In our household, my software developer husband and I often laugh about how differently we view the world. He’s a systems thinker—methodical, deliberate, always focused on scalability. I’m more of a high-energy, results-driven strategist, much like the high-D sales team owners I coach. But every so often, his world and mine overlap, and I hear a term that sticks with me. One such term? Technical debt.
If you read my blog post From The Brain of a Software Engineer, you’ll remember how my husband approaches problems with a calm focus that sometimes drives me nuts—especially when I’m in “put out the fire” mode. But this concept of technical debt is one of those moments where his perspective is making me rethink how I work.
What Is Technical Debt?
Technical debt is a metaphor developers use to describe the cost of quick fixes. It happens when teams prioritize speed over structure, cutting corners to meet a deadline or deliver fast. These shortcuts may work in the short term, but they eventually need to be addressed—usually at a much higher cost than if they’d been done right the first time.
In software development, technical debt might look like skipping documentation, hardcoding a solution, or deferring system upgrades. It’s efficient in the moment but creates problems later.
And it’s not just a developer problem. Sales teams face their own version of technical debt all the time.
Sales Team Technical Debt
- Hiring someone quickly without considering long-term cultural fit.
- Chasing revenue today while neglecting systems that create future pipeline.
- Skipping tools like CRMs and relying on spreadsheets because they’re “good enough for now.”
These shortcuts feel productive, but they come with costs. When that new hire doesn’t work out, when your pipeline dries up, or when your systems break under pressure, you realize the true price of those decisions.
Speed vs. Sustainability
Here’s where my husband and I differ. I love the thrill of quick wins and smashed goals. But he sees the hidden costs of shortcuts. To him, every rushed decision feels like taking out a loan on the future—and those loans always come due at the worst possible time.
In From The Brain of a Software Engineer, I joked about how his careful, steady pace feels agonizing to someone who thrives on urgency like I do. But technical debt reminds me that his approach—while slower—builds systems that hold up under pressure. And that’s something I see many sales team owners could use more of.
Managing Your Debt
For sales teams, managing debt means:
- Revisiting your hiring strategy to focus on quality over urgency.
- Building systems that can scale as your business grows.
- Making space for regular reflection to refine processes before they break.
Every business takes on some version of technical debt. The key is to make sure it’s worth the cost and that you have a plan to pay it back. Building for tomorrow might take more time, but it’s what keeps your business thriving when the pressure’s on.
So the next time I throttle the urge to charge forward on a coaching call, you can thank my husband for teaching me to pause and think about what happens next. Just don’t tell him—it’ll go straight to his head.