Sales Rep Training

customized sales training

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Why Customized Sales Training Delivers Better ROI

When I became the Global Head of Enablement at SAP, I was given one monumental task: launch outbound virtual sales training FAST.

I had no team.
No curriculum.
And a deadline that did not care.

In four weeks, 37 reps were scheduled to sit in a classroom in Barcelona. And I had nothing. No content. No internal resources. No time to build it all from scratch.

So I did what most enablement leaders in that situation do. I started shopping for sales training.

What I found was the same thing you still see everywhere today. A standard two day workshop. One version for Sales 101. One for Sales 201. One for managers. One for leaders. A little pre-work, maybe a little post-work, but essentially a one-size-fits all experience that was not designed for our motion or our customers.

When I asked vendors for customized sales training, I paid an extra ten thousand dollars and got two role plays printed on paper and shoved into the back of the workbook.

That was the “customization.”

It was not just frustrating. It was unusable. I did not want a vendor. I needed a partner. I needed content that actually fit our inside sales training reality and that my team could reuse, adapt, and build on, not a one time event.

That experience stuck with me. It shaped how I think about sales training, and it is a big reason I am on a mission to make customizable sales training the norm instead of the exception.

DOWNLOAD: Sales Training Vendor Partner Checklist

Why One Size Fits All Sales Training Fails

If you have ever sat through generic sales training, you already know why it fails.

Most programs are built for delivery efficiency, not real world application. They are designed so a trainer can fly in, deliver the same deck to a different audience, and fly out again.

On paper, it looks like this:

  • One standard curriculum
  • One format, often a two day workshop
  • One path, regardless of role or segment
  • One moment in time, then it is over

In reality, this creates three big problems.

#1 Engagement

Reps and managers are busy and overloaded. The human brain is always scanning for reasons not to change. The second they hear an example that does not match their buyers or their sales cycle, they check out.

“This is for field sellers.”
“Our buyers are nothing like that.”
“This feels like theory, not inside sales training.”

#2 Application

Even great ideas die if the rep has to translate them alone. When training is generic, you are asking each seller to figure out how to apply it to their role, their accounts, and their conversations. A few high performers will do it. Most will not.

#3 Retention and ROI

We know from learning science that people forget the majority of what they hear in class within days if they are not actively recalling and using it. If there are no real calls, no role specific activities, and no coaching built around the new skills, the investment evaporates fast.

That is why truly customizable sales training matters. Not because it sounds fancy, but because relevance is what keeps reps engaged long enough to try something new, and trying is the first step toward results.

The Real Build vs. Buy Dilemma For Enablement Leaders

If you run enablement or revenue, you are caught in a familiar trap.

Option 1: Build your own sales training
  • You control the message and the motion
  • You align to your process, customers, and tech stack
  • You can design role specific paths for BDRs, AEs, AMs, and managers

But you also run into the reality:

  • It takes months, sometimes years
  • Your team already has a full time job
  • Internal credibility can be uneven
  • Content gets outdated faster than you can update it
Option 2: Buy external sales training
  • You get outside expertise
  • You get something faster
  • You get a facilitator with instant credibility
  • You get structure you did not have to build

But the tradeoffs are real:

  • Content is often generic and one size fits all
  • It is hard to plug into onboarding and ongoing development
  • You often do not own the materials
  • Two years later the playbook and slides are still sitting where you left them

Enablement leaders live in that tension. You want the speed and quality that comes from buying, but you also need the control and customization that comes from building.

Revenue leaders feel it from a different angle. They see the price tag and ask if this sales training will move pipeline, conversion, and quota attainment. The answer depends almost entirely on whether the content feels relevant enough to use and simple enough to apply quickly.

That is the heart of the build vs. buy dilemma. It’s not about training for training’s sake. It’s about behavior change, time to impact, and whether the organization will actually adopt what you invest in.

Why Customizable Sales Training Matters For Both Enablement And Revenue

This is where customized sales training and modular sales training become a strategic lever, not a “nice to have.”

For enablement leaders, customizable sales training means:

  • You can align content to your stages, roles, and motions
  • You can plug modules into onboarding, everboarding, and refreshers
  • You can keep building on the same foundation instead of starting from zero every year
  • You get a shared language for managers to coach to

For revenue leaders, inside sales training that is truly customized means:

  • Faster ramp and shorter time to first meeting and first deal
  • Higher adoption because reps recognize themselves in the examples
  • Less rework and less “shadow curriculum” created by individual teams
  • Better visibility into what “good” looks like on actual calls

At its best, sales training is not a one time event. It is a system that combines short, tactical learning, manager coaching, live call practice, and reinforcement activities over time.

Generic content cannot support that system. Customizable sales training can.

DOWNLOAD: What Best-in-Class Sales Training Looks Like Checklist

What Customized Sales Training Actually Looks Like At Factor 8

This is exactly the gap we’re filling at Factor 8.

Instead of a single, fixed workshop, our inside sales training is built from more than 40 mini modules that we mix and match based on real data about your team. We start with an assessment. We listen to calls, review metrics, talk with leaders and reps, and identify where deals stall and where confidence breaks down.

From there, we design a custom enablement plan that often includes different paths for different roles. A BDR, an AE, and a manager should not all sit through the same day and hope to extract what they need. Each role gets the skills and scenarios that match their reality.

Customization shows up in the delivery too. The decks do not talk about “selling ice to Eskimos.” They use your buyers, your stories, your competitive landscape. Activities, role plays, and even customer logos are built around your sales motion. Reps often bring real calls into the room. We give feedback on actual conversations, not hypotheticals.

We also use a blended learning model that puts application at the center. Reps take short eLearning first to learn the core concepts. Then they complete customized homework that applies those concepts to their world, for example writing their own intros or value statements. When they come to the live workshop, they are already working from their own talk tracks and we coach them up from there.

After class, we keep going. Reps and managers come back together for accountability sessions where we review recorded calls, give next level feedback, and layer in more advanced tips. Managers then meet with us separately so we can calibrate what “good” sounds like and make sure they are reinforcing the skills in one on ones, huddles, and team meetings.

That is customized sales training in practice. It is inside sales training that is specific to your world, built to be used, and supported by your managers, not just a trainer.

Now here is where the model really shifts for enablement.

We heard the same thing from leaders again and again. They loved the training. They loved the outcomes. And they wanted more control. They wanted to keep building on the content with their own voice, their own products, and their own expertise.

So we created the All Access Sales Training License.

With All Access, you still get the full Factor 8 experience, including the assessment, the modular curriculum, and our trainers. But you also get the editable soft copies of our workshops and materials, along with train-the-trainer support and LMS ready files.

That means:

  • You can license customizable sales training content that already works
  • You can brand it, adapt it, and plug it into your own LMS or run it in ours
  • You can build role-based paths for reps and managers without starting from scratch
  • You can keep content evergreen by updating it as your motion evolves

In plain terms, we help you solve the build vs. buy dilemma.

You get the speed, expertise, and credibility of buying outside sales training. You get the control, flexibility, and ownership of building your own. And your reps get inside sales training that finally feels like it was made for them.

If you are tired of choosing between generic workshops and year long build outs, this is the middle ground. Customized sales training that is modular, practical, and actually yours to keep.

Are you looking for customizable sales training?

