Why Top Sales Leaders Prioritize Quality Over Quantity
Every CRO has heard it a thousand times: “Pipeline cures all.” The logic seems simple—more deals in the funnel means more revenue. But what if that’s not the whole truth? What if chasing more pipeline is actually hurting your sales team?
Matt Carey, SVP of Global Sales at FIS, has seen this mistake play out across his career leading teams at Oracle, SAP, and now FIS. In our latest Coach2Scale podcast, he breaks down why the best sales leaders focus on the right pipeline, not just more pipeline—and how to equip your managers to stop being super reps and start developing world-class sales teams.
More Pipeline Won’t Save You. The Right Pipeline Will.
Matt calls it as he sees it: too many sales leaders believe that if they just hit an arbitrary pipeline coverage number, everything else will work itself out. But reality tells a different story.
“Pipeline cures all—if it’s the right pipeline,” he says. “It’s like medicine. If you’re taking the wrong prescription, you’re not helping yourself.”
Too often, teams scramble to hit a 4x or 5x pipeline target without considering deal quality. Old deals linger in the CRM like expired groceries. Reps pad their numbers with unqualified opportunities. And suddenly, you’re left with a bloated pipeline that looks good in reports but won’t convert when it matters.
The best sales teams do more than track coverage. They assess pipeline health. They look at deal aging, win rates by product, and whether opportunities are truly viable. That’s how they build forecasts they can trust—and revenue they can count on.
The Super Rep Trap: Why Sales Managers Must Stop Closing and Start Coaching
The next big problem? Frontline managers acting like glorified senior reps.
“The biggest red flag I see in sales leadership is managers who think their job is to close deals for their team,” Matt explains. “That’s not leadership. That’s being a super rep.”
It’s a common issue. High-performing reps get promoted into management and keep doing what they do best—closing deals. But instead of coaching their team, they jump in to save the quarter. The result? A group of reps who never develop real sales skills because their manager is doing all the heavy lifting.
Great sales managers don’t run deals. They run teams. They set expectations, develop talent, and hold people accountable. That’s how you scale. And if you’re a CRO looking to build a sustainable, high-performing sales organization, you need to break the cycle of managers who micromanage deals instead of developing people.
Start Studying Losses
It’s easy to celebrate a big win. However, according to Matt, the smartest sales leaders spend more time on the deals they lose.
“Win rates in SaaS are around 25%,” he says. “That means we’re losing 75% of the time. If we’re not learning from those losses, we’re missing the biggest opportunity for improvement.”
Why did the deal go sideways? Was it a messaging issue? A pricing misalignment? Did you fail to get executive buy-in early enough? These aren’t just sales process questions—they’re business strategy insights. The best leaders don’t just look at the deals they win. They look at the patterns in the deals they lose—and use that data to refine their approach.
Past Performance Beats Potential
If you’re hiring based on gut feeling, you’re playing a dangerous game.
“Past performance is no guarantee of future results,” Matt admits, “but it’s the best gauge we have.”
Too many sales leaders fall in love with candidates who sound great but haven’t actually produced results. The best sales hires? They have a track record of winning—whether in sales or in other competitive environments. They know how to execute. And if they’ve done it before, they can do it again.
Your Frontline Managers Need a System
Most companies assume their managers know how to coach. They don’t.
“99% of coaching is around deals—not developing people,” Matt says. “And one-on-ones? They turn into therapy sessions or pipeline reviews, not actual skill development.”
Coaching isn’t about asking, “What do you need from me?” It’s about structured conversations focused on growth. That means holding managers accountable for developing reps, not just chasing the number. And it means giving them a system that takes the guesswork out of coaching—so they’re not just winging it every week.
Sell Internally as Much as Externally
As a CRO, your job isn’t just about driving revenue—it’s about selling your vision internally.
“The higher up you go, the more time you spend selling inside your company,” Matt points out. “You’re selling for budget, for resources, for product alignment. If you’re not making your case internally, you’re going to fall behind externally.”
Sales leaders who thrive know how to advocate for what their teams need—whether that’s better training, more aligned marketing, or clearer product-market fit. Without internal buy-in, even the best sales strategy will stall.
Winning the Right Deals Starts with Better Sales Leadership
Matt Carey’s insights are a wake-up call for any sales leader who thinks they can hit quota by just “adding more pipeline.” The truth? You don’t need more pipeline—you need better pipeline. You don’t need more managers; you need managers who coach. And you don’t need more tools; you need systems that drive real behavior change.
If you’re serious about scaling a high-performing sales team, this episode is a must-listen.
