Most organizations treat sales as a mysterious black box where deals happen but no one knows how to systematically improve the process. But what if sales could be transformed from an art form into a competitive sport, with the same discipline and measurement that professional athletes use to reach peak performance?
In this episode of Data Driven Voices, we sat down with Jerker Olofsson, VP Commercial Excellence at Alleima, to explore how systematic sales excellence can deliver 30-40% increases in order intake per salesperson. Drawing from 26 years at Atlas Copco and Alleima, Jerker reveals why you need processes before you can automate or apply AI, and how to turn salespeople into their “Kobe Bryant” versions.
In this blog, we summarize some of the key takeaways from the episode.
The black box problem: Why sales lacks visibility
For too long, sales has operated without the transparency and systematic improvement that define other business functions. While manufacturing optimized every step of production and marketing measured every campaign metric, sales remained opaque.
“Sales has been treated like this black box… something happens and the sales people are coming in like, hey, I got the order, and they’re the stars. There’s no visibility, no transparency.”
This lack of visibility creates multiple problems. Organizations can’t identify what’s working and what isn’t. Best practices remain locked in the heads of top performers instead of being codified and shared. And perhaps most critically, there’s no foundation for systematic improvement.
The irony is that sales is one of the most transparent functions when it comes to outcomes. If you’re not selling, everyone knows. But the path to those outcomes remains invisible. Without understanding the process, organizations can’t replicate success, train effectively, or scale what works.
This represents a massive opportunity. As Jerker puts it, the black box isn’t a problem – it’s a chance to fundamentally improve how sales operates.
Where strategy meets execution
Transformation doesn’t happen in PowerPoint presentations or strategy documents. It happens where salespeople meet customers, where deals are won or lost, where the rubber hits the road.
“That’s what drives energy. You’re like where the rubber hits the road, you meet the people that actually visit the customer, you go and see the customer. So for me, that is really where the strategy is executed, this moment of truth.”
Jerker’s approach to commercial excellence reflects this reality. He was visiting Alleima’s business unit in Scranton, New York, doing sales training when we recorded this episode, working directly with the teams who execute the strategy every day. This hands on approach matters because sales transformation isn’t about imposing systems from above. It’s about working with sales teams to develop processes that actually help them succeed.
Too many commercial excellence initiatives fail because they’re designed in headquarters by people far removed from customer interactions. The result is frameworks that look great on paper but don’t survive contact with reality. Real improvement comes from understanding how sales actually works on the ground, then building systems that support rather than constrain.
The foundation: Process before automation, automation before AI
In the rush to adopt AI and automation, many organizations skip a critical step: establishing the processes that make automation possible. This creates a sequential dependency that can’t be shortcut.
“If you don’t have a process, you can’t do Kaizen.”
The logic is straightforward but often ignored. Without documented processes, there’s no baseline for improvement. Without standardized approaches, you can’t identify what works and what doesn’t. And without this foundation, attempts at automation will fail because there’s nothing consistent to automate.
As Emma points out in the conversation, this dependency extends to AI: “If you don’t have a process, you can’t automate. And if you can’t automate, you can’t use AI.”
This isn’t about creating rigid procedures that eliminate flexibility. It’s about understanding and documenting the core buying journey that customers go through and the sales process that helps them progress. Research shows that despite cultural differences and market variations, the core buying jobs to be done are remarkably consistent across B2B industrial sales.
The key is defining what buyers need to accomplish at each stage, not prescribing exactly what salespeople should say, but providing a framework that helps them guide customers effectively.
Sales as a competitive sport, not black magic
Reframing how we think about sales is essential for transformation. Instead of treating it as an innate talent or mysterious art, consider it a performance discipline – like professional sports.
“Everyone in sales is very competitive… it is kind of a competitive sport, if you will. Or at least a performance sport. But if you look at any professional sports team, you look at NBA… they are measuring everything.”
This analogy is powerful because salespeople are naturally competitive. They understand what it takes to excel in sports: discipline, measurement, constant improvement, and systematic training. The challenge is helping them see that the same principles apply to sales.
Professional athletes don’t resist measurement and coaching – they embrace it because they know it makes them better. Kobe Bryant didn’t become one of the greatest basketball players by relying on natural talent alone. He added training exercises, put in extra hours every day, and approached improvement with discipline and data.
“This is the thing that’s going to take you from where you are to the best, very best version of yourself in small incremental steps, data driven… Kobe Bryant… he fitted in one more training exercise every day, two more hours every day to become better. And I mean, that’s the discipline.”
The sports metaphor resonates with salespeople because it positions process and measurement as enablers of excellence, not constraints on creativity. The goal isn’t to make everyone average, it’s to help each person become the Kobe Bryant version of themselves.
The formula: Processes, automation, data, and discipline
Commercial excellence isn’t built on a single element, it’s a system of interconnected components that work together.
