Welcome to Season 3 of 10/10 GTM: The Podcast for Revenue Leaders!

Our guest for Episode 54 is Paul Canty, Head of Sales at Pulley. Before joining Pulley, Paul spent five years in sales leadership roles at Lattice and brings over a decade of relevant experience to the conversation.

In this episode, Ross and Paul discuss the importance of starting with the”‘why” when expectations fall short, the power of focusing on the 90% core work without getting distracted by the noise, and the value of committing to bi-weekly or at least monthly meetings to drive consistent progress.

Listen to the episode here, and get the key takeaways from our conversation below.

When expectations are missed, start with ‘why’

Based on Paul’s experience, when expectations are missed, it’s crucial to start with “why.” Leadership has a responsibility to set clear expectations for their team, but it’s equally important to create a sense of ownership around those expectations. “I hold a weekly update where my job is to ensure my reps understand what’s expected of them, and their responsibility is to report back on whether they've met their benchmarks,” says Paul. 

He also stresses the importance of being mindful of how leaders handle missed expectations. “If they’re not meeting expectations or missed the targets or benchmarks, I try to understand why.” Rather than reprimanding team members, Paul turns it into a conversation, focusing on learning and uncovering the underlying reasons. By asking "why" from a place of curiosity rather than judgment, he often uncovers personal or external challenges affecting performance. This approach helps him get to the root of the issue, rather than simply demanding more effort without addressing the real problem.

Focus on the 90% without getting sidetracked by the 10%

Running a great sales organization boils down to mastering the fundamentals that drive results. “It’s 90% about the fundamentals, and 10% about the optimizations,” says Paul. “But the people focused on optimizations are often the loudest, screaming for attention and pulling you away from that crucial 90%.”

The more experience Paul gains, the more he realizes what tends to grab attention online are the flashy new strategies, technologies, and trends — the things happening in the margins. But in reality, what most sales teams struggle with isn’t cutting-edge innovations; it's the basics. It’s the ability to set clear expectations, define what success looks like, and maintain a steady rhythm of coaching and feedback.

“Doing the core work really well is hard. It’s repetitive and requires a lot of effort,” Paul explains. “It all goes back to setting clear expectations and consistently following up on them. That means implementing qualification frameworks and doing strategy sessions—often at a stage when it feels too early, like you don’t need it yet. But I constantly remind myself that mastering that 90% is what will make the difference in the long run, rather than pouring money into the latest tool or software, or whatever the trend may be.”

Aim for bi-weekly deal deep dives (but commit to monthly at least)

A deal deep dive involves examining every aspect of the account — from identifying key stakeholders and understanding their priorities to evaluating how embedded your team is within the organization. Paul recommends conducting these deep dives bi-weekly, or at least monthly, to stay on top of potential issues and opportunities.

“There’s a lot of impactful, insightful work that can happen when you step out of the day-to-day chaos — follow-ups, emails, calls — and really take a closer look at how well you understand the deal you’re working on,” Paul explains.

During a deal deep dive, you'll ask questions such as:

• How well do we understand this account?
• Are we leveraging all available resources to deepen our engagement?
• What are the stakeholders' unique motivations and concerns?

And keep in mind, this isn't just a sales exercise. It requires drawing on diverse perspectives from teams like operations, marketing, and even company founders to craft a more holistic overview. While this approach may look different for organizations handling a high volume of smaller deals, it's still a crucial exercise. It helps teams think more critically about their sales processes, uncover areas for improvement, and move in the right direction. 

About Paul

Paul has over a decade of sales management experience, guiding companies from Series A to public stages. He specializes in helping companies evolve their sales organizations for long-term growth, having scaled Lattice's outbound playbook from 10 to 50 reps and driving outbound revenue from 0% to nearly 40% of ARR. He is passionate about supporting the people and teams he leads and believes that a strong team culture is just as critical to success as a well-defined sales process.