Contact us today to learn about our customizable virtual sales training programs
available for reps (and managers).


sales rep onboarding

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8 Sales Rep Onboarding Best Practices

By now you’ve heard that the sales rep onboarding experience is a major factor in how they ramp to quota and ultimately affects how they feel about your company.  

There are about 3 million moving parts in an onboarding program since it happens across so many departments, mostly outside of sales. Because of this, it’s easy to lose our way during onboarding. One of the most important hindrances is the lack of investment — both in effort and money — in onboarding.

Insidesales.com did a study that found organizations spend an average of 3x more on rep tools than on rep development, with the average rep having between 5-10 tools. Similarly, Training Magazine found that organizations spend on average 25x more on recruiting than development. 

Moreover, Training Magazine tells us that a good onboarding program can cut ramp time and attrition by 50%. If we focus more time on crafting an onboarding program that will help retain the reps we recruit, we save time, money, and energy down the line.

So let’s do this! Here are 8 best practices you can dive into fixing right now.

Integrate These 8 Best Practices Into Your Sales Rep Onboarding

  1. “Just-in-time” training
  2. Leverage sales (not HR) professionals
  3. Balance software and traditional training methods
  4. Continue onboarding long after the rep is “ready”
  5. Adopt the six critical components of a training program 
  6. Use ample multimedia resources
  7. Create a formal, but flexible, rep training program 
  8. Set realistic, data-based expectations 

Let’s dive a little deeper into why and how to integrate these tips into your onboarding.

1. “Just-in-time” Training

When building an onboarding program, it’s tempting to start by listing all the things “Johnny” may ever need to know and start from the top. Instead, try slicing off only what Johnny needs to know in month one.

It can be tempting to dive deep into company waters with things like histories, organizational charts, and other detailed and specific areas. It’s more effective to shift this information to the backburner for the time being and focus only on what the new rep needs in the first month to be successful. After all, how often does a customer quiz your rep on key events in the company’s founding?

Onboarding training should mirror what a rep’s day-to-day activities will look like once training is finished during the first month on the job (and only that first month).  This ensures reps don’t feel like a fish out of water when the time comes to execute the tactics taught in training.

Why stop at month one? Because we want our reps to come out of onboarding feeling confident! We want them ready to pound the phones and execute what they learned! If we start introducing them to all the sales process complexities, advanced products, and deep conversations, then we run the risk of scaring or overwhelming them.  

This is a time when “you don’t know what you don’t know” is a good thing. If your reps will likely spend that first month talking to existing happy customers or cold calling and leaving a lot of voicemails, stop training there. Bring them back later for the rest. 

2. Leverage Sales (Not HR) Professionals 

Aberdeen reported that 85% of the sales teams considered “best-in-class” use professional sales trainers or curriculum. But the majority of us outsource our onboarding to HR.

This absolutely does not mean that your sales managers should be the trainers. It means that as a sales leader, you have sales managers and a sales training manager reporting to you (or at least attending your meetings). It could also mean that you have a sales manager who acts as a liaison to training.  

But what it definitely means is that you and your sales team all know what is being taught, agree with the how, and are thrilled with what reps can do when they graduate from the onboarding training.

Some companies shy away from investing in an expert for new hires due to the high turnover rate. But, by investing in good sales training and following best practices, companies can reduce new hire turnover rate and save money in the long run.

3.  Balance Online and Classroom Training 

What we use to teach reps is another balancing act between digital learning and resources and traditional training methods. 

Best practice? Use technology for about 30% of your overall curriculum. Much more and we’re missing the opportunity to engage new reps and ensure their first month is lonely and, let’s face it: boring. 

Online learning is easiest to leverage for one of the following areas:

  1. Rote knowledge that isn’t likely to change. This includes policies, laws, company history, and unchanging products.
  2. Already-created, third-party curriculum. Commonly this is from technology vendors like Salesforce or basic Microsoft how-to assets
  3. Trusted adviser curriculum. If you’re working with social, sales, or marketing experts already and have adopted their methodologies, ask about online resources to onboard new reps. 

Leverage your training department’s learning management system with whatever you’re doing. You’ll want to track what reps have and haven’t done and add a layer of accountability with reporting and testing.

4. Don’t Let It End! Continue Training Even After Onboarding

Rep development should be ongoing. Don’t ever fall into the trap of “They’re trained! My job here is done.” That’s akin to the NFL putting players in preseason camp and then stopping practice when the regular season begins.  

Development is an ongoing sport.  

At Factor 8, we’re huge champions of sending new reps to the phones early and often. But that is with the assumption that they’ll come back to the classroom to address the gaps they find while out on the harsh streets of your sales floor. It’s also assuming that managers are closely keeping track of rep progress and development needs.

How do you facilitate this?

Try to organize the curriculum into three levels:

  1. Level 1 maps to onboarding – the foundational/month 1 skills.  
  2. Level 2 is “just in time” after reps master level 1 and get 6-12 months under their belt. They’re ramped to quota, and it’s time for ongoing development to keep growing and do the whole job well.  
  3. Level 3 maps to the mastery of the job in years 2 to 3 — more advanced skills to help them be superstars.   

Between each level we add exercises, activities, assignments, and refreshers to keep the skills top of mind, show new ways to try certain tactics, and help managers engage reps in 1:1 and team skill development. The Sales Bar helps us make all of this accessible on-demand so teams can learn what they want to when they want to while still keeping track. We also drip new content monthly and use leaderboards to keep things fresh and different so users want to log back in.  

Use this as an example of the microlearning and ongoing development young reps crave. Millennials expect a certain percentage of learning to be in the classroom and online, and they expect opportunities to develop themselves long after onboarding.  

Offering blended learning, leveled learning, and ongoing learning checks all those boxes.

5. Adopt the 6 Critical Components of a Sales Training Program

If you’re just starting to build your program or you’re going in to assess yours, start by evaluating what’s being trained. It’s easy to go deep into systems and products, but those are just two of the six components of well-rounded onboarding training:

  1. Systems and tools — Your CRM, intranet, engagement tool, dialer, etc. 
  2. Product and service — What you’re selling. Tip: Focus on “how to sell it” versus a full rundown of product history, speeds, and feeds. This harkens back to best practice #1 and maintaining training relevancy. If your product people are teaching this, chances are your reps don’t need half of it and are using this time to snooze.
  3. Sales — Even if you hire for experience, reps need to be taught how to sell your services to your customers in your industry over the phone.  Haven’t met a new hire yet who doesn’t.
  4. Process — Think of how your leads and orders get processed internally and who a rep goes to for the top customer questions. In other words, how do you get stuff done at your company?
  5. Acumen — Sorry folks, they’re not coming out of school with business acumen and certainly not industry and customer acumen. This is a big gap, and filling it will drastically shorten ramp time.  
  6. Manager integration — this is where tip #5 really comes to life, both during and after onboarding. Reps need to see their leaders often, and training needs input and oversight.

6. Utilize Ample Multimedia Resources

No two reps are identical when it comes to learning style. Make sure you’re meeting every new hire where they’re at by using a mix of helpful resources. 

This includes but is not limited to:

Mixing up these methods not only appeals to reps with different learning styles but also helps keep training exciting and fresh. Who wants to sit and listen to someone else make calls all day and slap a “training” label on it? 

7. Create a Formal, but Flexible Rep Training Program

If you’re not putting all new hires through the same rep onboarding process, how can you ever tell if what you’re doing is working?

