Sound Off Series: You Don’t Have a Sales Problem, You Have a Product Problem
By David LaVigna
You can’t fix a product problem with a sales hire, but that’s the route that many lighting companies take. When revenue slows, most lighting manufacturers often respond the same way: They add to the sales team. The new hire could be a new vice president of sales or perhaps more territory managers, or even new vertical hunters. Alternatively, they might expand rep incentives or unveil a revised compensation plan for both internal and external sales teams.
Founder-led companies do it, and PE-backed platforms do it — often faster. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: The companies that will come out on top over the next decade will not win by simply add sales capacity. They will succeed by building intentional portfolios.
This is why I say that most organizations don’t have a sales problem. They have a product strategy problem — and no amount of sales horsepower can compensate for a portfolio that lacks clarity, differentiation, and margin architecture.
The Reflex to Add Sales
In founder-led businesses between $25M and $75M, the pattern is familiar. Growth plateaus, margins tighten, and forecasts become inconsistent. The pipeline feels less predictable than it once did. The instinct is immediate: “We need more sales coverage.”
For private equity-backed firms, the pressure is amplified. Top-line acceleration is a mandate. Headcount is adjusted, territories are redrawn, and sales leadership is upgraded.
Yet rarely does the conversation begin upstream by analyzing whether the product was validated before engineering began. Does it solve a defined vertical problem or is it another SKU in an already crowded category? Was margin modeled rigorously before launch?
Does it reduce install friction or create it? Does it strengthen brand positioning or dilute it?
Most companies have a tollgate process. They may have slides and launch meetings, but discipline is not the same as documentation — and that’s where new product development often fails long before launch day.
A Familiar Story
Recently, I worked with a manufacturer that believed they had a sales execution issue. Revenue had flattened, discounting was increasing, and the field team felt pressure and frustration.
What was leadership’s proposed solution? Add three salespeople and increase rep incentives. We stepped back and evaluated the portfolio, adding product managers, too.
Over the previous 18 months, five new SKUs had been launched. None were clearly differentiated and each required some level of field-customization. Margin assumptions were optimistic, but the installation complexity had been underestimated. We fixed it all – led from the Products team from the ground up.
In actuality, the sales team wasn’t underperforming; they were compensating.Once product positioning was clarified, redundant SKUs consolidated, and margin architecture rebuilt, sales velocity improved without adding unnecessary headcount. The issue wasn’t who was selling; it was what they were selling.
Engineering Is Not Strategy
Too often in lighting, engineering drives product direction. Sales fills the gaps with customization promises. Operations absorb complexity and leadership assumes volume will smooth the edges.
The result?
• Longer sales cycles
• Margin erosion
• SKU proliferation
• Inventory exposure
• Operational drag
• Brand confusion
When product lacks strategic clarity, sales teams become negotiators and problem-solvers rather than accelerators. And when sales struggles, leadership often hires…more sales.
That cycle is expensive.
For PE-Backed Platforms: Growth vs. Enterprise Value
Top-line growth looks strong in a board presentation, but growth without product discipline often produces temporary revenue spikes instead of durable enterprise value.
If new product development lacks structure, validation rigor, and margin foresight, expansion introduces complexity faster than the organization can absorb it. You can grow revenue while quietly degrading enterprise quality. That’s not scale; that’s noise.
The Reframe: Fix What You Sell
High-performing manufacturers rarely win because they have the most aggressive sales teams.
They succeed because:
• Their products solve specific, repeatable problems
• Margin structure is intentional, not assumed
• Installation friction is minimized
• Controls integration is considered early
• Differentiation is clear technical or aesthetic
• Go-to-market strategy aligns with product architecture
Sales acceleration is the output of product clarity — not the substitute for it.
Lighting is no longer forgiving of “good enough.” Margins are tighter. Controls ecosystems are more complex. Specifiers are more informed. Rep structures are evolving.
Whether your organization is founder-led or PE-backed, is it worth debating another sales hire while experiencing margin compression, inconsistent launches, or operational drag? It’s time to examine your product development discipline, not just your sales structure.
Alignment between product, operations, and go-to-market strategy isn’t accidental. It’s built. And when it’s built correctly, sales become acceleration not compensation. If this feels uncomfortably familiar, that’s not a coincidence. It’s a signal.
Stop hiring around the problem and fix the product strategy.
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About the Author
David LaVigna is the founder of DLightWorks, where he partners with founder-led and PE-backed lighting manufacturers to align product strategy, operations, and go-to-market execution for scalable growth and stronger enterprise value. You can reach him at www.dlightworks.co or (203) 451-2993
Other articles by David LaVigna
What’s Next for Lighting? A Gut Check on Where We’re Headed
Editor’s Note: USLT readers are invited to submit an opinion article for the Sound Off series regarding a challenge they see in the lighting industry and their proposed solution.
