Keenan .

Vice President/Regional Sales Leader Emerging Service Providers

Noted Analytics

Chief Executive Officer

A Sales Growth Company

A Sales Growth Company helps organizations solve the ever-changing challenges of revenue growth, long sales cycles, low winning percentages, and unacceptable growth numbers.  Through it's highly sought after Gap Selling methodology, ASG is quickly becoming the leader in revenue generation solutions for B2B companies around the world . . .

and we're just a killer place to work!

CEO/President

Gap Selling

Author

What it once took to be successful no longer works. The 21st century has brought its own set of rules.

Learn how the information age has turned the success game upside down and what it takes for you to win in today's game.

Not Taught

Vail Resorts

Ski Instructor

Forbes

I drop mad wisdom weekly on everything sales, sales leadership and revenue generation. You can check out my profile and follow me here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimkeenan/

Contributor

TechStars

Start-up founders let me help them blow it up!

Mentor

Socially Booked

Chock up another start-up failure. I'm learning A LOT!

CEO and Founder

2Wire

Responsible for 2Wires Sales strategy and sales operations including sales reporting, sales vision and strategy, governance, and management

Vice President Sales Strategy and Operations

Avaya

CEO | Author of Gap Selling | Creator of the Problem-Centric OS™ | Driving Predictable, Reliable, Revenue Growth -- Every Time

I’m the CEO of A Sales Growth Company (ASG) and the author of Gap Selling. Over the past decade, I’ve built a body of work that includes the Problem-Centric Operating System™ (PCOS), the Buyer Confidence Model, and the Problem Identification Chart (PIC) — frameworks that rewire how revenue organizations operate, forecast, and grow.

At ASG, we don’t just train salespeople. We help entire organizations transform the way they sell by aligning every GTM function to the problems buyers actually have. That’s why our work has been featured in Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, and why global enterprises and high-growth companies turn to us when they need to fix broken revenue systems.

I’m also a lifelong freestyle and mogul skier. In skiing, success requires precision, rhythm, and adaptability — one mistake throws off the entire run. Revenue is the same. If one part of the GTM system is out of sync, the whole organization feels it: forecasts drift, deals stall, and growth slows. That’s what the Problem-Centric OS solves — it brings clarity, control, and flow back into the system so growth becomes predictable.

ASG exists to help organizations achieve that level of performance. Our clients see higher win rates, more accurate forecasts, shorter sales cycles, and stronger alignment across sales, marketing, and customer success.

Because today’s revenue challenges aren’t about effort or talent — they’re about systems that weren’t built for how modern buyers buy. And fixing those systems is what we do.

EVEYONE WANTS SALES TRAINING 

But no one knows why. 

We see it all the time. 

The request, “We need sales training, we want to upskill our people.”  

Great, 

Why?  

“They don’t do discovery well.”
“We need more leads.”
“We’re behind on our number.” 
“The pipeline isn’t big enough.
 “We keep discounting to get business.”

OK, 

That makes sense. 

But then it happens. 

What’s your win rates? — “We don’t know”
What’s your average time to close? — “We don’t know”
What’s your average contract value? — “We don’t know”
What percentage of the team is at quota, — “Not sure”

Ok, let’s try this. 

What’s your goal for next year?  

“We don’t know exactly, but it’s probably going to be 30% higher.” 

Ok, 

Where are you gonna finish this year.

“Not sure, but maybe 100 million.”  

So you need to get to 130 million next year? 

“Yes!”  

What’s the teams run rate?  

“About One hundred million.”  

So they’re flat? 

“Yes!”  

So if I understand correctly, you want sales training becasue you’re concerned that you are NOT going to make the 2025 number and you believe the problem is the sales teams skills? 

“Yes.”  

What’s the average quota of a sales rep? 

“1 million.” 

OK, but you said you don’t know what percentage of team is at quota, correct? 

“Yes.”  

Welp, there are a lot of unanswered questions here, but it’s going to cost  roughly $3,500 a rep, or $455,000. 

“Oh no, that’s too expensive, we didn’t budget for that.” 

And there it is! 

We see it all the time. 

Sales organizations have no ideas WHY they are not making their number or are unable to scale.

Driven by fear, they look to tools or training, or anything they can to get that quick hit.  

But when push comes to shove, they cry poverty. 

The problem: 

The org is not in control of their critical success measures.
They don’t know the root cause issues behind their problems. (This usually because they haven’t properly diagnosed the problem)

Because of this . . .

They didn’t properly budget to solve the problem and therefore EVERYTHING seems expensive. 

Now they’re in shock. But they shouldn’t be. 

Investing in sales team performance, linked to key sales metrics AND growth goals should be SOP.  But it’s not. 

Unfortunately, too many sales orgs get lost in the quarterly dog fight, heads down, driving towards quota and revenue attainment today, losing sight of the fact that sales is a perpetual engine that needs to be constantly fed and maintained.  

