Why Your Team Keeps Chasing the Wrong Leads

Why Your Team Keeps Chasing the Wrong Leads 

Your team looks busy. The pipeline looks full.

But deals stall. Calls go nowhere. And too much time gets burned on leads that were never going to close.

When that happens, it is not just an efficiency problem. It is a cash flow problem — and a team energy problem.

Every hour your sales team spends chasing the wrong leads is energy they do not get back. Over time, this drains focus, builds frustration, and slows the team.

I see this again and again with early SaaS teams. It is not a sales execution issue. It is a focus issue.

Here is where it usually breaks.

Are you filtering for fit and intent?

Most teams overweight engagement and underweight buying intent.

Just because someone opened three emails does not mean they are ready to buy.

You can get 80 percent of the value from scoring on just three things: fit, intent, and recent meaningful activity. Everything else is noise.

For example, one team I worked with was scoring based on lead magnet downloads and email opens. We shifted them to score for: opened a sales email in the last 30 days, is connected to an existing customer, and recently viewed pricing or key feature pages.

That simple shift helped them focus on warmer leads, and deals started moving faster.

Is your scoring system helping or slowing you down?

Many teams try to build a “perfect” scoring model, then no one uses it.

You do not need a giant model. You need a simple loop.

Score for fit and intent. Review signals regularly. Adjust based on what is actually converting.

One founder I worked with started small. Each Friday, the team picked three closed-won deals from the week and asked: what signals did these leads show early? Are we weighting those enough?

That habit alone helped them surface better patterns and improve focus over time.

Is lead scoring part of your team’s habits?

Lead scoring is not a one-time setup. It is a habit.

Markets shift. Buyer signals change.

The teams that win treat scoring like pipeline reviews — it becomes a regular conversation.

One founder I work with added this to their sales retro. Every two weeks, they look at hot leads and ask: why are these moving? What did we miss?

It sharpens focus, keeps the team learning, and saves energy by cutting wasted effort.

The takeaway

If your team is chasing the wrong leads, no amount of hustle will fix it.

What will? A clear, simple system that helps them focus on the right leads.

You do not need a perfect pipeline. You need one that builds trust and helps deals move forward.

If this resonated, you might also like [CRM Full, Growth flat, Why?] on why a full pipeline is not the same as real growth.

And if you are thinking through this in your team right now, feel free to connect. Happy to share what I am seeing work.