenue has more to do with accountability gaps, bad hiring, fake pipelines, weak sales coaching, and poor-quality outbound calls than what you may have thought. Fix even two of these this quarter and you’ll see an immediate revenue spike — no new headcount required. Must watch: The 5 Revenue Killers (Password is ?6n@&ad1
6. Are you letting feelings masquerade as pipeline facts? I hear it in every pipeline review: “I feel good about this one.” “They really like me.” Way #6: Demand facts, not vibes, in every pipeline review. Most reps defend their pipeline with sentiment instead of evidence — stage, next steps, compelling reasons, and timelines. Insist on objective data. Clean pipelines mean accurate forecasts and faster revenue realization. Feelings have zero place in qualification or forecasting.
7. Is “revenue by salesperson” lying to you and your leadership team? Raw averages look clean on a spreadsheet. They’re usually garbage in reality. Way #7: Throw out the raw average and use a trimmed-mean approach. One superstar can distort the entire picture while hiding problems with tenure, new vs. existing business, win rates, and deal size. Adjust for reality, then coach the three levers that matter most: more opportunities, higher win rate, and bigger average sale. A 10% improvement in each compounds to a massive revenue lift. This is the data CEOs actually need. Must read: Revenue by Salesperson is Faulty Data
8. Do you still believe that closing is the key to revenue? Buyers have changed. The old closing games don’t. Way #8: Declare closing dead and focus on the front end instead. Modern buyers make up their minds long before the “close.” The real money is made in early qualifying, strict process adherence, and value creation. Replace outdated “closing” with “finalizing” and watch your win rates improve without the high-pressure theatrics.
9. Are you drowning in sales metrics while ignoring the one true KPI? Calls, emails, activities, and revenue numbers are all noise or lagging indicators. Way #9: Track only the forward-looking KPI that actually drives growth. The single true KPI is new meetings scheduled. It’s the only reliable leading indicator that fills the pipeline and predicts future revenue. Obsess over it and everything else improves.
10. Why are 72% of your reps missing quota… and still employed? The participation trophy culture has infected too many C-suites. Way #10: Kill the “participation trophy” mindset and raise real accountability. Data shows huge percentages of reps are weak in core competencies, yet very few ever get replaced. Stop tolerating chronic underperformance. Combine better hiring, consistent coaching, real accountability, and (when necessary) replacement. Quota attainment will jump when you do. Must Read: Why 72% of Salespeople Miss Quota
Pick any three of these questions and answer them brutally honestly this week. Act on even one or two and you’ll see revenue movement before your next board meeting. No new hires. No magic tech. Just fixing what’s already broken or underperforming.