From the Rugby Field to the Sales Floor: Building a Team That Wins

I have helped companies expand internationally and structure their sales from zero, working hands-on with teams both on the ground in the same room and remotely across time zones. One of my proudest milestones is taking over sales operations when the company had zero ARR and, together with the team and leadership, building a process that scaled to over three million dollars in annual recurring revenue within three years.

Outside of scaling companies, I coach rugby. I have coached for more than ten years, including leading the Turkish national team for an international match. I am also the first and only coach to take a Turkish club to win an international tournament, the Balkan Super League. The discipline and clarity needed on the field shape how I build sales workflows that keep teams aligned, even when spread across continents and time zones.

Many founders expect their sales teams to run on hustle alone. Hustle matters, but without clear workflows even the best people waste time, lose deals and burn out. Building a scalable sales workflow is like coaching a winning team. Roles, plays and trust must be clear before the match starts.

Here is how we help companies move from chaos to clarity, using lessons that work both in sport and business.

1. Know the Game Plan (Map Your Sales Process)

In rugby, every player knows exactly where to be during each phase of play. You do not run aimlessly. You run support lines. Sales needs the same discipline.

Start by mapping your sales process from first touch to close. Write down each step in plain terms: prospecting, qualification, discovery, demo, proposal, negotiation, close. Make sure everyone uses the same stages and knows exactly what moves a deal forward.

A clear process turns messy handovers into predictable progress. New hires ramp faster, managers coach better and pipeline reviews stop feeling like guesswork.

2. Define Roles Clearly (Who Does What and When)

A strong team never expects everyone to do every job. In rugby, the players who run the field and score are not the same ones who push in the scrum. In sales, unclear roles create confusion and lost opportunities.

Be precise about who owns what:

• Who qualifies leads?

• Who runs deep discovery?

• Who prepares and presents proposals?

• Who owns the handover to customer success?

Write this down, include it in onboarding and review it regularly. Clear roles keep tasks from slipping through the cracks and help people focus where they add the most value. If you want a deeper look at why missing this step hurts so many founders, check out 3 Biggest Mistakes B2B Startups Make When Building a Sales Team.

3. Use Tools That Support the Team, Not the Other Way Around

In sport, every piece of gear is chosen to help the team play its best. Nobody uses equipment that gets in the way. Sales tools should do the same.

Any CRM can work if it matches how you actually run your sales process. Some are better suited for quick, high-volume sales, while others fit longer, complex cycles. What matters most is that you design it around your daily workflow, not just for reporting.

For many small and growing teams, tools like HubSpot, Pipedrive or Zoho work well when set up correctly and kept clean. They are flexible enough for most B2B use cases and easy for new reps to adopt without adding unnecessary complexity or cost.

Your CRM should clearly show deal status, next steps and ownership at a glance. It should help your team close deals, not just store contact data.

For practical advice on making your CRM a real revenue engine, read How to Turn Your CRM into a Revenue Engine.

4. Pass the Ball Cleanly (Keep Communication Tight)

In rugby, a sloppy pass can ruin a scoring chance. In sales, poor communication does the same.

Set clear habits for updates and handoffs:

• Log activities, notes and status changes in the CRM.

• Tag the right people when handing off deals.

• Keep handover notes clear and brief.

• Hold weekly huddles to check the pipeline and clear blockers.

Good communication keeps everyone ahead of surprises and focused on the next best action.

5. Build Feedback Loops (Adjust the Playbook as You Go)

No game plan stays the same for a full season. Sometimes it does not even stay the same for an entire match. Winning teams adjust as they see what works.

Your sales workflow should do the same. Review stage conversion rates. Track why deals are lost. Listen to calls. Find weak points and fix them quickly.

We run retrospectives with clients just like a post-match review: what worked, what did not and what to improve before the next quarter.

Final Thought

A chaotic sales process drains time, trust and talent. A clear workflow turns effort into predictable results.

You do not win a rugby match by letting everyone run wherever they want. You win because every player knows where to stand, when to pass and how to keep the play moving. Sales is no different. Good systems make good people perform at their best.

At scaleWW, we help startups and scale-ups build workflows that keep teams aligned and revenue steady, whether everyone is in the same room or spread around the world. If your team works hard but still feels stuck, it might be time to fix the system, not the people.

Ready to move from chaos to clarity? Let’s talk.