As we said: Different reps have different learning styles, so it is important to remain flexible to an extent. Just make sure you have some core pillars of onboarding training in place so all new hires are experiencing the same process.

This helps you measure KPIs and tweak your processes if weak spots surface.

8. Set Realistic, Data-Based Expectations for Your New Reps

How many times have your managers set sky-high call quotas for new reps? How many times have they failed to reach it? But, most importantly, how many times has this been documented?

The only thing more frustrating (for both rep and manager) than someone consistently underperforming on quotas, is for there to be nothing in place to fix it moving forward.

Make sure when you’re setting expectations and KPIs for new hire reps that they are based on data. Once you have a fleshed-out onboarding process, it will be easier than ever to keep track of this information.

Find a Tool That Works for Your Onboarding Needs

What if we told you there’s a tool that complements in-person sales training, allows managers to monitor new hire learning during onboarding, and offers a wide variety of inside sales resources?

It’s not magic — it’s The Sales Bar. Fill out the form below to learn more.

Want more information on our sales rep onboarding programs?

Contact us today to request information on our customizable virtual sales training programs
available for reps (and managers).


sales metrics to track

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60+ Sales Metrics to Track: Role-by-Role Guide to Activity & Performance

Sales metrics are your early indicators, your coaching roadmap, and your proof of sales training ROI.

They show you what’s working, where your team needs help, and whether your sales training investment is actually paying off.

But not all metrics tell the full story.

Activity is easy to measure and quota attainment is easy to celebrate. But by themselves, those numbers don’t tell you if reps are building skills, progressing deals, or gaining the confidence to hold real sales conversations.

That’s why we’re breaking down the top sales metrics to track by role.

Because every sales position contributes to pipeline and revenue in different ways, and tracking the right metrics helps you spot success earlier, coach more effectively, and tie enablement wins to revenue.

Here are the roles we’ll cover:

Let’s take the guesswork out of performance and start measuring what matters.

BDR/SDR Metrics

Confidence shows up in activity. Skill shows up in conversion. That’s why the best BDR metrics don’t just tell you how many calls they made, but what actually happened after they hit “dial.” You won’t measure all of these, but pick 2-3 that are easily reported in your world. Focus on quantity and quality.

Here’s what you can track:

  • New hire ramp – How long it takes to meet quota. Measure training effectiveness against past class baselines or use a control group. Four to six months to goal is average.
  • Dials – Baseline activity matters, especially with newer reps. Just don’t stop here. Outbound BDR/SDR should average 50-100 dials a day.
  • Dial-to-connect rate – Are they reaching humans? If not, it’s probably a data issue. Look for a 3-10% connect rate.
  • Average talk time – Measure by call or daily total by rep. Good top of funnel calls are 2.5 – 10 minutes in length and focused reps should spend at least 2.5 hours/day on the phone. 
  • Connect-to-conversation rate – If a call lasts more than 2 minutes, that’s a human connection worth tracking. If you’re below 25%, reps need help with skills. 
  • Daily conversations – An average number of quality conversations per day (over 2 minutes). Aim for 3-5 conversations/day.
  • Positive outcomes – A less common stat that can add “small wins” like accounts qualified, referrals gained, or follow-up meetings scheduled – anything that’s not quite a meeting. Aim for 25% plus. 
  • Meetings booked – Conversion from connect to meeting booked. Cold calls convert 2-5% on average, top reps and situations closer to 33%. Always pair with the next metric.
  • Meeting show rate – AKA “hold rate.” Are these meetings actually happening? 50-60% is a good starting point, top performers come in around 90%.
  • Percentage of qualified meetings – AEs will help you define what “qualified” means here and they’re always pickier than the SDR team. If more than 50% are being accepted, you’re winning. 
  • Lead to opportunity conversion – What percent of meetings actually wind up in the pipeline. An average is 1-3% of leads being added to the sales pipeline.
  • Inbound calls – SDRs should be leaving messages, and good messages get returned. Great messages plus consistency will get up to 25% of calls returned.
  • Call quality scores – This is where skill execution lives. Use your coaching rubric to track growth.
  • Call engagement scores – A new AI feature from your conversational intelligence tool. No industry benchmarks yet, but like call quality scores, a smart add to your balanced scorecard.

These metrics help you go beyond the mindset of “more dials = better rep.” You’ll see who’s dialing scared, who’s winging it, and who’s actually applying the skills from training.

Skills That Move Metrics (and how to track them):

  • Call intros and brush-offs – A great opener gets the prospect talking within the first 10 seconds and keeps them after an initial brush-off (it’s like an objection, but not). If they’re engaged, your talk time and connect-to-conversation increase along with your positive outcomes, and meetings booked. Take SWIIFT℠ Introductions That Work and Overcoming the Brush-off.
  • Voicemails and prospecting planning – If callbacks and connects spike post-training, reps are implementing new and improved voicemail messages and email/social messaging. Take Messages That Get Returned and Planning for Prospecting. 
  • Deal qualification – When reps find the right people and pre-qualify leads by asking the right questions, the percentage of qualified meetings and meeting show rates spike immediately with lead-to-opportunity conversion following. Take Capture Contacts and Qualify and Categorize.
  • Discovery – When reps improve questioning and engagement techniques vs. script reading and survey-taking, customers engage, and results show up in connect-to-conversion rate, daily talk time, positive outcomes, and meetings booked. Take Question Like a Pro to improve sales call discovery.
  • Closing – SDRs lacking confidence struggle to have real conversations and ask for meetings. Reps improving in confidence and closing will show improvement in positive outcomes and meetings booked. Take Transitioning to Close to help close every call.
  • Call quality – Not sure what to track in the conversation itself? Step one is using a standard coaching form so you can track progress.

When BDR/SDR training is working, reps get more voicemails returned, keep prospects on the phone longer, and confidently set next steps. These are your first signs that sales training or coaching is making an impact.

READ: How to Keep Prospects on the Phone

Inside Sales Rep Metrics

Inside Sales Reps do it all: prospect, qualify, demo, and sometimes close. That’s why tracking ISR performance requires more than just activity. You need to know if they’re creating pipeline, overcoming early objections, and setting up seamless handoffs (or closes). 

Here’s what to track:

  • New hire ramp – how long it takes to meet quota. Measure training effectiveness against past class baselines or use a control group. For ISRs six months is pretty average.
  • Activity rate – Like SDRs, ISRs need a healthy outbound routine. Look for fewer outbounds than SDRs as ISRs balance demos, longer conversations, and orders, but insist on at least 10 outbound calls and 3-5x total activities including email/social per day. 
  • Initial call/lead conversion – Good initial calls convert into leads and follow up meetings. In addition to longer calls and talk time, top reps will convert above 30% of initial calls to a discovery call. Newbies and cold calls under 10%.
  • Opportunities conversion – The conversion from discovery call into actual pipeline ranges from 10-30% on average. 
  • Demo conversion rate – Wherever “show and tell” falls in your cycle, watch what percent of opportunities progress past this stage. Benchmarks vary from 20-60%. Use your team’s history.
  • Win rate – What percent of total opportunities in pipe ultimately close? Standards vary by industry and tenure from 15 to 50%.
  • Follow-up attempts – Persistence matters, especially in a full-cycle role. Leads not getting at least five attempts are wasting money. Well-qualified leads should show 10+ attempts.
  • Average sales cycle length – Are those opportunities moving forward? Or stalling out? Dividing the total number of days it took to close all the deals by the number of deals gives you baseline velocity.
  • Pipeline generated – What is the average dollar amount added to pipeline per rep per period?
  • Revenue/Profit – Actual revenue or margin closed. Use historical data for baselines and watch out for cyclicality. 
  • Average deal size – ACV/AOS depending on industry (average contract value/average order size). 
  • Quota attainment – Percent of goal achieved.
  • Number of deals – Watch for efficiency and hustle by not just measuring dollars closed.
  • Call/Demo quality scores – Customer engagement and rep skills are even more critical as deals progress. Measure standard discovery, communication, objection handling, demo, and closing skills. Keep coaching forms consistent between reps and teams.

