The Illusion of Growth

In this kickoff episode of The Margin Makers, Dave and Bryan unpack why so many C-suite teams think they have a winning growth model when in reality, the sales organization is built for a market that no longer exists. They challenge the idea that more leads or more activity equals progress and spotlight how true margin-driven growth requires a fundamentally different operating rhythm inside the sales function.

Key points:

• The illusion of growth vs. actual growth
• Why “more” (leads, activity, tools) often hides deeper problems
• The risk of growth stalling when sales orgs are built for legacy buyers
• Real-world examples: margin erosion, sales resource misalignment, and “default” growth plays that no longer work
• What it means to rewire a sales org for adaptability, value co-creation, and upstream access