How to Fix a Broken Sales Process with Dean Nolley
Dean Nolley, founder of Sales Growth Imagination, was recently featured on North Fulton Business Radio with host John Ray to discuss the common patterns he sees in broken sales processes and how B2B companies can fix them before growth stalls.
The Conversation
Dean joined the show to share insights from his work as a fractional VP of sales helping Atlanta companies build predictable revenue systems. The discussion covered the critical warning signs business owners often ignore and practical approaches to rebuilding sales infrastructure.
Episode Highlights
[00:00:59] Introduction and Dean’s Background
Dean introduced Sales Growth Imagination and his role as a fractional VP of sales. He explained how his practice works with business owners who have outgrown founder-led sales and need to build scalable systems.
[00:02:27] The Founder Bottleneck Problem
Dean discussed how many business owners stay in the primary sales role too long, becoming the constraint on their own growth. When the sales process lives entirely in the founder’s head, the business can’t scale beyond what one person can handle.
[00:03:49] Sales Xceleration Framework
The conversation covered the Sales Xceleration Framework™ and its four pillars: sales strategy, sales infrastructure, sales management, and sales team development. Dean explained how this certified system creates the foundation for predictable growth.
[00:05:12] Documenting Your Sales Process
A major focus was the importance of having a documented, repeatable sales process. Dean explained why tribal knowledge doesn’t scale and how capturing best practices in a sales playbook creates consistency across the team.
[00:07:33] CRM as a Strategic Tool
Dean addressed why many companies underutilize their CRM systems, treating them as expensive contact databases rather than tools for forecasting, accountability, and pipeline management. He shared practical approaches to CRM optimization that improve visibility and decision-making.
[00:09:45] Lead vs. Lag Indicators
The discussion covered the difference between tracking lagging indicators like revenue and focusing on lead indicators that predict future performance. Dean explained which early-stage activities business owners should monitor to prevent pipeline problems before they impact results.
[00:12:18] When to Bring in Fractional Sales Leadership
Dean outlined scenarios where fractional VP of sales services make sense, including companies ready to transition from founder-led sales, teams lacking management discipline, and businesses preparing to scale but missing the infrastructure to support growth.
[00:15:06] The Sales Agility Assessment
Dean introduced the Sales Agility Assessment as a diagnostic tool that helps business owners identify gaps across their sales operation. The 10-minute assessment evaluates strategy, methodology, analysis, and organization to pinpoint where improvements are needed.
[00:17:42] Working with Sales Growth Imagination
The conversation concluded with Dean explaining how engagements typically begin with discovery and assessment, often starting with sales playbook development that reveals broader infrastructure and management needs.
About Sales Growth Imagination
Sales Growth Imagination is a Sales Xceleration practice serving B2B companies across Atlanta and the Southeast. The firm provides fractional VP of sales leadership that builds complete sales operating systems using proven methodology and hands-on execution.