This particular acronym was born on a Zoom call Tuesday afternoon, July 1, with a 29-year-old outside sales rep in theCarolinas. He was four years into his career—two strong COVID years followed by two tough ones.
In 2025, tasked with opening a new market, he was floundering.
“I haven’t hit my monthly goal in nine months. Year-to-date, I’m behind by 36.4 percent. There’s building all around me and I’m quoting like crazy, but nothing sticks.”
His tone sounded different.
Then he told me why.
“Not sure if you heard, but my wife’s pregnant. Baby’s due in November. My mind’s all over the place.”
Then he said: “You got a fancy new acronym that can simplify all this, Hartmann?”
I smiled. “Yeah, I do. FAST Meetings. That’s your new metric. The only one that matters for the next 90 days.”
Why FAST?
When reps struggle, the instinct is to pile on more metrics, pipeline updates, and internal meetings.
But complexity isn’t what they need.
Clarity is.
Simplicity.
That’s why this rep and I started tracking just one number:
the number of FAST Meetings per week.
FAST stands for:
- Face-to-face
- Agenda-driven
- Scheduled
- Timed
It’s the single metric tallying real sales conversations. If your reps are struggling, focus them here.
What Makes a Meeting FAST?
Face-to-Face
Eyeball-to-eyeball. Phones away. No distractions. Nothing builds long-term trust like two people making a mutual tradeoff of time and attention. In-person is best but Zoom calls work too.
Agenda-Driven
A FAST Meeting has a clear purpose: help the builder make, find, or save money—and make them look smart. Share theagenda ahead of time. It shows you value their time.
Scheduled
There’s a world of difference between, “I was just in the area,” and, “Looking forward to Thursday at 11:15. I sent over theagenda and wanted to confirm we’re still on.” The first is, quite literally, unbelievable. (Prospects never believe that sales cliche.) The second is proactive.
Timed
Say it’ll take 15 minutes? Be done in 14. When you honor their time, you earn more of it. Every minute matters in sales.
“How many FAST Meetings do you have this week?” I asked.
“None.”
“Next week?”
“One.”
“Week after?”
“None.”
I let the silence do the work.
Eventually, he said it: “These builders are all so busy. It’s next to impossible to schedule anything.”
Here’s the brutal truth: If builders won’t commit ten minutes for a focused conversation with you, they don’t see the value. You haven’t effectively answered the builder’s unasked question, “What’s in it for me?”
And if they don’t see the value, that takeoff and price quote you’ve spent four hours working on will be used as leverage against their current supplier.
Why FAST Works
FAST Meetings are a powerful turnaround metric because they’re:
- Easy to explain
- Easy to count
- Centered on value
They reveal weak pipelines quickly. And when calendars start filling with quality meetings, momentum builds. Confidence grows and new deals follow.
FAST is an input metric—the activity that drives outcomes.
If your team is missing goals, zoom upstream. Ask: “Are we having enough real, face-to-face conversations with the right people?”
If the answer is no, that’s your problem.
And FAST is your solution.
Thanks for reading.
I’ll be back next Thursday.
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Bradley Hartmann & Co.
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Contact Bradley Hartmann:
bradley@bradleyhartmannandco.com
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