*SaaS companies will track a few additional standard metrics like Customer Acquisition Cost, Lifetime Customer Value, MRR, and Customer Churn.

These metrics show you how effectively ISRs are turning conversations into qualified opportunities and moving deals through the pipeline. They help pinpoint where in the sales process training can create the biggest lift.

Skills to watch (and how to track them):

  • Discovery and qualification – Reps who listen and adapt during discovery ask better follow-ups and surface real business pain. You’ll hear it in call recordings, and you’ll see the impact in higher opportunity conversion, shorter sales cycles, and higher pipeline revenue generated. Go deeper than SDR discovery with SWIIFT℠ Discovery Dialogue. 
  • Customer engagement – Great ISRs can lead a conversation and follow the customers’ lead – all while driving deals forward. That means next-level rapport, listening, and acting like a consultant. Mid-funnel engagement pays off in opportunity conversion, average deal size, and overall win rate. Focus on skills found in, My Role as a Consultative Seller.
  • Demo/presentation – ISRs that give the same demo multiple times a day likely have low conversion rates. Great interactive presentations will pay off in call quality, demo conversion, average sales cycle, and pipeline generated. Take Demos That Don’t Suck to see lift here. 
  • Proving value – If you’re getting to the close but aren’t seeing conversion, we aren’t building enough value during the sales cycle. Reps who do this well have higher win rates, larger number of deals and faster sales cycles. Take Proposing with Value to help. 
  • Objection handling – Seasoned ISRs hear it all, from “This isn’t a priority right now” to dead silence. Tops performers will have higher follow up numbers, win rates, and quota attainment. Take Overcoming Objections and Selling With Stories to sharpen skills.

When ISR training is working, you’ll hear better discovery calls, improved demos, stronger objection handling, and confident next steps. And you’ll see it in stage-by-stage conversions in your pipeline. 

READ: Call Bridging 101: Paving the Way for a Follow-up Sales Call

Account Executive Metrics

AEs get judged by the number, but that doesn’t tell the full story. You can close a big deal and still be losing pipeline behind the scenes. That’s why it’s critical to track not just what they’re closing, but how they’re progressing deals, and where they’re getting stuck.

Here’s what to track:

  • Opportunity-to-close rate – A high rate means reps are moving qualified deals across the finish line; a low rate can reveal gaps in qualification or closing skills.
  • Stage conversion rates – Show where deals are moving forward and where they’re getting stuck, helping you target coaching where it’s needed most.
  • Days in deal stages – Longer times in a stage can point to stalled opportunities, poor follow-up, or hidden objections.
  • Win rate – Indicates overall effectiveness at closing deals compared to total opportunities worked.
  • Forecast accuracy – Builds trust in the pipeline by showing whether reps are correctly predicting which deals will close.
  • Deal size and margin – Reveal whether reps are consistently landing high-value business or leaning on discounts to close.
  • Pipeline coverage ratio – Highlights whether reps have enough in the pipeline to stay on track for quota.
  • New opportunities created – Tracks how much pipeline reps are sourcing themselves versus relying on handoffs.
  • Follow-up attempts per opportunity – Shows persistence in advancing deals and staying top of mind with prospects.
  • Average sales cycle length – Gives insight into deal velocity and whether reps are moving opportunities forward efficiently.
  • Call/demo quality scores – Reflects the strength of rep communication, objection handling, and ability to progress deals during live interactions.

These metrics give visibility into each stage of the sales cycle so you can see where deals are progressing smoothly and where they may need coaching or additional support to move forward.

Skills to watch (and how to track them):

  • Discovery and uncovering customer needs – Great AEs don’t ask generic questions. They dig until they uncover the real business pain. When this skill is sharp, you’ll hear deeper conversations in call recordings and see more accurate opp qualification, faster stage movement, and fewer stalls after demos. Take Question Like a Pro to learn advanced questioning techniques that turn scripts into real, value-driven conversations.
  • Demo/presentation – A strong demo isn’t about showing every feature, it’s about telling the right story. Great AEs tailor the conversation to the prospect’s needs, show the exact value they care about, and make it easy for them to see themselves using your solution. You’ll see this reflected in higher stage conversion rates, stronger call/demo quality scores, and more stakeholders engaged after the call. Take Demos That Don’t Suck to learn how to engage, adapt, and close more deals from your presentations.
  • Demonstrating customer value – It’s not about pitching, it’s about showing how your solution impacts their business. If reps are demonstrating value well, you’ll see less discounting, stronger deal size, and customers pulling in stakeholders instead of ghosting you. Take What Customers Care About to map buyer motivators to your solution and propose in a way that resonates.
  • Driving deal momentum – If deals are sitting in the pipeline, it’s not because they’re bad deals, it’s because they’re not being worked. AEs who drive momentum confirm mutual next steps, secure time on the calendar, and keep the deal moving. You’ll see this in shorter days in stage, cleaner notes in the CRM, and fewer “stuck” opportunities with no recent activity. Take Getting Deals Moving to keep deals advancing and commitments in place.
  • Handling objections – Objections at this stage often signal deeper unaddressed concerns. Reps who respond effectively keep deals alive and increase win rate. Take Overcoming Objections to apply a proven four-step process that addresses concerns and moves the conversation forward.
  • Consultative selling – AEs who operate like business advisors uncover more opportunities and face less pricing pressure. Look for this in higher-quality CRM notes, increased stakeholder engagement, and higher ASP (average selling price). Take My Role as a Consultative Seller to sharpen your business advisory approach and build trust faster.
  • Proposing with value – When done right, proposals clearly connect your solution to the customer’s goals. Look for higher proposal acceptance, fewer stalls, and improved close rates. Take Proposing with Value to create compelling proposals that drive decisions.
  • Closing confidently – Reps with strong close skills don’t beg for business, they ask with clarity and confidence. You’ll hear it in recorded calls and see it reflected in win rate, number of deals, and reduced discounting. Take Closing Confidently to find your go-to close statements and build muscle memory for asking.

When account executive training is working, you’ll see cleaner pipeline stages, stronger discovery, and tighter forecasting. It’s less “I think it’s coming in” and more “Here’s where we are, here’s what’s next.”

WATCH: How to Fix the Top 5 Mistakes Made During Sales Demos

Account Manager/Customer Success Manager Metrics

Account Managers and Customer Success Managers are the face of your brand after the deal closes. But renewals and growth don’t come from check-in emails and good vibes. These reps need to earn trust, uncover new opportunities, and consistently demonstrate value. That’s how you keep customers, and grow them.

