When sales planning fails, mindset is usually the problem

Sales planning is often treated like a spreadsheet exercise. Targets, activity levels, forecasts. If the numbers look right, the assumption is performance will follow.

But as Vinit Shah explored in his Gray Matters masterclass, this is where many sales teams go wrong. Planning rarely fails because of a lack of effort. It fails because of mindset, emotional intelligence, and where attention is really being spent.

After nearly three decades in sales, from call centres to boardrooms, Vinit has seen the same pattern repeat. When results wobble, teams default to doing more. More activity. More urgency. More pressure.

Very rarely do they stop to ask whether they are thinking about sales in the right way to begin with.

The environment sales teams are operating in

Vinit outlined three challenges shaping sales performance right now.

The first is the pace of change. Markets are moving faster than most people are comfortable with. While sellers might see opportunity in that, customers often see risk. That tension slows decisions long before price or capability come into play.

The second challenge is productivity. Busy has become a badge of honour, even though it tells us very little about impact. When you strip away weekends, holidays and admin, the time available for meaningful selling is far smaller than most teams realise.

The third challenge is fear. Fear of making the wrong call. Fear of saying the wrong thing. Fear of consequences. When fear creeps in, decision-making narrows. This is true for sellers and buyers alike.

Together, these pressures push teams into firefighting mode. Planning drops down the priority list, even though it is the one activity that would create breathing space.

Why sales is a mindset before it is a skill

One of the most useful reframes from the session was simple but powerful: sales is a mindset, not just a skill set.

Beliefs shape behaviour, and behaviour shapes results. If someone believes closing fast is good sales, they rush to solutions. If they believe planning is optional, they wing it and rely on instinct.

Customers feel this. Trust is built, or eroded, long before a proposal appears.

Strong planning starts with fundamentals. Clear principles for how you sell. A defined process. A pipeline that is predictable, not just hopeful. Without these, planning becomes reactive rather than intentional.

Emotional intelligence as a planning tool

Emotional intelligence is often talked about as a leadership skill, but Vinit positioned it as central to effective sales planning.

Buyers are overwhelmed. Product inflation means everyone claims to be the answer. AI has flattened differentiation. Research is easy, clarity is not. The result is hesitation rather than action.

Understanding emotional intelligence helps sellers plan for how decisions are really made. Motivation, self-awareness and empathy all play a role, but empathy is the real differentiator. When buyers feel understood, conversations move forward. When they do not, even strong propositions stall.

Planning without considering emotional drivers is planning in theory, not reality.

How decisions actually get made

Vinit touched on the idea that buyers decide emotionally and justify logically. Gut instinct shapes preference first. Metrics and rational arguments follow later.

This matters because sellers often plan as if buyers are purely rational. They are not.

Good planning slows things down at the right moment. It creates space to understand what feels risky, what feels safe, and what would make a buyer confident enough to act.

Trust is assessed before anyone realises it

Buyers are constantly judging trust, usually subconsciously.

Do you seem credible. Do you do what you say you will do. Do people feel safe talking to you. And are you focused on their world, not your own agenda.

Planning helps align what you think, what you say and what you do. When those drift apart, trust erodes quickly.

Escaping the busyness trap

The final theme of the session was focus.

Planning sits in the important but not urgent category. Easy to postpone. Easy to crowd out. Yet it is the work that determines future performance.

Without protected planning time, teams stay reactive. With it, they gain control.

Vinit’s message was clear. Planning is not a one-off exercise. It is a rhythm. Yearly direction, quarterly focus, weekly priorities, daily check-ins. Small disciplines, repeated consistently.

Sales performance improves not by doing more, but by thinking better, then acting with intention.

Sessions like this are a reminder that better results rarely come from pushing harder. They come from stepping back, understanding what really drives behaviour, and building the discipline to plan accordingly.

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