Beyond the Pitch — Issue #5

In my decade-long journey in sales and leadership, one factor has consistently stood out as the difference between success and missed opportunities:

A sense of urgency, or the lack of it.

I have had the privilege of interacting and working within multinational organisations for most of my career. And with scale comes complexity. With complexity comes processes - approvals, governance structures, documentation, alignment meetings - all necessary to ensure consistency, compliance, and control.

But here’s the thing:

When process begins to slow down progress, it stops being an enabler and becomes a liability.

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

Processes are meant to serve us. Not the other way around.

The same applies here.

Over my career, I have come to learn that many deals aren’t lost on value, they’re lost in the gap between decision and delay.

Opportunities don’t wait.

Customers don’t pause their needs.

Markets don’t slow down to accommodate internal bottlenecks.

While companies are still aligning internally, seeking approvals, or waiting for the next committee meeting, the customer has already moved on. Sometimes to a competitor. Sometimes to an alternative solution. Sometimes simply because the moment passed.

And by the time you are ready, the context has changed.

This is not about blaming processes. It’s about recognising that in today’s environment, speed is no longer a luxury but a requirement for survival.

Lack of urgency is rarely obvious.

It doesn’t announce itself loudly. It hides behind phrases like:

• “We have never done this before.”

• “We need to align internally.”

• “Management needs to approve.”

• “XYZ is on leave till next week.”

Individually, these sound reasonable. Collectively, they create inertia.

And inertia is dangerous.

While you are taking your time, someone else is taking action.

In sales, momentum is everything.

Once momentum is lost, recovery is difficult. The customer’s attention shifts. Priorities change. Energy drops.

And in many cases, the opportunity quietly disappears.

Let’s be clear here, urgency is not about rushing recklessly or bypassing important controls.

Urgency is about intentional speed.

It’s about recognising what matters and acting accordingly. It’s about reducing friction where it adds no value. It’s about making decisions with clarity and conviction.

Urgency is a mindset before it is a behaviour.

It shows up in how quickly you respond to a customer. How proactively you anticipate obstacles. How deliberately you move conversations forward.

And most importantly - how seriously you treat time.

There are instances where you'll be told to slow down (wacha pressure msee!). To be more patient (relaaax boss!). To not push so hard, so quickly (hii kazi itakumaliza bro!).

And while I understand where that advice comes from, your response has to remain consistent:

We are underestimating the size of the problem!

We are underestimating:

• The strength of the status quo

• The pace of change in our markets

• The urgency of our customers’ needs

The world is not waiting.

Customers today are more informed, more demanding, and less tolerant of delay than ever before.

They expect responsiveness. They expect decisiveness. They expect progress.

And when they don’t get it, they move.

For me, urgency is no longer just a performance driver.

It is a survival principle.

The organisations and individuals who thrive are those who act with purpose, speed, and clarity. Those who recognise that every interaction, every decision, every delay has consequences.

There must be a level of importance attached to what we do - a conviction that what is in front of us truly matters.

That it matters enough to act now.

Not later. Not eventually. Not when it’s convenient.

Now!

In changing, adapting, and moving with urgency - we remain relevant.

And in remaining relevant - we stay alive...literally!

If this resonated with you, I invite you to subscribe to Beyond the Pitch so you don’t miss the next issue.

And if there’s a topic you’d like me to explore around Sales, Leadership, or Customer Experience, drop it in the comments - I may just feature it next.

Until next time, Stay sharp. Stay intentional. And act like it matters.

Have a blessed Easter.

Salam!