Here’s what to track:

  • CSAT (customer satisfaction score) – Tracks how happy customers are with your product or service. However you measure it, monitor changes over time by rep to spot trends and coaching opportunities.
  • NPS (net promoter score) – Measures customer loyalty and likelihood to refer you to others. A higher score can indicate strong relationships and a healthy base of brand advocates.
  • CLTV (customer lifetime value) – Shows the total revenue a customer is expected to bring over the course of the relationship. Helps you prioritize and protect high-value accounts.
  • Customer retention rate – Indicates what percentage of customers stay with you over a given period. High retention signals strong account management; declining retention may point to service gaps.
  • Churn – Tracks the percentage of customers leaving. Monitor closely to flag at-risk accounts early and take action to prevent turnover.
  • Renewal rate – The ultimate retention metric. Shows how often contracts are successfully renewed and can highlight patterns by rep or segment.
  • Expansion revenue – Measures revenue growth within existing accounts. A rise here means reps are finding and closing new opportunities in their current book.
  • MRR (monthly recurring revenue) growth – Tracks the increase in monthly recurring revenue from existing customers, indicating steady, predictable account growth.
  • Average purchase value – Look at the average transaction size. Growth here often signals effective upselling and cross-selling strategies.
  • New SKUs – Measures the number of purchases in new product or service categories, showing whether accounts are broadening their adoption.
  • Active buyers – Counts the number of individual buyers within an account making purchases. Growth suggests successful expansion to new departments, teams, or locations.
  • Customer health score – Combines product usage, engagement, and satisfaction into a single view to identify accounts at risk and those ready for expansion.
  • CES (customer effort score) – Tracks how easy it is for customers to get what they need from your team. Lower effort correlates with stronger loyalty.
  • Activity-to-engagement ratio – Compares how much time you spend with customers versus the quality or impact of those interactions. Reminds reps that more meetings don’t automatically mean more value.
  • Time to renewal/expansion opportunity – Measures how long it takes to uncover new value and growth potential in an account, helping you assess how proactive your AMs/CSMs are.

These metrics provide a clear picture of account health and growth potential, helping you spot risks early and identify where strategic conversations can open new opportunities.

Skills to watch (and how to track them):

  • Gaining referrals – Loyal customers don’t just renew, they advocate. If reps are asking the right way (and at the right time), you’ll see an uptick in warm intros and referral opportunities logged in the CRM. Take Gaining Referrals to build confidence and a proven process for turning satisfied customers into your best lead source.
  • Uncovering new opportunities – Great AMs don’t wait for customers to raise their hand. They ask smart questions, connect dots, and bring proactive solutions to the table. Track this by monitoring qualified expansion opportunities created and account mapping activity. Take Uncovering Sales Opportunities to uncover needs and position solutions that drive account growth
  • Increasing wallet share – If reps are building trust and delivering value, you’ll see increases in upsell, cross-sell, and product adoption across existing accounts. Take Growing Account Revenue to create targeted growth plans and confidently expand within your book of business.
  • Customer engagement – Great AMs create value in every interaction, not just touch base calls. Measure follow-up rates, meeting conversion, and customer survey comments. Take Engaging Your Customers to build excitement and keep customers invested in the relationship.
  • Consultative selling – Top AMs bring insights, not just checklists. Listen for strategic questions in call recordings and look for greater opportunity conversion and deal size. Take My Role as a Consultative Seller to elevate customer conversations and earn trusted advisor status.
  • Business acumen – AMs who understand the customer’s industry, org structure, and goals hold better conversations. You’ll see longer calls, better engagement, and more strategic expansion plays. Take Business Acumen to speak the language of executives and lead more impactful discussions.

When account manager training is working, you’ll see AMs running stronger account reviews, finding new revenue inside existing customers, and proactively addressing risks before they become churn. They’re not just retaining customers, they’re growing wallet share, keeping renewal pipelines clean, and avoiding last-minute surprises.

READ: How to Ask Existing Customers for a Sales Referral

Sales Manager Metrics

Good managers build great reps. That’s why your manager scorecard should go beyond team quota and focus on how well they coach, develop, and retain talent. The best metrics show whether their reps are getting better, faster, and sticking around. You don’t need all of these, but pick a few that help you measure both leadership impact and team performance.

  • Ramp time – How long it takes new hires to hit quota; use past averages or compare trained vs. untrained cohorts to track manager impact.
  • Percentage of team to goal – The percentage of reps consistently hitting their number; a sign of strong leadership and accountability.
  • Promotion rate – Tracks how many reps are promoted from the manager’s team; high rates show strong development and bench-building.
  • Retention and engagement – Use surveys or attrition data to gauge whether reps are staying and thriving under their manager.
  • Forecast accuracy – Compares manager forecasts to actual revenue; accuracy indicates strong deal coaching and pipeline visibility.
  • Team skill improvement – Use training assessments, call scores, or certifications to track rep skill growth over time.
  • Consistency of performance – Measures if the team hits quota quarter after quarter vs. riding the rollercoaster; stability = good leadership.

These metrics measure a manager’s impact on team development, consistency, and overall performance, giving you insight into both leadership effectiveness and team health.

Skills to watch (and how to track them):

  • Coaching – A strong coaching culture improves rep performance and morale. You’ll see the impact in faster ramp time, higher call quality, and consistent team skill improvement. Take Call Coaching 101 to build a positive, interactive coaching style that leaves reps confident and ready to apply new skills.
  • Time management – Burned out or reactive managers cancel 1:1s, skip coaching, and lose focus. Look for low coaching frequency, weak consistency of performance, and manager survey scores to identify this early. Take Own Your Day to prioritize what’s important over what’s urgent and create space for high-value management activities.
  • Goal setting – Managers who translate team targets into clear daily expectations drive better accountability and percent of team to goal. You’ll also see more consistent performance over time. Take Driving Performance with Goals to break big goals into actionable milestones and behaviors that stick.
  • Having tough conversations – Strong leaders don’t let poor performance slide. This skill shows up in better team retention, improved engagement, and shorter time-to-improvement for struggling reps. Take Having Difficult Conversations to gain a framework and confidence for handling the hard talks effectively.
  • Developing talent – Growth-minded managers build the bench. High promotion rates, better rep retention, and higher engagement scores are clear signs this skill is in play. Take Developing Your Team to learn practical ways to inspire and grow your people between training events.
  • Strategic deal planning – Managers who support reps with territory, lead, and deal strategies improve forecast accuracy and drive stronger quota attainment and rep confidence. Take Sales Strategy Meetings to guide reps through targeted, high-impact planning sessions that move deals forward.
  • Hiring & onboarding – Smart hiring and strong onboarding reduce early attrition and shorten ramp time. Track first-90-day performance and how often their hires stick. Take Hire Like a Rockstar to build a best-practice interview and selection process tailored to your team.
  • Meeting effectiveness – Organized managers who run purposeful meetings drive stronger consistency of performance and better engagement. Check for cadence completion and team survey feedback. Take Essential Manager Meetings to create a proactive meeting cadence that keeps your team on track and engaged.

When sales manager training is working, you’ll see faster ramp times, stronger forecast accuracy, and more reps hitting quota consistently. Team skills improve quarter over quarter, retention goes up, and promotions happen more often. Great managers coach with purpose, run effective meetings, and keep their teams performing without the burnout rollercoaster.

