At Chilli, we’ve worked with a lot of salespeople. One thing we’ve noticed is that most sales teams aren’t failing or massively underperforming. In many businesses, the sales team is… fine. Steady. Predictable. ‘Good enough’. And while ‘good enough’ might feel harmless, it’s exactly where the biggest risks hide.

A ‘good enough’ sales team is often more damaging than an obviously underperforming team. Not because the team is doing anything wrong, but because they’re not doing anything better. Unlike underperformance, complacency often goes unnoticed and creeps in quietly. By the time leaders clock it, the impact on culture, momentum and growth can already be deep-rooted.

If you’ve ever thought “Our sales team hit their targets, so things must be okay”, then this blog post is for you!

What 'Good Enough' looks like

A ‘good enough’ sales team often looks fine on the surface. They typically:

• Meet their minimum KPIs
• Avoid major issues
• Manage current accounts reliably
• Bring in steady business, but not much more

At face value, it looks like reliable, predictable output. But under the surface, ‘good enough’ usually means:

• Little to no innovation
• Limited curiosity
• Few new ideas
• Minimal drive to improve
• Flat, stagnant performance

Leaders often tolerate this because performance isn’t necessarily bad; there’s no urgent problem, no glaring fire to put out.

But ‘good enough’ quietly eats away at progress and results. Which leads us to…

The hidden costs you don't see right away

1. Average becomes the culture

When ‘acceptable’ becomes the standard, high performers either slow down or move on. There are few new ideas and team energy is low. No one pushes for more because why bother when average is fine?

2. Pipeline quality declines

A complacent salesperson doesn’t:

• Prospect consistently
• Look for upsell opportunities
• Ask creative questions
• Follow up with urgency
• Push deals forward when things slow down

We’ve seen these behaviours quietly erode pipeline health time and time again!

3. Adaptability weakens

Markets shift. Customer expectations evolve. New competitors appear.

A ‘good enough’ team rarely experiments or adapts fast enough, putting your business at risk and setting you behind competitors.

4. Customer experience suffers

Clients can feel the difference between a rep who just delivers and one who actually cares. Complacency shows up in slower responses, less curiosity and fewer proactive ideas, which all contribute to weakened relationships with customers.

EArly warning signs leaders should watch for

Indicators that a ‘good enough’ team is slipping into complacency include:

• Hitting quota with no year-on-year growth
• Minimal interest in training or development
• Few new ideas during meetings
• High performers becoming quieter or less energised
• Team defaults to safe behaviours rather than experimenting
• Decline in prospecting activity or weak pipeline coverage

Alone, these can seem like subtle shifts, but they’re factors that sales leaders need to look out for and address.

How leaders can reverse (or prevent) the slide into complacency

Strong sales leadership can make a real difference to sluggish teams — here are five practical tips:

1. RAISE THE BAR WITH CLEAR EXPECTATIONS

Set well-defined expectations for improvement and communicate what ‘excellent’ looks like.

Remember that stretch targets don’t have to be bigger numbers. They can focus on:

• Higher conversion rates
• Improved pipeline management
• Stronger account growth

2. INVEST IN SKILLS THAT ACTUALLY SHIFT PERFORMANCE

Run a skills audit to identify existing strengths and skill gaps in your sales team. Key skills to consider include:

• Resilience
• Emotional intelligence
• Negotiation
• Upselling
• Confidence
• Questioning and listening

Identify your team’s gaps and then address them through tools like mentoring, training and coaching.

3. REWARD GROWTH, NOT JUST RESULTS

Recognise initiative, creativity and problem-solving. Highlight and celebrate when someone:

• Tries a new approach
• Learns a new skill
• Adapts quickly
• Shares a new or useful idea

This sets a different standard for what ‘good’ looks like and encourages innovation and new behaviours.

4. CREATE PROPER FEEDBACK LOOPS

Make sure you set aside time for regular 1:1s with your salespeople. Use these conversations to really work out what’s going on with your team. Ask questions that reveal people’s mindset, motivation factors and blocks:

• What’s working well at the moment?
• What are you proud of this month?
• Where are you avoiding challenge?
• What new skills do you want to develop?
• What’s holding you back right now?

The aim is to create space for honest reflection. Showing curiosity and offering clear, constructive feedback helps individuals stay self-aware and motivated.

5. EMPHASISE A FUTURE PEOPLE WANT TO WORK TOWARDS

Teams can stagnate when they don’t have a clear direction; if there’s no meaningful reward or sense of progression, it’s common for people to slip into the mindset of ‘why bother?’

To avoid this, make it clear to your salespeople what the future holds in terms of development. This might be promotions, increased responsibilities, new opportunities or bonuses. Giving people motivating factors to work towards is often the incentive they need to shift from operating at ‘good enough’ towards sales excellence.

 What happens when you raise the standard

When you shift a team away from complacency, you typically see:

• Stronger pipeline growth
• Increased deal sizes
• Higher conversion rates
• Greater confidence and engagement
• More idea-sharing
• Better client experiences
• A high-performing culture that encourages everyone to work at their best

Rather than just being ‘steady’, teams become engaged, proactive and proud of their work — which is beneficial not only to individual wellbeing and satisfaction, but also to sales and revenue growth.

takeaway for sales leaders

‘Good enough’ might feel safe and comfortable, but it’s often a limiting and expensive performance trap for sales teams. If you’re noticing signs that your team is coasting and want some support with diagnosing performance patterns, developing sales skills or strengthening team culture, get in touch at [email protected].