Why Brilliant Sellers Fail: Ashleigh Early Highlights Systemic Roadblocks on LinkedIn

In a recent LinkedIn post, Ashleigh Early discusses a critical issue often overlooked in sales: the systemic factors that can lead even the most capable and hard-working sellers to underperform or fail entirely. Early challenges the common narrative that success or failure solely rests on individual sales acumen, arguing that the environment and structure in which a seller operates are frequently the true determinants of their results.

Early begins by expressing strong feelings about the number of talented sellers she has witnessed falter despite doing everything right. She notes that these individuals diligently prospected, pushed for the close, asked tough questions, and qualified leads effectively, yet still struggled to meet their targets.

“Here’s the dirty secret. They were NEVER going to hit that target.”

Ashleigh Early then elaborates on this point by sharing several anonymized, yet specific, scenarios from her career that illustrate how sellers can be set up for failure. These examples range from being assigned an unrealistic quota in a depleted territory to being hired into a role where the product was not yet ready for market, rendering their efforts to secure meetings ultimately fruitless.

The Perils of Unrealistic Quotas and Misaligned Structures

One recurring theme in Early’s analysis is the imposition of unrealistic quotas and territories. She recounts instances where sales teams faced dramatically increased quotas following acquisitions, with leadership explicitly stating that only a fraction of the team was expected to succeed. This, according to Early, is a demotivating rather than motivating approach.

“The CRO even said in the team meeting that ‘We only expect 20% of you to hit quota’ (and apparently it was supposed to be motivating? 🙄)”

Another stark example provided by Early involves a new sales representative given a full quota with no ramp-up period. This rep was assigned a fragmented territory with minimal existing pipeline and a significantly smaller pool of potential prospect companies compared to their peers, making the target virtually unattainable from the outset.

Product Readiness and Market Assumptions as Failure Points

Beyond quotas and territories, Ashleigh Early also highlights the impact of product readiness and flawed market assumptions. She describes a situation where a seller joined a company with a seemingly strong sales leadership, only to discover that the entire revenue system and sales tools were based on conversion rates that assumed prospects were already familiar with the brand and the problem the product solved—a critical miscalculation.

“Heck same CRO profile, different company but instead of no tools/support that rep joined and realized the quotas, tools and ENTIRE revenue system was built on conversion rates that assumed prospects were familiar with the brand & the problem they solved. (Spoiler- THEY WEREN’T).”

As Early argues, the success of a seller is not solely dependent on their individual drive or skill. Factors such as territory allocation, quota setting, product-market fit, and the overall sales infrastructure play a crucial role. She posits that an individual can be exceptionally talented yet destined to fail if the conditions are not right.

The Idiocy of Opportunity

Conversely, Early suggests that sheer luck or being in the right place at the right time can lead to success, even for those with less skill. This leads her to a satirical conclusion:

“Point is you can be brilliant…and be set up to fail. You can also be an idiot at the right place at the right time…and succeed.”

Ashleigh Early’s post serves as a powerful reminder for sales leaders and organizations to critically examine their sales structures, quota systems, and territory management. By focusing on creating an environment where talent can thrive, rather than solely on individual performance metrics, companies can better set their sales teams up for sustainable success.