Why Winging It in Sales Is Like Doing Disneyland Without a Plan
Imagine this: You have one day at Disneyland. You’ve never been before.
There’s Disneyland itself. Right next door is California Adventure. Then there’s Downtown Disney.
Rides. Shows. Parades. Fireworks. Live entertainment. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Tomorrowland. Fantasyland. And roughly a thousand places you could be at any given moment.
So, here’s the question: Would you just show up, wander around, and hope for the best?
Of course you could. Disneyland is magical no matter what.
But if you’ve ever been there, even once, you already know the truth:
Without a plan, you’ll walk far more than you need to. You’ll miss experiences that matter most to you. You’ll waste time backtracking across the park. And you’ll likely end the day exhausted, wondering how you still didn’t get to everything.
That’s when it becomes obvious: A plan doesn’t ruin the magic. A plan protects it.
And this is exactly where we arrive at Deadly Sin #3 of Sales.
The Third Deadly Sin of Sales: Not Having a Sales Plan
One of the most common—and costly—mistakes business owners make is trying to grow sales without a clear, intentional sales plan.
Just like Disneyland, you can wing it. You might even have some success.
But without a plan:
- Sales feel unpredictable
- Effort outweighs results
- Growth is hard to repeat or scale
- And business starts to feel far more exhausting than it needs to be
There’s motion, activity, and hustle… but very little leverage.
Sales isn’t life-or-death, like getting lost in the desert. But it is the engine of your business.
And when you commit this deadly sin—operating without a sales plan—you limit how much you can grow, how consistently you can close, and how enjoyable the journey actually feels.
The Sales Plan Equivalent of a Genie Pass
At Disneyland, one of the first strategic decisions you make is whether to get the Genie Pass. Why? Because shorter lines mean:
- More attractions
- Less frustration
- A better overall experience
That single decision immediately changes what’s possible for your day.
In sales, your version of the Genie Pass is thinking like your client. Your client is the one making the decision. So a real sales plan doesn’t start with what you want to sell—it starts with:
- What your client cares about
- The problem they’re trying to solve
- The outcome they truly want
This is the foundation of any effective sales strategy. When your plan is client-focused, sales conversations move faster and feel more natural—for everyone involved.
Early Entry: Why Repeatable Processes Matter
Next strategic move at Disneyland? You check for early entry. If you can get into the park an hour early, that’s when it’s quieter—and when you head straight to a top attraction before the lines explode.
That’s not luck. That’s strategy.
In sales, this is where many business owners stumble. Without a plan, they reinvent the wheel every time. With a plan, they rely on consistent, repeatable processes.
Instead of guessing what to do next, you know:
- Where to start
- What comes next
- How to move opportunities forward with confidence
This is how sales becomes reliable and scalable.
Flow Beats Chaos (In the Park and in Sales)
Once you know where you’re starting at Disneyland, you plan your flow. If you begin at Tower of Terror in California Adventure, it makes sense to head next to Spider-Man. You grab food nearby at Pym’s instead of trekking across the park. You move with intention, not chaos.
Sales works the same way. A strong sales plan aligns:
- Messaging
- Offers
- Conversations
- Follow-up
So, everything works together instead of pulling you in a dozen different directions. That’s when sales starts to feel easier, not harder.
Adjusting the Plan Without Abandoning It
Even at Disneyland, the plan isn’t rigid. You check the app for:
- Wait times
- What’s nearby
- What’s worth doing now and what can wait
A smart sales plan works the same way. You consistently assess:
- What’s working
- What’s creating momentum
- Where your effort delivers the greatest return
This flexibility is what allows a sales strategy to evolve—without falling back into chaos.
Why Deadly Sin #3 Holds So Many Businesses Back
When business owners don’t have a sales plan, they often experience:
- Inconsistent revenue
- Burnout from doing too much
- Difficulty scaling
- Frustration despite working hard
Just like Disneyland without a plan, they can still have moments of success, but they’re leaving far too much to chance.
The Role of the CROWN Methodology 👑
This is why I teach a proven sales blueprint known as the CROWN Methodology.
CROWN provides the structure that prevents Deadly Sin #3 by establishing:
- A Client-Focused Foundation
- Repeatable processes
- Original authenticity
- Worthy intent
- Ongoing relationship nurture
It’s a strategic framework designed to help you close more sales with ease while still leaving room for joy, connection, and authenticity.
(You can explore the CROWN Methodology in depth here.)
Strategy Really Is the Magic
Just like Disneyland, a sales plan doesn’t strip away creativity or joy. It allows you to experience more:
- More impact
- More confidence
- More consistent results
Deadly Sin #3 isn’t failing, it’s failing to plan. And when you stop winging it and start following a sales blueprint, everything changes.
So, ask yourself: If you wouldn’t do Disneyland without a plan… why would you do sales that way?
Lynn Whitbeck is the co-founder and President of Petite2Queen. She is focused on identifying and evaluating opportunities for women at work, helping them define their personal roadmap. She dedicates herself to delivering tools and insights, embracing visualization of the big picture, and identifying and implementing the minutiae of detail. Lynn aims to share lessons learned along her journey and enable positive uplift for women.