The 80/20 Playbook for Sales Efficiency

How to Identify and Eliminate Low-Value Sales Activities

Most sales teams waste time on tasks that don’t actually help buyers make a decision.

The best teams align their activities with how buyers evaluate, justify, and commit to a purchase.

Anything that doesn’t support the buyer’s process should be eliminated.

1. Stop Generic Prospecting—Start Targeted Outreach

You will not grow your pipeline by mass, unfocused outreach. More activity without thought leads to a busy team with no sales.

• Focus where you have the best place to win. Do not spend time in areas that may be your ICP but your competition is stronger with.

• Create messaging to capture demand by understanding who is likely to have the issue you best solve and have a reason to solve it now.

• Mostly, if a buyer doesn’t engage after three well-crafted messages, move on.

2. Eliminate Meetings That Don’t Advance the Buyer’s Decision

Buyers don’t need check-ins, they need help making a great choice that will improve their life. Sales teams should cut any meeting that doesn’t provide new information or move the deal forward.

• Before scheduling a call, ask: What decision does the buyer need to make next? If none, don’t meet.

• Make every conversation about helping the buyer take the next step in THEIR PROCESS, not just getting an update.

3. Reduce Internal Reporting and CRM Admin Work

Buyers don’t care how much data you enter into your CRM. They care about getting the right information at the right time.

• Stop over-documenting deals. Log only what helps forecast real buying decisions.

• Automate data entry where possible. Set up tools that capture emails, calls, and meetings without manual input.

• Shift pipeline reviews from “What’s the status?” to “What does the buyer need to move forward?”

4. Only Create Content Buyers Actually Use

Sales decks, one-pagers, and case studies often go unused because they’re built for internal needs, not buyer needs.

• Identify where buyers get stuck in their process and create content that answers their objections.

• Replace long presentations with short, focused insights that match the buyer’s decision stage.

• Test every piece of content—if buyers aren’t using it, stop creating it.

5. Measure Success by Buyer Progress, Not Sales Activity

Sales teams often track activity volume instead of buyer movement. Instead of measuring emails sent, meetings booked, or CRM updates, track:

• How many buyers moved from problem recognition to evaluation?

• How many buyers engaged multiple stakeholders on their side?

• How many buyers set a clear timeline for making a decision?

By eliminating tasks that don’t help buyers move forward, sales teams free up time for the work that actually closes deals.