In our previous articles, we introduced the four types of coaching strong sales leaders use:
Today, we’re focusing on performance coaching. It’s one of the simplest forms of coaching a leader can implement. It’s also one of the most overlooked. In many organizations, these conversations either never happen, or they happen in a way that misses the real objective.
When we talk with sales leaders, we often ask a simple question:
“Do you hold regular one-on-one meetings with your salespeople?”
About half say no. Their reasoning usually sounds something like this:
“I talk to my team every day. We’re constantly communicating. We don't need one-on-ones”
The other half says yes. They do have one-on-ones. But when we ask what they talk about, the answer is usually reviewing deals, looking at the pipeline, and checking the numbers. Those conversations are valuable. But they’re not actually performance coaching.
Performance coaching focuses on the activities and metrics that drive results, not just the results themselves. Instead of talking only about deals, the conversation shifts to questions like:
In other words, performance coaching looks at the engine behind the sales results. The first step is defining what success should look like.
Every organization should have a clear expectation for how sales performance typically works. Think of it as your team’s success formula.
For example, it might look something like this:
From that, you can estimate the activity required to reach the revenue target. Your numbers will be different, but the key is that there should be a standard. Without that baseline, it’s almost impossible to coach performance effectively.
Once the success formula is defined, performance coaching becomes much easier. During regular one-on-one meetings, the leader and salesperson review how the numbers compare to expectations.
This conversation isn’t meant to be punitive. It’s meant to create awareness. If someone is performing well, the conversation becomes an opportunity to recognize their success and reinforce what’s working. If performance is off track, the conversation becomes a chance to diagnose what’s happening and determine what adjustments are needed.
Once you understand what’s happening with performance, the next step is deciding what to do about it. Do we need to be generating more opportunities? Do we need to be closing the ones we already have? Do we notice that the conversion rate is off?
At Pivotal Advisors, we encourage leaders to focus each week on a small number of MITs, or Most Important Things. These are the actions that will move performance in the right direction. The key is to identify three to five MITs for the week, write them down, and agree on them together.
At the next one-on-one meeting, the conversation begins with a simple question:
“How did we do on the MITs?”
If they were completed, great. Did they produce the desired result? If not, the discussion becomes: What got in the way? Sometimes there are legitimate obstacles. Other times, the priorities simply shifted. Either way, the conversation helps reset expectations and refocus attention on what matters most.
This creates the most basic and effective form of accountability. Not punishment. Progress
Performance coaching works best when it happens in consistent, structured one-on-one meetings. These meetings provide the space to review performance metrics, discuss what’s working, identify gaps, and define the next set of MITs.
If you’re looking for a simple framework to structure these conversations, we’ve created a guide to help.
Performance coaching doesn’t require complicated systems or lengthy meetings. It simply requires consistency. When leaders regularly review the metrics that drive results, help salespeople understand where they stand, and focus their attention on the actions that matter most, performance improves.
It’s a simple concept, but when it’s done well, it creates the kind of accountability and clarity that helps sales teams gain real traction.
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