I was reading a case study the other night about why Target’s expansion into Canada failed.
It wasn’t pricing—they had some of the lowest prices in Canada. It wasn’t the stores—they took over former Zellers locations at rock-bottom prices. It wasn’t a lack of effort—they had experienced and driven teams in both countries.
It was visibility.
Their systems weren’t synced, inventory data was off, and the supply chain was a mess. Stores showed products as in stock when they weren’t, and leadership lacked a clear view of what was really happening.
But the real kicker?
Each department—logistics, store ops, warehousing, marketing—was using a different system. Different operating systems, dashboards, data, and different definitions of what was “true.” So, every team made decisions based on their limited perspective, without insight into the full picture of what others saw in their systems.
The result? Silos, confusion, fallen alignment, and one of the most notable expansion failures in retail history.
No one could understand why the other team was making the decisions they were making.
And it got me thinking about the sales teams I’ve worked with.
When things break down, it’s rarely due to a lack of effort. It’s usually a visibility issue—the exact same thing that brought down Target Canada.
When I audit sales organizations, some of the most common gaps I see are:
- Who reps are actually targeting
- Which deals are truly active
- Where deals are stalling
- What customers are really saying
- What activities reps are actually doing
- How reps are prospecting
- Why reps seem constantly “busy”
And even worse – marketing, customer service, and sales are most likely each working in separate systems.
They’re not sharing a unified view of the customer. No one really knows where the handoffs are breaking down.
It’s the same silo problem that sank Target.
Without visibility and alignment, you’re left managing in the dark.
Visibility doesn’t mean micromanagement.
It means putting simple systems and habits in place to keep everyone aligned and informed quickly and effectively. For example:
- Pre-call plans from reps so leaders understand rep activity
- Pipelines that reflect true deal progress
- Weekly deal reviews with clear follow-ups
- Shared notes or tools across departments to prevent guessing
- Leaders regularly joining reps in the field
- Clear CRM dashboards
- Printed or documented Target Lists
You don’t need fancy software. You need shared visibility and consistency.
Target didn’t fail in Canada because they weren’t a great company. They failed because no one had a complete picture.
Each team acted in their silo, and the whole thing unraveled.
The same applies to sales teams.
If you lack visibility into what matters – activity, deals, targets, customer insight, or industry information, your team will constantly be out of sync.
Fix the visibility, and you’ll unlock the insights needed to grow sales.ps.
Start by looking at the leader.
Cheers,
Kyle Jager