“It is processes, it’s automation, it is data and it’s discipline.”
Processes provide the foundation: documented approaches to guiding customers through their buying journey, standardized methodologies that capture best practices, and frameworks that enable improvement.
Automation removes friction and eliminates repetitive tasks, allowing salespeople to focus on high value activities where human judgment matters most.
Data drives decisions and measures progress, revealing what’s working and what needs adjustment. It transforms opinions into insights and enables evidence based improvements.
Discipline is perhaps the most overlooked element. Having great processes, automation, and data means nothing without the discipline to actually use them consistently. This is where the competitive sport analogy becomes practical. Discipline is what separates good athletes from great ones.
Sales is inherently transparent in ways that make discipline easier to maintain. Performance is visible. If you’re not selling, everyone knows. This transparency can be uncomfortable, but it’s also a powerful driver of improvement.
“Sales is also, it’s difficult because it’s so easy to look how you perform is transparent. If you don’t sell anything… Your job is to sell, right?… Everyone wants to be the one in the top. We just need to help them get there.”
The key is channeling that competitive energy and transparency into systematic improvement rather than individual heroics.
The business case: 30-40% increase in order intake per salesperson
For all the talk of methodology and process, commercial excellence ultimately needs to deliver results. Based on years of implementation experience across B2B industrial companies, Jerker has clear expectations.
“My experience implementing this, you would expect 30 to 40% increase in order intake per salesperson if you commit to program like this.”
This isn’t about hiring more salespeople or working longer hours – it’s about each salesperson being more effective through better processes, tools, and support. The timeline is roughly a year to see these results, assuming commitment to a structured program.
Importantly, this improvement creates a new foundation for future growth. It’s not a one – time boost that fades – it’s a step change that establishes a higher baseline.
“That’s what you can say that you do it over a year. That is what you will see over that year… it’s almost like building a tower. You need to get start here, new foundation, and then you have a new level to work from, and step by step by step.”
The transformation will cause some natural turnover. Not everyone will thrive in a more structured, process – driven environment. But the team that emerges will be better suited for the future – more capable, more confident, and more effective at driving growth.
For any CEO looking at these numbers, the question isn’t whether to pursue commercial excellence. It’s why they haven’t started already. A 30-40% increase in order intake per salesperson, achieved with existing teams through systematic improvement, represents one of the highest-ROI initiatives most companies could undertake.
Making salespeople their Kobe Bryant versions
The practical question for sales leaders is how to actually drive this transformation. The answer starts with reframing the entire initiative.
Don’t position commercial excellence as constraining salespeople or eliminating their creativity. Instead, frame it as a path to becoming the best version of themselves, their Kobe Bryant version.
Salespeople are competitive. They want to be top performers. When they see that processes, data, and systematic improvement will help them win more deals, close larger accounts, and achieve their targets more consistently, resistance evaporates.
The key is showing progress. Small wins build belief. Data driven insights demonstrate value. When salespeople see their performance improving through structured approaches, they become advocates for the methodology.
This requires starting from the top. Commercial excellence must be a strategic initiative at the CEO level, not a sales operations project. It needs executive sponsorship, resources, and organizational commitment. But it also requires involving sales teams in designing the initiative – developing it together rather than imposing it from above.
The message to salespeople should be clear: “You’re already competitive. You already want to excel. We’re going to give you the training, tools, and systematic improvement methodology that professional athletes use to reach peak performance. This will help you become the best version of yourself.”
Key takeaways for building sales excellence
Jerker’s experience transforming commercial excellence across B2B industrial companies offers clear lessons:
- Stop treating sales like a black box: Apply the same operational rigor to sales that you apply to other business functions
- Establish processes before pursuing automation or AI: Without documented processes, there’s no foundation for improvement or technology enablement
- Frame sales as a competitive sport, not an art form: Salespeople are naturally competitive and will embrace measurement and improvement when it helps them excel
- Build on four pillars: Processes, automation, data, and discipline work together as a system
- Expect significant results: Structured commercial excellence programs can deliver 30-40% increases in order intake per salesperson within a year
- Make it a strategic initiative: Commercial excellence requires CEO – level sponsorship and organizational commitment, not just sales operations projects
- Help salespeople become their best versions: Position the transformation as enabling excellence, not constraining creativity
For organizations still treating sales as a mysterious black box, Jerker’s message is clear: the opportunity for improvement is massive, the methodology is proven, and the results speak for themselves. It’s time to stop treating sales like magic and start treating it like the competitive sport it is.
Inspiration for marketing, sales, and data professionals
Data Driven Voices is a podcast where Avaus together with industry experts, thought leaders, and partners discuss how to harness data, technology, and strategy to drive meaningful change and business results in primarily marketing and sales. The podcast shares actionable insights, success stories, and thought-provoking challenges to help professionals with new perspectives.