Is your sales team too busy to get better? Time to fix that.

The end of the quarter is a pressure cooker. Your sales team is laser-focused on one thing: hitting their numbers. Every minute is dedicated to calls, follow-ups, and closing deals. So what happens when you need to roll out a new strategic initiative, like a new messaging framework or a competitive intelligence platform? How do you capture their attention when their focus is glued to the finish line?

This is a classic sales leadership dilemma. You know that continuous improvement is the only way to stay ahead, but you can’t afford to derail your team when they’re in the final stretch. The good news is, you don’t have to choose between hitting this quarter’s target and setting up for success in the next.

“We’re too busy” hurts you in the long run

We get it. When the pressure is on, it feels like there’s no time for anything but selling. But the “we’re too busy” mindset can really hurt you in the long run. When your team is heads-down in their immediate pipeline, they’re missing out on crucial opportunities to get better. They’re not learning from their calls, they’re not adapting to new market dynamics, and they’re not sharpening their skills.

This is especially true when it comes to competitive intelligence. In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to fall back on old habits and outdated information. But in a competitive market, that’s a recipe for disaster. Your reps need to be armed with the latest insights and strategies to win deals, even when they’re short on time.

How to drive strategic initiatives without derailing quota attainment

So how do you thread the needle? How do you roll out new initiatives without disrupting your team’s momentum? Here are three strategies that we’ve seen work for our customers:

1. Make it bite-sized and on-demand

Instead of a mandatory, one-hour training session, break your new initiative down into bite-sized chunks that your reps can consume on their own time. Think short videos, one-page guides, and quick-reference cards. The key is to make it easy for them to get the information they need, when they need it.

For example, if you’re rolling out a new competitive intelligence platform, you could create a series of 2-minute videos on how to use it to handle specific objections. That way, your reps can get the information they need right before a call, without having to sit through a long training session.

2. Embed learning into their workflow

The best way to make sure your team is learning is to embed it directly into their existing workflow. Instead of asking them to go to a separate platform or a different tool, bring the learning to them. This could be as simple as a daily Slack message with a new tip or a weekly email with a roundup of the latest competitive insights.

At Naro, we’re big believers in this approach. That’s why we’ve designed our platform to integrate seamlessly with the tools your sales team is already using, like Salesforce and Slack. This way, they can get the information they need without ever having to leave their workflow.

3. Show them what’s in it for them

Let’s be honest, your sales team is motivated by one thing: closing deals. So if you want them to adopt a new initiative, you need to show them how it’s going to help them do that. Don’t just tell them that it’s important for the company, show them how it’s going to help them hit their number. One of the best ways to do this is to tie the initiative directly back to real interactions the sales team is having with prospects and customers.

For example, if you’re rolling out a new messaging framework, you could share a success story of how a rep used it to close a big deal. Or, if you’re launching a new competitive intelligence platform, you could show them how it can help them uncover a competitor’s weakness and use it to their advantage.

The Naro advantage

At Naro, we’re obsessed with helping sales teams get better. Our AI-powered platform is designed to help you drive strategic initiatives without derailing quota attainment. With Naro, you can:

• Deliver on-demand, actionable intelligence, transforming lengthy training into instant, relevant answers.
• Embed knowledge into their workflow, surfacing insights directly in the tools your team already uses.
• Connect initiatives to sales conversations, showing reps that new strategies come directly from their interactions.

Don’t let the quarter-end scramble derail your team’s growth. With the right approach, you can keep your team engaged and learning, even when they’re in the final stretch. And that’s how you build a sales team that not only hits this quarter’s number, but also crushes it in the quarters to come.