Let’s get real for a minute.
If you're a sales manager or business owner reading this, chances are your team isn’t exactly lighting up the leaderboard right now. Maybe your reps are missing quota, pipeline reviews feel like therapy sessions, and you’re wondering if you're leading a sales team or managing a daycare for grown adults with headsets.
Don’t panic.
Also—don’t start blaming the economy, the CRM, or Mercury in retrograde.
Underperformance usually isn’t a people problem—it’s a leadership opportunity.
And you don’t fix that with motivational posters or another generic Monday morning pep talk.
As a Sandler franchise with over a decade in the trenches, and coaches who’ve spent way too many hours talking sales leaders off the ledge, we're going to give you 5 practical, battle-tested leadership moves that’ll boost your team’s performance, confidence, and close rates.
And yeah—this blog is SEO-optimized for folks like you who Googled “how to coach my sales team” at 10:37 PM after another rough forecast call.
1. Stop Telling. Start Asking.
Most managers think they’re coaching when they’re actually just lecturing. If your 1-on-1s sound like mini TED Talks, you’re doing it wrong.
Real coaching is about asking questions that make reps think, reflect, and take ownership.
Here are three sales coaching questions to keep in your back pocket:
- What could you have done differently in that call?
- What’s your plan to move this deal forward?
- What’s getting in your way right now?
Want better answers? Ask better questions. Let your reps come to their own conclusions—they’ll remember it longer (and resent you less).
Pro Tip: Silence is your friend. Ask the question, then shut up. Give them space to think. Yes, even if it’s awkward.
2. Make Performance Visible Again
If your team’s performance is only reviewed during end-of-month panic mode, you’re setting everyone up to fail.
Top sales teams make performance visible every single week.
That doesn’t mean slapping a leaderboard on Slack and calling it culture. It means tracking the right KPIs, reviewing activity and results consistently, and having honest conversations about what’s working and what’s not.
Not in a punitive, “Big Brother” way. In a, “Hey, let’s look at the facts together so we can coach smarter” kind of way.
Make performance visible. Not personal.
3. Coach the Process, Not the Personality
It’s easy to say, “She’s just not aggressive enough,” or “He’s too soft.” But let’s be real: vague personality feedback helps no one.
Instead, coach the sales behavior.
- Are they setting clear up-front contracts?
- Are they qualifying decision-makers early?
- Are they controlling the sales process or letting the prospect lead?
When coaching conversations are based on the system—not gut feelings—you can actually improve performance without damaging morale.
Remember: You’re not trying to make your reps into clones. You’re helping them execute a process in a way that fits their style.
4. Create a No-Excuses Culture (With Empathy)
High-performing teams have two things in common:
They take ownership
And they feel safe doing it
That second one is key. If your reps are afraid to admit they messed up or lost control of a deal, they’ll either lie to you or avoid coaching altogether.
So here’s the leadership move: Create space for your team to say “I screwed that up,” while still holding them accountable for doing better next time.
How? Model it. Admit when you messed up too. Ask for feedback on your coaching. Show that you’re growing just like they are.
No excuses doesn’t mean no compassion.
5. Don’t Just Train. Reinforce.
Ever attend a great sales training and feel like your team left with fire in their belly… only to see them slip back into old habits two weeks later?
Yeah. That’s because information without reinforcement is just noise.
Here’s the fix:
- Review one key technique every week.
- Role-play real deals.
- Celebrate when reps use the process correctly—even if they don’t close the deal.
Training is an event.
Coaching is a habit.
Reinforcement is the glue.
If you want your salespeople to perform like professionals, you have to treat development like a team sport, not a once-a-year keynote.
Final Thought: You Don’t Need to Be a Hero. Just Be Consistent.
Sales leaders often think they need to fix everything overnight. You don’t.
You just need to start showing up differently.
Ask better questions.
Coach behaviors, not personalities.
Make data your friend.
And reinforce like a pro.
The performance will follow.
If you're ready to coach like the kind of leader your reps actually want to follow, we’ve got your back.
Join our Management Fast Track Program and learn how to lead, coach, and scale a sales team that hits target without burning out.
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