Salespeople often rely on short-term tactics to hit their numbers. But what if the difference between mediocrity and excellence isn’t in the last-minute push, but in the way we plan, coach, and lead throughout the year? Many sales managers treat coaching as a reactive measure, something they do when performance drops. That’s a missed opportunity.
Proactive coaching isn’t just about fixing issues. It’s about enhancing potential.
The best salespeople in the world, much like top athletes, have coaches. Not because they’re failing, but because they’re trying to be even better. If your top rep is hitting quota, that’s not the finish line. That’s the starting point for the next level of performance.
Sales leaders often default to focusing on the bottom performers. That’s necessary, but incomplete. High performers need guidance, too. Not to be micromanaged, but to be challenged. Ask yourself: What are you doing to help your top performers improve? If the answer is “not much,” you’re leaving growth on the table.
There’s a tactical way to approach this.
Most companies conduct quarterly business reviews with customers. The same structure can be flipped inward and used as a coaching tool. Instead of asking what happened last quarter, ask what could happen next. What would success look like in the next 90 days? What challenges need to be addressed before they become problems?
This isn’t about adding another meeting to everyone’s calendar. It’s about intentional planning. One-to-one conversations that go deeper than pipeline reviews. The goal is to align on strategy, identify gaps in skills or processes, and develop a roadmap for improvement. Done right, it drives accountability and engagement simultaneously.
Salespeople often say they want more training. But training without context falls flat. Coaching provides that context. It’s individualized, relevant, and ongoing. It also sends a message: your development matters. That message builds loyalty. It also improves performance.
If you’re a CEO or founder managing your own sales or leading a small team, this applies even more. You’re not just the closer, you’re the coach. Your team’s performance will reflect your commitment to their growth.
- Are you investing time to help them get better?
- Or are you too busy chasing deals to build a repeatable system?
Coaching doesn’t have to be complicated.
Begin by evaluating three key areas:
- network,
- skills,
- metrics.
Does your rep have enough network reach to generate leads? Do they have the tactical skills to progress deals? And are you tracking the right metrics to measure performance, not just outcomes? If any of those are unclear, that’s your starting point.
Too often, sales leaders focus exclusively on outcomes, closed deals, revenue, and quota attainment. Those matter, but they’re lagging indicators.
Coaching focuses on leading indicators. Activity levels, conversion rates, and deal velocity are the levers you can actually influence. And when you coach those, results follow.
Another piece that’s often overlooked is listening.
Coaching isn’t just giving advice. Leaders should ask smart questions and listen carefully to the answers.
- What’s getting in the way of performance?
- What tools or resources would help?
- What’s missing from their process?
These questions uncover friction points that often go unnoticed.
But listening doesn’t mean accepting excuses. When a rep says, “I don’t have good leads,” or “Marketing isn’t helping,” that’s a signal. Not to fix it for them, but to push them to think critically. What can you do despite those limitations? How do you own your results regardless of external constraints?
The best salespeople don’t wait for perfect conditions. They find a way.
Your job as a leader is to help your team develop that mindset. Resilience, creativity, and ownership are learned behaviors that can be developed through practice. Coaching is how you teach them.
What’s the plan?
Planning is another area where most salespeople underperform. They’re busy, reactive, and focused on deals already in motion. But what about the deals that don’t exist yet? What’s the plan for growing key accounts, expanding into new segments, or increasing deal size? Without a forward-looking plan, growth becomes accidental.
Use the next one-to-one to ask strategic questions. What’s your plan for this account over the next six months? What new conversations do you need to start? What are you doing to stay top of mind with dormant leads? Specificity matters. General plans lead to general results. Push your team to get detailed.
If you’re the only salesperson in your company, this still applies. You may not have a manager holding you accountable, but you can still manage yourself. Block time to reflect on your performance. Ask the same questions you’d ask a team member. What’s working? What’s not? What’s next?
And if you’re leading a team, your role is to make them better. That’s the job. You’re not just a manager of numbers, you’re a multiplier of people. When your team improves, results follow. That’s how you scale revenue without burning out or hitting a plateau.
Continuous learning is another key element.
Top performers are always learning. Not because they’re failing, but because they’re competing at a high level. One hour a day of focused learning compounds fast. But it has to be intentional. What skill do you want to improve this quarter? What book, course, or resource would be most helpful?
If you’re not learning, you’re falling behind.
- The market changes.
- The buyers evolve.
- New tools emerge.
If you’re using the same playbook from three years ago, you’re already behind. Stay sharp. Stay curious. Stay competitive.
You can model this for your team. Share what you’re reading. Talk about how it’s changing your approach. Encourage your team to do the same. Make learning part of the culture. Not as a mandate, but as a shared pursuit of excellence.
