In today’s business landscape, the focus on short-term (quarterly or monthly) goals is damaging long-term growth and success. Commercial departments often bear the brunt of this with pressure that is applied in ways that fundamentally differ from other organisational departments. This imbalance not only threatens sustainable growth but also creates a corporate culture where short-term focus undermines long-term value creation.
The unique burden on sales functions
Sales departments experience short-termism differently from other organisational functions. While finance, HR, procurement and operations all face pressure to deliver results, the nature and the intensity of these pressures is much different. This pressure to hit short-term sales goals can lead to unethical behaviours and compromised relationships that damage the overall client relationship.
If companies want to build strong, sustainable & valuable business relationships and escape the short-term sales trap that damages this; the answer isn’t more pressure or higher quotas. It’s being professional: setting clear standards of behaviour, ethical principles, supporting career progression, and investing in the sales function.
Sales vs. other functions: A critical comparison
Sales and commercial teams face daily, weekly and monthly revenue targets. Performance is reported on dashboards visible across the organisation. Career advancement and compensation are directly tied to hitting quotas, rather than building long term high-trust business relationships.
Finance:
Operates with established processes and compliance frameworks and enjoys professional certification and recognised qualifications. Benefits from structured career paths and professional bodies. Receives consistent investment in systems and capabilities and has established methodologies that resist short-term manipulation.
Human resources:
Typically works with longer-term people development horizons, as well as established professional qualification frameworks. Benefits from lower variability in performance expectations and focuses on sustainable cultural and organisational development and has metrics that are difficult to artificially inflate short-term.
Procurement:
Works toward measurable cost-savings over multiple reporting periods of time and has established professional bodies and qualifications.
Resisting the short-term for consistent long-term growth
1. Professionalise the sales function
Cranfield University research showed that sales certification and professional development yield measurable results:
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82% correlation between professional certification and brand recognition
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45% improvement in long-term sales performance
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21% increase in client retention rates
2. Balance performance metrics
Progressive organisations are redefining how they evaluate sales success:
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Complementing revenue targets with relationship quality indicators and measuring customer lifetime value alongside quarterly results.
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Tracking ethical decision-making and professional development and evaluating sustainable growth indicators rather than just transactions.
3. Consistently invest in sales capabilities
Organisations that allocate 5-7% of their sales budget to professional development see:
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75% improvement in brand recognition through continuous professional development
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74% correlation between ethical alignment and professional credibility
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A reduction in turnover costs through enhanced retention
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Improved forecasting accuracy and pipeline quality
4. Adopt longer-term compensation structures
Forward-thinking companies are restructuring compensation by:
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Balancing immediate incentives with longer-term performance bonuses
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Rewarding customer retention and expansion metrics
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Incentivising professional development and certification
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Creating career pathways that value capability building
Making the case to investors
Interestingly, research shows that investors are more receptive to balanced approaches than many executives believe. A 2023 McKinsey study found that 73% of institutional investors would accept lower short-term earnings for stronger long-term growth strategies when properly explained.
The key is transparent communication about:
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How professional sales development directly impacts customer lifetime value
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The correlation between sales capability investment and reduced churn
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The impact of reduced turnover costs on overall profitability can demonstrate ROI through concrete multi-year savings
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The focus on supplier relationships that favour long-term value benefits from structured processes that resist short-term pressures
This disparity creates what might be called “professional inequality,” where sales functions are simultaneously the most visible drivers of corporate performance yet receive the least investment in professional development and sustainable capability building.
The damage of short-termism in sales
The consequences of short-term sales pressure extend far beyond missed quarterly targets:
1. Eroded customer relationships
When sales professionals focus exclusively on closing deals to meet immediate targets, they prioritise transactions over relationships. Research shows that 41% of the variance in client trust is directly attributable to professional brand strength, yet short-termism forces behaviours that undermine trust-building in favour of immediate revenue generation.
2. Compromised ethical standards
Quarterly pressure can lead to corner-cutting and questionable practices. A Harvard Business review study found that 80% of buyers say trust is key, with 45% indicating it’s more important than product features or price, yet short-term sales cultures often incentivise behaviours that erode this trust.
3. Increased attrition and recruitment costs
Sales departments experiencing intense short-term pressure report staff turnover rates 26% higher than other functions. The cost of replacing experienced sales professionals ranges from 100-150% of their annual salary, creating hidden costs rarely reflected in quarterly results.
4. Stunted professional development
While other functions benefit from established career development frameworks, sales teams receive 47% less training investment despite generating the organisation’s revenue. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle where capabilities never mature beyond short-term tactics.
5. Decision quality deterioration
PWC research indicates that 68% of sales leaders acknowledge making suboptimal decisions for customers to meet quarterly targets. These decisions, while boosting immediate results, create downstream customer satisfaction issues and increased churn.
The pathway to sustainable commercial growth
Organisations that resist sacrificing long-term sales capabilities for short-term results gain significant competitive advantages. By professionalising their sales function, balancing performance metrics, investing systematically in capabilities, and adopting longer-term compensation structures, they position themselves to deliver both quarterly results and sustainable growth.
The companies that will thrive in the next decade aren’t those that abandon quarterly targets but the ones that meet them through sustainable practices, consistently delivering over the long-term. By treating sales as a profession rather than a transaction-focused function, these organisations build customer relationships, employee capabilities, and shareholder value simultaneously.
The question for today’s leaders isn’t whether they can afford to invest in sustainable sales capabilities-it’s whether they can afford not to.
A call to action for improved commercial success?
Leaders: Embed professional standards and certification into your sales culture.
HR and L&D teams: Allocate development budgets that reflect sales’ strategic importance.
Sales professionals: Take ownership of your career: get certified, stay current, and lead with integrity.
CEO’s: Reward long-term thinking and ethical growth over short-term spikes.
The evidence is clear: professionalising sales isn’t a cost, it’s a growth multiplier.
Join the movement: Visit the Institute of Sales Professionals to learn how to future-proof your sales force.
Written by Tom Liversedge