It's Probably Too Hard to Buy From Your Own Sales Team

Good Morning and welcome to 2026, where the most controversial thing you can bring to a job interview is an iced coffee. There’s a massive debate on TikTok & LinkedIn about whether you should bring an iced coffee to a job interview. Career experts say it depends on how much condensation is dripping from the cup and if it’s distracting. Personally, I’d be more worried about a hiring manager who won’t hire someone because of an iced coffee. If you want an iced coffee, bring an iced coffee. Case closed. Now, let’s get into today’s Follow Up. (:

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Sales Tip of The Day 💡

Before a demo or call with multiple people, find out who's joining, what they do, and which parts of your product matter most to each person.

Then connect what you're showing to the people on the call.

“Sandra, I know you manage a team of reps, so you'd probably be the one using this feature the most.”

When you relate what you're showing to what each person cares about, the demo feels built for them.

They feel heard and understood because you're showing that you've thought about their job and what they care about.

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Would You Buy From Your Own Sales Team?

Jeff Bezos is sitting in a weekly business review, looking at a report that says Amazon’s customer support wait time is under 1 minute.

Yet, he keeps seeing customers complaining about long wait times online.

The head of customer support is also in the meeting and swears that the data is correct and the average wait time is, in fact, under 1 minute.

Instead of arguing, Bezos says: “Okay, let’s call.”

He picks up the phone and dials customer support, while everyone in the room sits in silence as they wait.

And wait…

Bezos recalls that call being “more than 10 minutes, I think.”

I wasn’t in the room, but I’d be willing to bet the head of customer support probably had a bright red face after a minute of sitting on the support line with no answer.

Bezos says that call led Amazon to change how it measures customer wait times.

So why do I bring this up? And what does Bezos calling Amazon’s support line in a meeting have to do with sales?

Well… because you can use the same strategy to make your sales process better.

Today I’m breaking down the process of how to find the leaks in your sales process that are losing you and your team easy commission checks.

It’s probably hard to reach you

Start here…

Open your website and try to contact sales. Then go through the whole thing on your phone, so you can see the mobile version too.

Ask yourself:

Is the “Talk to sales” button or form easy to find? If you have to hunt for it, make the case to move it somewhere obvious.
Do we need all of the info on the form before we can reach out? Question each required field, because asking for more info adds more friction. If your team can get that detail later, remove it or make it optional.
Is anything getting in the way of hitting send? Look for confusing steps, broken fields, or buttons that are hard to tap.

Getting inbound leads is already hard enough. You need to do everything in your power to create as little friction as possible for new prospects trying to reach your sales team.

ElevenLabs gives website visitors the option to speak with an AI voice agent when submitting an inquiry. Their CEO, Mati Staniszewski, says people share way more when they talk with the AI agent than when they fill out a traditional inbound form.

(Probably worth testing if your form asks buyers to type out a long explanation.)

If you’re an IC rep, you should go through the whole inbound flow to understand everything someone did before they showed up as an inbound lead in your pipeline.

Send a lead your team should want

Time for your own episode of Undercover Boss. Luckily, this one only requires a different email address and a little free time.

Send a test inquiry that looks like a qualified lead for your team. Include a clear need and the details you normally look for in a strong lead.

And make sure to use an email that won’t make it obvious that it’s you…

Once you submit, track:

When you hit send. Start the clock when you submit the form.
When the first email from the sales team arrives. Check that it confirms your request and tells you what happens next.

Read the rep’s message, too. Does it use the details you submitted? Does it sound like AI slop? And does it make it easy to book a call?

If there’s a booking link, check that it works and has slots open soon.

Go quiet

Leave the first call or email unanswered and give your team a chance to follow up.

Now check:

Do they try again? Or did they give up after you didn’t respond to their initial email?
Does the message give you a reason to respond? Look for a clear next step tied to the need you shared in the form.

This is where a lot of great leads go to die. They’re qualified and ready to book a call, but just need another bump to get a call on the calendar.

If you’re an IC rep, check a few of your own recent inbound leads. Find the ones that go quiet and look at how many times you followed up. If any slip through, set a follow-up task and reach back out.

Find the leak and fix it

Now take your notes to the people who can make changes. Show them what makes the form hard to finish or how long you wait for a rep to respond. Ask for a fix and follow up until it happens.

You might not own the website or decide how leads reach your team. But both affect your chances of closing a sale.

If buyers struggle to reach you, it becomes your responsibility.