The Status Quo Trap: New Varicent Research Reveals How Internal Barriers Are Undermining Growth for Revenue Leaders

92% of executives say internal misalignment is stifling growth, but only 21% are taking action to fix it

Most companies are losing 6-15% of revenue to problems they already recognize, but have normalized. That’s one of many key findings from Varicent’s 2025 Sales Performance Management Market Spotlight report, The Status Quo Trap, released today.

Varicent’s research team, led by Head of Research and Insight, Dr. Curtis Schroeder surveyed and interviewed over 1,400 C-suite, revenue and operations leaders to learn what they think holds back growth and what capabilities companies will need to succeed in the future.

For most leaders, the biggest threats to revenue growth are not external. They’re internal.

Leaders reported that familiar but unresolved issues like internal misalignment, unreliable performance signals, and evolving compensation strategies pose bigger barriers to revenue growth than external forces issues like market volatility or competitive pressures.

Despite recognizing these issues, few organizations are prioritizing meaningful action.

While 92% of leaders admit misalignment is costing them up to 15% in lost revenue, only 21% are actively fixing it. Similarly, leaders cited “talent gaps” as the number one barrier to growth, but only 20% are prioritizing sales effectiveness in this year’s plans.

“Most threats to revenue aren’t invisible. They are just so familiar, they’ve become easy to overlook,” said Jason Loh, Chief Growth Officer, Varicent. “Revenue leaders didn’t necessarily create these problems, but they are uniquely positioned to fix them. This report is about better understanding the impact of status quo inside your sales organization and rewiring the systems to unlock growth.”

Other findings include:

• The Quota Illusion: 90% of sellers expect to hit quota, but only 31% say their quota is realistic.
• Beyond the Close: 82% of sellers say holistic incentives drive stronger motivation, but only 31% say it’s reflected in their current plan.
• Coaching Where it Counts: 79% of sellers say real-time, personalized coaching improves performance, but only 12% of companies integrate it into day-to-day execution.

“The biggest barrier to growth isn’t the market. It’s internal systems that can’t keep up with strategy,” says James Roth, Chief Revenue Officer, ZoomInfo. “Misfit quotas, comp plans that contradict outcomes, tools that don’t talk to each other, they get in the way of even the best strategy. You don’t need another dashboard. You need to fix the mechanics of how your go-to-market system runs.”

This report provides practical, research-backed insights and frameworks to help leaders rewire their revenue engine and build the conditions for scalable, sustained performance.

To explore how leading organizations are rethinking the internal architecture behind growth, download the full report.

About Varicent™

Varicent is an award-winning SaaS company that helps businesses fuel growth. Its suite of solutions supports a company’s entire revenue journey to help drive predictable growth, from results-driven planning of territories and quotas to incentive compensation. With Varicent, companies worldwide can set smarter goals and territories to maximize revenue potential, create incentive strategies that motivate the right behaviors to achieve revenue goals, and leverage AI-driven insights to make better decisions and outdo previous performance. To learn more about Varicent, visit www.varicent.com

Varicent, Varicent and design, and Symon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Varicent in the USA, Canada, and other countries.

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While 92% of leaders admit misalignment is costing them up to 15% in lost revenue, only 21% are actively fixing it. Similarly, leaders cited “talent gaps” as the number one barrier to growth, but only 20% are prioritizing sales effectiveness