READ: Build Your Sales Manager Cadence (& Save Time and Stress)

Tracking the right sales metrics isn’t just about managing performance, it’s how you prove what’s working, where to coach, and when your sales training is actually paying off. Whether you’re investing in new training programs or reinforcing skills with your current team, these metrics are your clearest window into what’s driving real behavior change and revenue impact. Because when you can connect skill development to pipeline movement, you’re not just improving performance, you’re proving sales training ROI.

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best sales coaching questions

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The Best Sales Coaching Questions Ever

Learning to be a great sales coach is hard – really hard. It’s the hardest thing we teach new managers who were formally reps. Now, it’s not as hard as climbing Mt. Everest or teaching your grandma how to order presents online, but it’s rough. 

It’s the #1 skill that most new managers struggle with. If you’re a naturally phenomenal coach, congrats (seriously!), but the rest of us are struggling. Why? We don’t often know what defines great sales coaching. So let’s break it down…

The Difference Between Presenting vs. Facilitation vs. Coaching

The lines are often blurred between presenting, training, and sales coaching, especially when we don’t have staff and resources dedicated to each. Why does it matter?

Well, does this sound familiar?

“I’VE TOLD THEM 100 TIMES!!”

We’ve heard it from managers and VPs (and parents 😉 ). It’s rough, folks. If people aren’t retaining what you’re telling them to do, they obviously aren’t going to do it. So we have to back up a few steps and make sure it gets in their brain and sticks.

sales manager quiz
What is presenting?

We define presenting as…Introducing new information through speech often using slides/visual aids.

Watching a webinar? You’re listening to someone presenting. Sitting in a lecture hall in college? That’s presenting.

Now the downside to presenting is something called The Forgetting Curve. If you’re in sales enablement or training, you’ve likely heard of it. It shows us that by the end of the day, reps have lost 50% of what you taught them. In a week, they’ve lost 90%. So it’s pretty obvious why they aren’t doing what you told them to do – they can’t even remember it!

There are two ways you can beat The Forgetting Curve.

  1. By utilizing great facilitation or training. The better (and more interactive) the training, the more likely the skills will stick. The more often reps actually do something, the more likely they’ll remember it and the more likely you’ll get results. 
  2. Through coaching. All you have to do is tell people what to do and then 1:1, 4x throughout the week, go and coach them on the same skill. You’ve got time to do that, right? 😐 Nope! That’s why good facilitation is the better option.
The Forgetting Curve
What is facilitation?

Folks the name of the game to get people to do what you need them to do, to get results, to get commission checks is: RECALL. They can’t do it if they can’t remember it.

In order to obtain recall, you need to have good facilitation or training. Unfortunately, most facilitation is broken. You can’t just tell someone to do something and expect them to do it perfectly, they need to practice.

Grab a sheet of paper and draw a picture of the Statue of Liberty based on memory. Assuming your side hustle isn’t as an artist, it’s probably going to look like something a child drew. Why? Well, when was the last time you drew something? Drawing is something we did a lot as a kid until other things became more exciting or interesting. We quit practicing, and when we quit practicing, our skills freeze. 

For many of us, teaching is also a skill frozen in time. We think of teaching and we see ourselves sitting in a lecture hall with someone talking at us, telling us what to do. And we know that’s not how people learn.

That’s why we’ve got to redefine teaching and facilitate instead. 

We define facilitation using the acronym CUP. It stands for…

  • C = Connect. If you want people to remember things, apply them, and do what you tell them to do, you have to help them connect with the information (it’s called Adult Learning Theory). It basically says that adults have filing cabinets in their heads. If you tell a kid something new, they’ll accept it as fact. Adults won’t even log it until you help them find the file folder. That means you’re helping them connect with it.
  • U = Use. Great training takes longer because we’re facilitating them actually getting their hands on it. I’ve watched people do systems training where their team is just sitting and watching. Totally hands-off, and totally a waste of time. If we want people to understand, we have to get them to use it.
  • P = Practice. We absolutely, positively have to practice. End of story.

By using the CUP method for facilitation, that’s how we beat The Forgetting Curve. Expect 70-80% recall. Get some buy-in along the way, a little practice and roleplay, synthesis with what they do on the job, and you’re looking at 80-90% recall. Plus, you’ll create new habits.

What is sales coaching?

Everyone does it a little differently, but a lot of people confuse sales coaching with leading, but with a few questions sprinkled in. 

We define sales coaching as… Ongoing development method used by leaders using questions to inspire and deliver personal feedback on skills.

Pay attention to the bolded words. If you’re just giving people advice or there are 25 people in the room, that’s not coaching. When you’ve got a team of reps in the room, what you’re really doing is presenting.

ACTION: Go and CUP check your virtual sales training. If you’ve got a lot of videos and little practice, people aren’t doing what you tell them to do. Leaders, if you do a lot of announcing without any coaching, follow-up, or roleplays, they’re not doing what you tell them to do. And when it’s something critical like learning how to sell and be successful in new hire onboarding, you’ve got to do all 3.

READ: Why You Need a Sales Training and Enablement Budget

The Power of Sales Coaching

If behavior change is critical, start with the 1-2-3 punch. Begin with the presentation, then facilitate, and then coach. Now, coaching alone CAN be powerful (but not how you think…)

Great coaches have 1 thing in common: they motivate people. Motivation is the key to everything. It affects recall (information + caring = recall).

READ: Tips for Enablement Leaders to Increase Sales Coaching Focus

Our job as managers and coaches is to ensure our reps leave our coaching sessions feeling like superheroes. That’s why we teach the 5:1 method – share 5 positives and 1 area for improvement. It’s also the #1 mistake new managers make. Why? We hear the laundry list of things that went wrong on a sales call and can’t help but tell them every single one of them. 

The power of sales coaching is in the questions you ask. Said in another way:

“Leaders who ask more, get more.”

That’s why we coach in questions. It’s called “Instinctive Elaboration”. It’s the secret behind the Factor 8 SWIIFT℠ intro where we’re literally hijacking the brain of the prospect to answer our questions even if they didn’t mean to and it’s why it works to get them talking.

It works like this: how old are you?

Did a number pop in your head? Now it’s halfway out of your mouth. 

The brain stops what it’s doing and starts answering questions whether it wants to or not. 

Here’s more proof: how much do you weigh?

I know you didn’t want to share it, but you thought it, didn’t you? 🙂 

DOWNLOAD: 20 Ways to Increase the Sales Coaching Focus at Work

The Best Sales Coaching Questions Ever (and Why!)

We’ve spent years mastering the art of coaching and have compiled the best sales coaching questions ever (and they’re backed by science).

1. “Tell me about a time you had to do something similar?”

This helps them connect. Unfortunately, not all of us have the time or tech to do the CUP theory. We use a lot of video, but do videos actually teach? We don’t think so (read more about that here.)

2. “Why are you so good at this?”

You can ask this to anybody in any coaching session and something happens in the brain called “Confirmation Bias”. If you ask them a ‘why’ question, they’ll look for the reason that it’s true. This instantly boosts motivation. 

3. “What happens when you knock this out of the park?”

This question builds confidence by creating mental imagery, scientifically known as “Functional Equivalence.” You’ve probably heard it with Olympic athletes where they picture themselves doing their gymnastics routine perfectly in their head and it fires the neurons as if they’re doing it. If you can get your reps to picture success, they’re more likely to achieve it.

