Why Focusing on ROI Can Backfire in Sales

Jan 4, 2025

Daniel Hale

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    A Common Mistake in Sales: Over-Reliance on ROI

    Gong’s recent analysis of hundreds of thousands of sales deals revealed a surprising insight: close rates decline by 27% when sales teams focus heavily on ROI without using before-and-after storytelling. While ROI can seem like a compelling metric, leaning on it too much often correlates with lower success rates. The data is clear—ROI alone isn’t the persuasive tool it’s often thought to be.

    One effective example in outbound sales messaging involved a 30-second LinkedIn voice note from sales expert Matt Aird. Instead of emphasizing ROI, Aird focused on a specific, industry-relevant metric: connect rates on cold calls. He highlighted a proven approach to increasing these rates from the industry standard of 5% to 20-33%. This niche, tailored insight captured attention, leading to a successful deal and several client introductions.

    Key Takeaway: When connecting with prospects, consider how tailored, role-relevant insights and stories can build rapport and trust—sometimes, they speak far louder than ROI projections.

     

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