How do we drive revenue without...

As a former Sales VP, I've been asked the same question time and time again:

"How do we drive revenue without adding more people or pumping up the pipeline?" 🤔

It’s a tough one, but here’s the secret: sales efficiency

Many business leaders assume that revenue growth comes from hiring more reps, increasing spend, and stuffing the pipeline. In reality, that approach often leads to wasted resources, burnout, and diminishing returns.

Let me share a real-life lesson I learned early in my career. I was in charge of a sales team, and we were stuck hitting a revenue ceiling. We had always hired for growth and we kept hiring more people and throwing more money at lead generation, but it wasn’t moving the needle. The more reps we hired, the more we spent, and the less efficient we became. It felt like we were in a hamster wheel.

Then, a mentor of mine flipped me a question: "What does an inefficient sales process look like?" The answer was clear: a process that wins by force, not finesse. One that relies on pushing more money and people into the system without a strategy.

I went back to basics, modelling our sales process as a simple equation:

1. Volume: How many reps do we have selling?

2. Rate: How much is each rep selling?

   
   

The magic is in Sales Capacity:

• RRE (Ramped Rep Equivalents) – how many reps are really performing at their peak?

• RRR (Revenue per Ramped Rep) – how much is each rep bringing in?

Here’s where the 💡went off: Increase RRR, increase efficiency. 

So, the big question was: Do we keep adding people, or do we double down on what’s working and optimise the team we already have? 

We chose efficiency. And let me tell you—it was a game changer.

Increasing RRR Retains Talent & Creates Upside 

I’ll never forget the quarter when we focused on coaching reps to sell smarter, not harder. More reps were hitting their targets. Their confidence soared, attrition dropped, and the whole team started feeling the energy. When the percentage of reps hitting quota goes up, it’s like a snowball effect—momentum builds, and everyone wants in. More tenured reps, less turnover = more success.

A Smaller, Highly-Productive Sales Team Minimises Costs 

As we reduced the number of reps, our costs dropped. No more managing large teams of underperforming reps, no more excessive hiring or lead-gen spending. Our team became leaner, smarter, and focused on what really moved the needle. Suddenly, we were achieving higher results with fewer resources.

Here's what I did to drive up revenue per rep (RRR)?

• Mapped our sales process to high-value buying behaviours

• Created a framework that tested for "evidence" these behaviours are being met

• Focussed on helping the buyer’s internal sale (this is often where deals fall apart!)

• Invested in tech & training to make these behaviours stick

  
  

I’ve seen it first-hand—focusing on these areas turns everything around, from revenue to team morale. By investing in the right skills and strategies, you’ll see efficiency and results like never before.

Sometimes, less is more—as long as you’re maximizing your team’s impact and driving efficiency.