One-on-one meetings with your sales team should be more than pipeline updates. They are an opportunity for sales coaching, accountability, and development.
That means listening not only to what your salespeople say, but to what their language may reveal about their mindset and behavior.
Three words deserve a closer look:
“Try.”
“Need to.”
“Can’t.”
These words aren’t automatically excuses. But they can be signals that a deeper coaching conversation is needed.
Listen for what’s behind the words
“I’ll try to make more prospecting calls.”
Instead of accepting “try,” ask:
“What specifically will you do?”
“When will you do it?”
“What could get in the way?”
“I need to prospect more.”
Ask:
“If you know it needs to happen, what’s preventing you?”
“I can’t hit that activity goal.”
Ask:
“What is outside your control?”
“What can you control?”
The goal isn’t to catch someone saying the wrong thing. It’s to help them move from vague intentions to specific commitments.
Coach attitude, behavior, and technique
Sandler’s Success Triangle provides a useful framework for sales management and sales coaching:
Attitude: What mindset or beliefs are affecting performance?
Behavior: What actions are happening consistently?
Technique: Does the salesperson have the skills to execute effectively?
When results are off track, ask yourself: Is this an attitude issue, a behavior issue, or a technique issue?
That answer helps you coach the real problem instead of simply reacting to the numbers.
Accountability starts with better conversations
Effective sales leadership isn’t about micromanaging every activity. It’s about helping salespeople take ownership of their performance.
So the next time you hear “try,” “need to,” or “can’t,” pause before moving on.
Ask a question. Get specific. Create a commitment.
Sometimes three little words can reveal exactly where the coaching conversation needs to go.
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Chuck Terry, President of Sandler Denver, helps sales professionals and organizations strengthen sales performance through sales training, sales management coaching, leadership development, and proven sales processes.
If you’re looking for sales training or sales coaching in Denver, Colorado, let’s start a conversation.