Thinking $3,500 dollars a rep is too expensive to invest in the developement of reps, when you’re 30 million shy of the upcoming goal, and the team lacks the skills you feel are critical to hit that number is as short sighted and pennywise, pound foolish as it could be. 

You’re right, you need sales training. 

Sales rep development is the greatest investment an organization can make when it comes to revenue acceleration and GTM and making the investment is exactly the right decision. 

But not for 50 bucks a rep.

No alternative text description for this image

THE SALES ENABLEMENT LIE -- 

It's . . . 
A subtle one.
Yet, a believable one.

The kind that sounds smart… until you look at your numbers.

It’s the belief that training fixes revenue.

Let me ask you something:
If that were true… wouldn’t your win rates be higher by now?
Wouldn’t more of your team be hitting quota?
Wouldn’t the “we trained them” box actually mean something on the scoreboard?

We’ve been telling ourselves a story:
“Once they learn it… they’ll do it.”
 
But will they? Do they?

Let's be honest — how many times have you said something like:
“They know what to do… they’re just not doing it”?
Doesn’t that tell us everything we need to know?

Somewhere along the way, enablement got built on Learning & Development logic.
 -Learning objectives.
 -Course modules.
 -Knowledge checks.
 -Certifications.

These are great for education. But sales isn’t education.

Sales is performance!

It’s real, live, unscripted, pressure-filled execution.

Knowing something in a training room is one thing.

Doing it in front of a skeptical buyer with a million dollars on the line?
 
That's an entirely different game.

So here’s the question:
 
Do you have a knowledge problem… or a performance problem?

The symptoms don’t lie.
 -Flat win rates.
 -Stalled deals.
 -Mediocre discovery.
 -Reps who “get it” but don’t do it.

That’s not a training issue. That’s a performance issue.

The Sales Enablement Lie is this idea that if we just teach harder…
 if we explain it better…
 if we push more content…
 somehow the numbers will move.

But they won’t.
 
Because content doesn’t change behavior.
 -Practice does.
 -Coaching does.
 -Feedback does.
 -Execution does.

Training is the introduction. Performance is the outcome.

Sales is a performance profession, not different than the NFL, Formula 1 or the Ballet. 

If you want to build a world class sales org, that consistently delivers, build a performance sales enablement engine, not a learning environment. 

HINT: No you're not already doing it.  Just get that out of your head now.

This is absolutely fantastic. Couldn’t have described it better. Perfect description of the roles of sales people wrapped in one.

I recently had a very impactful conversation with Keenan . & Celeste Berke Knisely, MTA from A Sales Growth Company. As I was learning from their amazing expertise and approach for #Gapselling, I surfaced an observation I’ve seen over the years that describes the strengths great sellers often draw on. Keenan suggested I post about this, so here it is.

Sales today asks far more of us than product knowledge and a persuasive pitch. The landscape is faster, more complex, and more competitive. Customers expect clarity, trust, and partnership. To meet those expectations, the best sales professionals I've worked with draw on a mix of different strengths.

The most consistently successful sellers have four distinct archetypes they lean into. Nobody lives in just one. Great sellers know when to switch modes and how to blend them.

The Engineer

The Engineer understands how things work in the world of their customers. They understand the problem centric world at a deeper level. They ask precise questions, break down complexity, and help customers make sense of problems that are often messy.
This archetype thrives on structure and clarity. They map out problems, identify impacts and expose root causes before defining solutions that actually solve for the root causes.

The Psychologist

The Psychologist reads people as well as they read situations. They create trust by listening with intent and picking up on nuance. They ask the questions that matter and take the time to understand the emotional side of decision making.
This archetype truly understands that buying decisions are never purely rational, and they help customers feel understood and supported in the journey.

The Performer

The Performer brings energy, presence, flair and communication skills that lift the entire conversation. They tell stories that land. They simplify ideas so they stick. They know when to lean in, when to pause, and how to keep momentum in a room.
This archetype can make complex information feel simple and engaging. They carry confidence without arrogance and help customers picture the outcome in a way that feels real.

The Project Manager

The Project Manager ensures everything moves forward. They keep stakeholders aligned, set clear next steps, and handle operational details that transforms interest into results.
This archetype is reliable, organised, and always thinking three steps ahead. They protect timelines, reduce friction, and make it easier for the customer to buy.


Sales is a profession that blends skill, discipline, process and adaptability. Sellers who consistently perform are the ones who can shift gears throughout the sales process.

The Engineer helps us define, expose and sell the Gap.
The Psychologist helps us connect, align and gain trust.
The Performer helps us communicate, inspire and activate.
The Project Manager helps us progress, secure and deliver.

When these four come together, you not only win more, you build long term trust and sustainable growth.

taplio