There’s also a mindset component to all of this. The best sales leaders don’t assume they’ve arrived. They assume they’re not good enough yet, and they act accordingly. That humility drives growth. That hunger keeps them sharp. It’s not about being the best. It’s about being better than yesterday.
If you’re managing a team, ask yourself: Are you making your people better? Not just managing their output, but developing their capabilities? That’s the difference between short-term wins and long-term success. And it’s the difference between being a manager and being a leader.
When you focus on development, everything else improves.
- Retention goes up.
- Engagement increases.
- Results follow.
- People stay where they grow.
- They leave when they stagnate.
Your coaching may be the reason someone chooses to stay, or the reason they start looking elsewhere.
This doesn’t require a fancy program. It just requires consistency. Regular one-to-ones. Honest conversations. Clear expectations. And a commitment to helping people grow. It’s not about perfection. It’s about progress.
If you’re coaching someone who’s underperforming, start with belief. Show them that you believe they can improve. Then give them a plan. Not a punishment. Not a performance improvement plan. A real development path. One that focuses on building skills, not just fixing mistakes.
And if you’re coaching someone who’s succeeding, don’t let them coast. Challenge them. Ask them what they want next. Help them stretch. High performers want to grow. If you don’t help them, they’ll find someone who will.
Ensure your team isn’t just busy, but also effective.
Activity isn’t the same as progress. A full calendar doesn’t mean a full pipeline. Are they moving deals forward? Are they qualifying effectively? Are they closing with confidence? Coaching helps them focus on what matters.
You also need to track the right metrics. Not just revenue. Look at conversion rates, sales cycle length, average deal size, and pipeline coverage. These numbers tell a story. Use them to guide your coaching. When metrics dip, dig in. When they improve, find out why.
And always come back to ownership. Your team needs to know that success is their responsibility. You’re there to help, but they have to do the work. That mindset shift is critical. It creates autonomy. And it builds leaders, not just employees.
Encourage your team to think like entrepreneurs. They’re the CEO of their territory. That means planning, executing, and improving. It also means they don’t wait around for someone else to fix things. They take action.
If you want better results this year, don’t wait until next year to start coaching. Don’t wait for someone to miss quota. Start now. Now is the time to develop better habits, engage in deeper conversations, and achieve stronger performance.
The opportunity is clear. You can lead a team that hits numbers, or you can lead a team that grows. You can manage outcomes, or you can coach capabilities. One gives you results. The other builds a foundation for sustainable growth.
So what’s your plan? What are you doing this week to make your team better? What are you doing to make yourself better? That’s the work. That’s the difference. That’s where growth begins.
If you’d like to discuss how to implement this with your team, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m always happy to help you think through strategy, structure, and execution. Let’s make this your strongest year yet.
You can also get help by joining the B2B Sales Lab. The B2B Sales Lab is a resource where you can ask your peers questions and receive assistance. In the lab, you can ask questions that are bothering you or that you think you need help with, and others who have been through the same situation will be happy to assist you. You can join the lab by visiting www.b2b-sales–lab.com and receive a complimentary 90-day trial of the community.
HERE ARE FOUR ACTIONABLE STEPS FOR SALES LEADERS TO IMPLEMENT TODAY
- Schedule a One-to-One Coaching Session: Take a moment to arrange a one-on-one meeting with each of your sales team members. Use this time to ask strategic questions about their goals for the next quarter, any challenges they foresee, and areas where they feel they need support. This is not just another meeting; it’s an opportunity to deepen your understanding of their individual aspirations and provide them with the guidance they need to elevate their performance.
- Assess Key Performance Metrics: Review the metrics you currently track for your sales team to ensure they are accurate and relevant. Are you focusing solely on lagging indicators, such as closed deals and revenue? Shift your attention to leading indicators such as activity levels, conversion rates, and deal velocity. Create a list of the key metrics that matter most for proactive coaching and ensure your team understands how to interpret and act on these indicators to drive continuous improvement.
- Create a Learning Culture: Dedicate at least an hour today to exploring new skills or resources that can enhance your sales strategy. Whether it’s reading a book, enrolling in an online course, or engaging in a podcast, prioritize your own learning and development. Share what you learn with your team to foster a culture of curiosity and growth. This not only enhances your skills but also sets an example that encourages them to do the same.
- Encourage Ownership and Accountability: Have a candid discussion with your team about ownership of their results. Ask them how they can take more initiative in their roles, and what steps they can take to ensure progress despite challenges. This conversation will help cultivate a mindset of resilience and accountability, empowering your salespeople to become proactive in their performance and professional development.
By taking these immediate steps, you’ll not only enhance the capabilities of your team but also lay the groundwork for sustainable growth and success in your sales organization.
