How to move from unpredictable wins to consistent, disciplined performance—without micromanaging your team.
Let’s be honest. If your sales growth feels like a rollercoaster—booming one quarter and barely breathing the next—you’re not alone.
Most sales teams operate without a real playbook. They either follow a generic “just make more calls” model, or worse, rely on the charisma of a few top reps to carry the entire number. It’s not scalable, it’s not predictable, and it’s definitely not sustainable.
At the 2025 Sandler Summit, Matthew Neuberger—20-year Sandler franchisee, author, and CEO of Neuberger & Company—gave sales leaders a wake-up call:
If you want consistent and disciplined success, you need a playbook built for your team—not someone else’s.
Here’s what that looks like.
1. Ditch Generic Frameworks—Build a Sales Playbook That Fits Your Business
Copy-paste sales processes don’t cut it anymore. Your team, industry, and customers are unique—your sales process should be too.
According to Neuberger, every sales organization needs to define its own:
Ideal Client Profile (ICP)
KARE Model (Keep, Attain, Recapture, Expand)
Customized Sales Gate Process
Clear Value Proposition
Without these, you’re leaving success up to chance—and coaching becomes guesswork.
If you’re leading a team and still relying on “just work harder,” it’s time for a serious upgrade.
2. Scorecards: The Underrated Tool That Drives Real Accountability
High-performing sales teams don’t rely on wishful thinking or quarterly gut-checks. They track behavior, attitude, and technique.
Neuberger recommends creating individual scorecards for your team that include:
Weekly and monthly activity goals (cookbooks)
Deal progression metrics
Behavior and development goals
Margin, revenue, and stakeholder outcomes
And yes, your veteran reps might resist it at first. But scorecards aren’t about control—they’re about clarity and respect. You can’t hold people accountable to a goal you never defined.
The best part? Scorecards help your team coach themselves.
3. Upgrade Your Coaching Game: Stop Telling, Start Developing
Sales leaders, this one’s for you. If your version of coaching sounds like:
“Just close it.”
“Work harder.”
“Follow up again.”
…then you’re not coaching—you’re managing by volume.
Great coaching focuses on three things:
Behavior – Are they executing the right actions daily?
Attitude – Do they believe they can win and recover from setbacks?
Technique – Are they using a system that works under pressure?
Neuberger emphasized the B/A/T coaching model from Sandler as the key to long-term, scalable performance. It helps managers move from emotional reactivity to strategic development.
Because closing a deal for your rep might feel good today—but developing them into a self-sufficient closer? That pays off forever.
4. Avoid These 4 Management Traps That Kill Performance
Most sales leaders fall into one of these traps (sometimes all four in one week):
Micromanagement: Constant check-ins, low delegation. Outcome? Burnout and turnover.
Laissez-Faire: Too hands-off. Outcome? Confusion, low accountability.
Over-Metrics: Managing numbers, not people. Outcome? Pressure without growth.
“I Am the Closer” Syndrome: Taking over deals to get them across the line. Outcome? A weak team that depends on you for everything.
Each of these leads to unpredictable performance. Neuberger’s advice? Coach more. Control less.
5. Create a Culture of Accountability and Respect
People don’t mind being held accountable if they understand the why, have the tools, and know their leader actually respects them.
Your team wants to know:
What’s expected of me?
How will I be measured?
What happens if I succeed—or fall short?
Do I have a voice in the process?
Sales cultures built on clarity, respect, and consistent coaching win more often—and grow faster.
Final Takeaway: Your Team Doesn’t Need More Pressure. It Needs a Better System.
When your team has a playbook built for them, scorecards that drive behavior, and a leader who coaches instead of controls, growth becomes the byproduct of discipline—not desperation.
This isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter—with a system that actually scales.
Want to dive deeper into strategies like this and connect with the top sales leaders in the world? Join us at SUMMIT26 in Fort Lauderdale, where you’ll learn how to build a scalable sales system, coach like a pro, and create the kind of culture that drives real results.
