Sales growth is at the core of every B2B strategy, but it’s also one of the hardest outcomes to sustain. When growth slows, the instinct is often to adjust pricing, increase activity, or chase new leads. But these moves don’t always solve the problem.
That’s because sales growth issues are rarely just about revenue. They’re usually symptoms of something deeper: gaps in behaviour, motivation, or alignment across your sales ecosystem.
B2B sales strategies are evolving rapidly, and businesses that fail to adapt risk falling behind. According to McKinsey, B2B organisations must rethink how they drive growth by aligning around new behaviours, customer expectations, and digital tools.
In this edition of our B2B Pain Points series, we’re looking at sales growth as a strategic challenge. What are the early warning signs? How do you find out what’s holding your sales back? And how can loyalty and incentive programs help shift behaviour where it counts?
Sales growth is one of the most fundamental objectives in any business, but in B2B industries, it’s also one of the most persistent challenges.
Unlike consumer markets, where volume can be driven by mass marketing and price promotions, B2B sales growth is more complex, driven by long-term relationships, channel performance, product education, and alignment between sales teams, distributors, and customers.
When a business identifies sales growth as a pain point, it’s more than likely related to recognising that the current sales trajectory is falling short of potential, whether due to stagnant account performance, limited penetration in key channels, inconsistent behaviours across the sales funnel, or lack of visibility into what’s actually motivating purchasing decisions.
It’s also often a sign of a deeper issue: sales strategies that aren’t translating into action. You might have the right product, right pricing, and even the right partners, but the growth isn’t materialising.
This gap between strategy and behaviour is where a loyalty or incentive program becomes a powerful tool to address common B2B pain points.
Market complexity continues to grow, especially in digitally enabled B2B environments. DHL notes that businesses in Australia and New Zealand are increasingly challenged by fragmented channels and shifting buyer behaviour, both of which can stall sales growth without clear strategy.
Sales growth challenges often stem from gaps in execution, behaviour, or alignment, not just market conditions. Before you can fix the problem, you need to recognise the signs. So, what should you be looking for?
Before you can grow sales, you need to understand what’s getting in the way. Sales figures alone don’t tell the full story. What matters is the behaviour behind those numbers. That’s where many B2B businesses fall into the trap of chasing revenue without addressing the reasons performance has slowed.
Most sales growth problems don’t come from a single issue. They usually stem from a mix of gaps in motivation, alignment, and visibility, especially in complex sales environments like trade, distribution, and wholesale. When left unchecked, these gaps build over time and make it harder for your team to convert effort into results.
Below are four signs that it’s time to take a closer look at how you’re driving sales and where new growth could come from.
When top-tier clients or strategic partners reduce their purchasing frequency or volume, it can indicate deeper issues such as unmet expectations, increased competition, or a lack of engagement. This trend is especially concerning in B2B sectors where long-term relationships are pivotal.
Variability in sales figures across different channels or regions may highlight misalignments in strategy, communication gaps, or ineffective incentive structures. Such inconsistencies can hinder overall growth and suggest the need for a more cohesive approach.
An increase in the time it takes to close deals, coupled with a decline in conversion rates, often points to inefficiencies in the sales process. This could stem from inadequate training, lack of compelling value propositions, or insufficient follow-up strategies.
If your business struggles to expand its customer base or enter new markets, it may be due to a lack of brand awareness, ineffective marketing efforts, or an inability to differentiate from competitors. This stagnation can severely impact sales growth potential.
The sales landscape is changing fast. In their 2025 outlook, BlueOcean Agency highlights how the alignment of sales and marketing, clear program goals, and buyer insight will be critical to growth in the NZ B2B sector.
Recognising the signs is the first step. But identifying that there’s a sales growth problem doesn’t automatically reveal what’s causing it. To move from observation to action, you need to dig deeper into your internal processes, sales behaviour, and program performance.
Next, we’ll explore the key questions to ask within your business to uncover where the real barriers to growth are, and how to address them.
Spotting the signs of stalled sales is only part of the equation. To create real change, you need to ask the right internal questions to reveal whether your current approach is truly driving the behaviours that lead to growth.
Start with these five!
If your answers to these questions reveal gaps in motivation, engagement, or performance, that’s where a well-designed B2B loyalty or incentive program can make an immediate impact.
Adobe’s latest B2B commerce survey reinforces this shift, showing that personalisation, relevant incentives, and integrated technology are now key drivers of sales growth in competitive B2B markets.
These programs turn strategy into action by aligning rewards with the specific behaviours that drive growth. They help you engage the right people, at the right time, with offers that influence decisions while giving you the data to refine your approach as you go.
Sales growth isn’t a guessing game. With the right tools in place, it becomes measurable, manageable, and repeatable.
