Steven Adinolfi Shares 5 Ways to Lead Sales Turnarounds

 

When sales drop, pressure rises fast. Targets feel harder. Teams lose focus. Leaders start reacting instead of leading. Steven Adinolfi has faced that situation more than once. Over two decades in sales and operations, he has stepped into underperforming markets and helped teams recover with clear action.

In one case, Steven Adinolfi reduced a 33 percent sales gap to 2 percent in six months. He did not rely on slogans or quick fixes. He focused on five practical actions that you can apply to your own sales team.

1. Face the Numbers Without Delay

When you lead a turnaround, you must start with facts. Steven Adinolfi reviews sales data line by line. He checks revenue by territory, product mix, close rates, and pipeline health. You should do the same.

If your team closes 18 percent of deals while the company average sits at 27 percent, that gap tells you where to focus. If one region misses quota by 20 percent while another hits target, you need to understand why.

Steven Adinolfi meets with managers early. He asks direct questions. Where are deals stalling. Which accounts stopped buying. Which reps struggle with pricing. Clear answers replace assumptions. Once you see the real problem, you can act with purpose.

2. Reset Expectations and Standards

Turnarounds fail when leaders avoid tough conversations. Steven Adinolfi sets clear expectations within the first weeks. He defines weekly targets, activity levels, and reporting rules.

If your team makes 10 prospecting calls per week, and your data shows that 25 calls create steady pipeline growth, you raise the standard. You explain why. You track progress every week.

Steven Adinolfi once worked with a sales group that lacked structure. Reps managed their own schedules with little oversight. He introduced daily pipeline reviews and weekly performance scorecards. Within two months, activity levels rose by over 30 percent. Sales followed.

You must show your team what good performance looks like. Vague goals create weak results. Specific targets create focus.

3. Rebuild Trust With Key Customers

When sales fall, customer relationships often weaken. Steven Adinolfi spends time in the field during a turnaround. He meets contractors, architects, and installers in person. He asks what went wrong and what they need now.

You should talk directly to your top accounts. Ask simple questions. Are we responding fast enough. Are we pricing correctly. Are we easy to work with.

In one Midwest market, Steven Adinolfi discovered that response times caused lost deals. Quotes took days instead of hours. He adjusted the approval process and gave managers authority to price within set limits. Response time dropped, and order volume increased within the same quarter.

Sales recover faster when customers feel heard. Your presence matters. Do not rely only on reports.

4. Simplify Processes and Remove Obstacles

Complex systems slow teams down. During a turnaround, you need clarity. Steven Adinolfi reviews sales processes step by step. He looks for delays, duplicate approvals, and unclear roles.

If your reps spend more time on internal emails than on customer calls, you have a problem. Fix it. Shorten approval chains. Clarify who owns each stage of the deal.

Steven Adinolfi also uses technology to track progress, but he keeps it simple. Dashboards show pipeline value, win rates, and aging deals. Managers review these numbers every week. When a deal sits too long, someone takes action.

You do not need more reports. You need clear reports that drive decisions.

5. Build Accountability at Every Level

A turnaround depends on discipline. Steven Adinolfi holds managers responsible for their teams. Managers hold reps responsible for their numbers. No one hides behind group results.

You can apply this by setting weekly one on one meetings. Review pipeline, upcoming closes, and prospecting activity. If a rep misses targets, define the next steps before the meeting ends.

When Steven Adinolfi closed a major sales gap in six months, he did not rely on one strong month. He tracked weekly progress. He adjusted plans when numbers slipped. He kept the team focused on measurable goals.

Sales turnarounds demand steady leadership. Steven Adinolfi shows that clear data, firm standards, direct customer contact, simple processes, and strict accountability drive recovery. If you apply these five actions with discipline, you give your team a real path back to growth.