There’s an old truth I keep coming back to as a Sales Leader: people tend to underestimate what they can achieve in the long term and massively overestimate what’s possible in the short term.

That mindset shapes how we approach everything, especially when it comes to setting expectations for change.

When I started building Clevenio's sales team, I made one guiding decision from day one: our salespeople should never have to waste their time on pointless work.

And let’s be honest, one of the most pointless things happening in sales teams today is prospecting data hunting. Digging through CRMs, LinkedIn, spreadsheets, and a dozen tools just to piece together a lead list is a complete time sink.

It drains focus, kills motivation, and adds zero value.

So, what does sales look like for us now compared to the teams I’ve led in the past, before we made this shift?

They’re on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Onboarding Sales Reps Can Be Lightning Fast

Our onboarding process has become dramatically more effective.

Take Jessika Pennanen, for example.

• She joined us as an Account Executive straight out of school in January.

• Last month, she closed seven new deals and

• Jessika has quickly become one of our most praised B2B sales professionals.

When new hires can focus on actual selling from day one, instead of drowning in admin tasks, they grow faster, gain confidence, and deliver results.

Work-Life Balance Actually Exists

I honestly believe our team’s well-being is on another level. Nobody here needs to work evenings or weekends to hit their targets.

Life happens, and when it does, our people handle it better because their work setup allows them to succeed without burning out.

If someone needs a slower morning, they can start at ten. If they need a bit more rest, they take it.

Everyone gets to build a life that works for them, not just a job.

Take Rita, for instance.

She spends part of her time paragliding in Italy, yet still runs Nordic meetings as a high-performing, part-time SDR. Just this Monday, she mentioned that the weather was perfect for flying, so I rescheduled our 1:1 so she could enjoy it.

No stress. No guilt.

And no wasted hours searching for prospects. We already know that when we focus on the essentials, the results follow.

Leading Sales Has Become Remarkably Easier

Here’s something I didn’t expect: leading a sales team is so much easier than before.

I don’t hear excuses about “blockers” or inefficient tools.

Those barriers simply don’t exist anymore. The only variable left is skill, and that’s an exciting place to be.

It means I can spend my time on what really matters: helping our salespeople grow through practice, feedback, and coaching instead of chasing compliance or firefighting inefficiencies.

Everything Just Works Better

For us, and for our clients, things feel smoother, lighter, and more enjoyable.

Work flows naturally because we’ve stripped away the friction.

If you ask me, every sales leader should have one main priority: to free their team’s time from every unnecessary task, and make sure that time is used in the most valuable way possible.

That doesn’t mean pushing people to work harder or longer. It means making sure their energy is spent where it actually makes a difference — both in work and in life.

And when you do that, everything becomes easier, more enjoyable, and far more productive.

This year, we’ve hit every single target and exceeded them.
Maybe that says something about whether this approach works or not.

Optimize Sales Team’s Focus

Ready to free your sales team’s time?

Looking for high-quality call-ready contact lists of Nordic companies using HubSpot?

What about Nordic companies using Gravity Forms or statistics about Nordic companies using Google Tag Manager?

Imagine what your reps could achieve with 5 extra hours a week spent on doing sales instead of finding contact information.