There’s also something called the “Pygmalion Effect” which says that if your manager believes in you, you’ll believe in yourself more. Read differently:

“Leaders who expect more, get more.”

4. “What are you most proud of on that call?”

If anybody has reps that beat themselves up a little bit, this question is for you. The brain will search for an answer and find it – guaranteed.

5. “What should we do next?”

This is all about active recall; going in and finding the information in the brain. The other question we ask is “what was the customer thinking?” This is out of our head and our noise and puts ourselves into the shoes of the customer which is what we’re trying to do. It shortens ramp time, folks. Ramp time isn’t about me not knowing it, it’s about me not knowing when to use it. And if we can burn the pathways in the brain to recall the information we need at the right time, that’s how we get people to learn and apply skills faster.

6. “What one thing is most important to work on?” 

You can use this in any coaching interaction anywhere and the science behind it is called “Implementation Intention.” Studies show that if you work on one thing and put a plan in place, it’s 2-3x more effective. 

Coaching your team is more than just sharing information with them—it’s about really changing the way they think and act. By incorporating presenting, facilitating, and coaching, you’ll move from just talking at your team to actually sparking real behavior change.

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Onboarding New BDRs

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5 Sales Manager Tips for Onboarding New BDRs

Great news. You’ve got proof of concept, found your ICP, and gotten some funding. Now it’s time to build out your BDR team.

Bad news. Once you win the war for talent, the real work of sales training begins. Since most SaaS startups aren’t hiring classes of 15 reps and a trainer, you get the task of onboarding one or two at a time. And then again. And again. And again.

Here are some sales manager tips to save your sanity when onboarding new BDRs:

  1. Start a Google Doc now with everything they’ll need to know. Brainstorm in the following categories:
    • Industry acumen
    • Product knowledge – feature, function, benefit
    • Customer knowledge
    • Ideal customer situations
    • Business acumen
    • Competitor acumen
    • System logins and skills
    • Company info – who’s who, relevant background, etc.
    • Company processes, procedures, etc.
    • Customer FAQ
    • Demos
    • Testimonials and case studies
    • Questions to uncover ideal customer situations and challenges
    • Call recordings to hear good, bad, and ugly calls
    • Phone sales skills like leaving good voicemails, intros, uncovering contacts, and delivering value props on the phone
  2. Wherever possible, start hyperlinking to internal and external sites, videos, and resources so reps can self-serve for the info. Why go back and re-find that email 20 times?
  3. Now identify what you can outsource. Trust me, if you try to hire, train, coach, and lead the team you will either explode or mess a few of these up in a serious way.
    • Buy the system training if your vendor offers it or go find free forums and videos to link to. 
    • Sales skills are another area. Your job is to coach them, not teach them from scratch. Outsource the heavy lifting and stick to leading the team and coaching the delivery. The Sales Bar has hundreds of phone sales resources for new BDRs and Managers. They’ll also want some basic LinkedIn skills. I like Vengreso or Frontline. 
    • Find internal experts. Use your CEO, product geeks, and past customers and get them to do a video or recorded webinar to teach key points. Keep them short and on track with some guidelines during your request; these folks typically aren’t natural trainers! And if they do it live, get it recorded, I promise they won’t be available every time. Where you can’t record, set up a lunch or coffee chat vs. a formal presentation. Get your new rep to record it, plus their notes!
  4. Start a schedule and get your document in chronological order with about 6 hours of learning work/day to start. Make the schedule about 2 weeks long and ramp the training time down while call time goes up. So by the end of the second week, they may be doing 1-2 hours of training/day and 6 hours of work. Show that training doesn’t stop and they have some assignments every month! Bonus: show a path to the next level in their career, even if it’s just a footnote. In addition to the learning, your schedule should include:
    • Call shadowing with you or other reps. Bonus: have them score it using your coaching form. Side note: get a coaching form
    • Calls to past customers to hear their stories and happy outcomes
    • Research on their own – e.g. top features of competitors
    • Outbound calling – even if it’s just to capture contacts, qualify accounts, data cleanse, etc.
    • LOTS of time with you where they bring their questions, you talk shop, build a relationship, and make your newbie feel important
  5. Hook them up with a buddy/mentor. Reps who build strong friendships at work are happier and stay longer according to Gallup. With the average lifespan of a BDR under 18 months, it’s worth the effort. Pay for their first lunch and ask them to get together weekly for the rep’s first month. If it doesn’t stick after that, you’ve at least planted some seeds. Bonus: they’ll come to you less often for their questions when they have a buddy.

This approach will help your reps be more independent while saving you at least twenty hours per rep. Each hire can help make the document better and old hires can support the new. 

Make updating the document and improving it part of their work assignment so it stays current and off your to-do list.

sales manager quiz

May this also help you resist the temptation to hand your new rep a script and wish them good luck on the phone. Millennials are searching for career development and time with their boss at work, and they make their employment decisions based on this. Spend a few bucks, give them some structure, buy them some training, and you’ll see the payoff in their faster success and tenure!

Want some help onboarding new BDRs?

We’ve got your back! Contact us today to learn how you can incorporate sales training into your new BDR onboarding process to speed ramp time and improve retention.


ramp sales team

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How To Ramp Your Sales Team 10x Faster

Ramping new reps to hit quota faster is every sales leader’s dream, but it doesn’t have to stay a dream. With the right approach, you can accelerate your team’s learning curve, helping them hit the ground running and reach their targets sooner. Here’s how to turbocharge your onboarding process and get your reps to quota 10x faster.

First, incorporate recordings into your training and play the pause game. This technique builds wider neural pathways, which speeds up how fast reps can remember and use new knowledge. It’s not just about listening—it’s about active engagement that sticks.

Next, ditch the boring “subject matter experts” and lifeless videos. If your training is one-way, it’s a dead-end. Instead, build in interactivity, and you’ll see your reps applying what they’ve learned much sooner. Make sales training a two-way street where participation is key.

Lastly, stop treating sales skills like they’re separate. In the real world, multitasking in sales is constant, so your training should reflect that. Teach skills together, not apart. By integrating different aspects of the sales process, your reps will develop a more holistic understanding, allowing them to pivot seamlessly between tasks.

Watch the video for more detailed advice on applying these tips to ramp your sales team fast so they’re hitting quota sooner!

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sales training techniques

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Sales Training Techniques: Telling vs. Teaching

When I first started as a sales manager, I used to think that telling my team was enough.

I knew what to do, so I could tell them what to do.

Job done, right? Not quite.

The problem was I felt like I was telling them over and over again, and yet nothing changed…

“I’VE TOLD THEM 100 TIMES.” (sound familiar?)

Well, it wasn’t until I became an enablement professional that I learned various sales techniques, including that there’s a HUGE difference between telling vs. teaching.

READ: The Best Sales Coaching Questions Ever

sales manager quiz

At the heart of that is something called Adult Learning Theory, a framework that outlines the most effective ways adults learn, considering their distinct experiences, motivations, and learning preferences (NEIT).

Part of Adult Learning Theory explains that as grown-ups, our brains are organized like file folders.

You can tell a kid something new and they’ll buy it, believe it, and retain it better than an adult.

When you try to get ME to change a behavior or learn something new, you’ve got to relate it to the folders that are already in my brain

READ: Associative Learning: Why It’s the Best Sales Training Technique

The way we do that is by interacting with each other.

You ask me questions, you let me tell stories, and you let me pull files out of my brain and relate them to what you want me to do.

That’s using Adult Learning Theory to get me to retain new information.

Why’s it important? Because great facilitation = great results. 

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sales enablement best practices

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 8 Sales Enablement Best Practices to Partner with Revenue Leaders

This one is for my sales enablement and training pros.

Have you struggled to connect with your revenue leaders?

If you’re in enablement and getting rapid-fire requests or getting ignored by leadership, it’s because…

They don’t get it.

READ: How to Find the Best Inside Sales Training Company 

When I was hired to run global sales training years ago, I thought my job was to build training to onboard new salespeople in the digital world.

I was wrong.

Instead, I spent a year traveling the world and meeting with sales leaders to talk them out of what they thought would work.

I had to teach them how people learn. I had to learn their language and build the bridge between revenue and enablement.

WATCH: Sales Enablement Secrets: Actionable Sales Training Tips, Trends, and Advice

So here are 8 effective ways sales enablement can forge a better partnership with revenue leaders:

1. Keep meetings short and fast. Confirm meetings the day before via text if possible.

Revenue leaders have packed schedules, so respecting their time is crucial. By keeping meetings brief and confirming attendance the day before, you ensure that your interactions are efficient and prioritized.

2. Get three or more follow-up resources – top, middle, and struggling sellers, as well as a go-to Sales Manager.

Understanding the perspectives of sellers at different performance levels and involving a reliable Sales Manager can provide comprehensive insights. This helps tailor training programs that address varied needs within the team.

3. Uncover root causes by questioning results, metrics, challenges, sales cycle stages, and KPIs.

Dive deep into the data and ask probing questions about the results and challenges. Understanding the intricacies of each sales cycle stage and key performance indicators will help pinpoint the real issues that sales training needs to address.

4. Get five or more recorded call or video examples so you know where to insert new skills and role-play ideas.

Recorded calls and videos are invaluable for identifying where sales reps need improvement. They also serve as great tools for developing role-playing scenarios that target specific skills gaps. Save these recordings to help develop future reps, showing them the good, bad, and ugly.

5. Move mountains to get going fast but set expectations up front for build time and class time.

Sales leaders often expect rapid results, but it’s important to manage these expectations by clearly communicating the time required for developing and delivering effective sales training programs.

6. Appoint a sales liaison to shadow sales, attend meetings, and translate insights. Ask for the same in return.

Having a dedicated liaison who understands both sales and enablement can bridge communication gaps. This person can provide real-time feedback and ensure that training initiatives are relevant and aligned with sales goals.

7. Always document deliverables, expectations, and commitments in a client “contract.”

Clear documentation of what’s expected from both sides helps prevent misunderstandings. A “contract” outlining deliverables and commitments ensures accountability and clarity throughout the training process.

8. Measure results post-training at two weeks, four weeks, and eight weeks. Raise flags if no movement is detected.

Consistent follow-up on sales training effectiveness is essential. Regular check-ins at defined intervals help track progress and identify areas where additional support may be needed. If there’s no improvement, it’s crucial to address the issues promptly.

READ: How to Measure Sales Training ROI

By incorporating these strategies, sales enablement professionals can build stronger, more collaborative relationships with revenue leaders. It’s about speaking their language, understanding their challenges, and providing tangible value that directly impacts sales performance. When both sides work together seamlessly, the entire organization benefits from improved alignment, communication, and results.

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Improve Manager Rep Relationship

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How to Improve the Relationship Between Sales Reps and Managers

With all the economic uncertainty out there, it’s tough to find and keep good reps right now. Data from HubSpot indicates that sales rep turnover is around 35% (even in an economic downturn, attrition is shockingly high).

So how do you keep your star players around? Well, according to our Sales Team Retention Research Project study, the top reason both reps and managers stay with a company is ongoing training and development opportunities to help them succeed in their roles.

In my opinion, the key to a solid rep-manager is: both sides support each other to develop and grow. Here are some tips to put it into action to improve the sales rep-manager relationship. 

What should managers do to retain their reps?

READ: How to Hire and Retain Sales Reps

1. Create coaching opportunities outside the normal flow

A lot of managers wait until the pipeline call or the forecast call to coach. While those meetings add value, they focus on specific outcomes. Where reps often struggle is investing in skills that they can apply to a variety of situations, like negotiation and price anchoring. Spend 30-60 minutes with your reps to work on these skills, and you’ll start seeing more engagement from them. As a general rule, newer or underperforming reps should be coached once per week and tenured or high-performing reps should be coached once per month.

2. Create an explicit growth template

Reps can’t grow if they don’t know what their growth path is supposed to look like. This means you need to actually document the basic competencies and objectives you expect. Then monitor rep improvement on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis—not just during an annual 360-review. 

READ: Increase Sales Coaching Frequency

3. Don’t be hypocritical

People have a strong B.S.-meter. They know when you’re faking them out. So if you’re going to expect things from them, you better make sure you’re holding yourself to the same standards.

This doesn’t mean you need to be “macho” or push bravado all the time. You’re going to make mistakes, just like anyone. But set the example of always striving to be better, holding yourself to a high standard, and fixing problems when they arise. 

4. Drive deeper engagement

The more engaged your reps are at work, the more they’ll stick around. So make sure their work stretches them and helps them grow. Provide opportunities for them to push themselves without setting them up to fail. 

When appropriate, let them provide input on the direction and growth of the product and company. They have valuable insights that you can use. Plus, it helps them feel included. 

5. Stay hungry and humble

Even though you’re in a management position, there’s always the opportunity to learn more. Don’t rest on your laurels. Stay hungry, and always look for ways to learn, grow, and improve. 

DOWNLOAD: Tips for Retaining The New Generation of Sales

6. Don’t expect your people to always copy you

Don’t fall for “mini-me” syndrome. Just because you have a great process for selling doesn’t mean it’s the best for everyone. Instead, think about how effective reps are in driving results and meeting quotas, and focus on helping them close gaps and reach those goals faster. There can be an openness in process and style, while at the same time consistency in results. 

7. Seize on little opportunities to build human connections

Managers can do a lot to show reps that they care about them not only as sales machines, but as individuals. And these don’t take a lot of extra time. 

Especially in virtual environments, reps hear from their managers only to discuss forecasts, or when there’s a problem. Find other ways to connect with them as well, even if it’s just to talk about how they’re doing on a personal level. 

What can reps do to build a better relationship with their managers?

1. Be solution-oriented

Don’t come with problems and no solutions. Be a solution-oriented thinker. It helps show the manager that you’re taking ownership of a problem, rather than force them to handle every little thing that comes up. 

2. Be coachable

The opposite of coachability is “I already know everything.” Know what you know, but also know what you don’t know. And be open to learning and growing. It’s really hard for a manager to support a rep who thinks they know everything. 

READ: 10 Tips for Sales Success from a High Performer

3. Don’t blame the leads

We all hear it all the time: If only the leads were better… Strike that phrase from your vocabulary! Stop blaming outside sources for your problems. Find a way to make the most of what you already have. 

4. Get comfortable with ambiguity

Things aren’t always going to be straightforward, especially at different stages of companies. Can you execute when the answer isn’t fully defined? Are you willing to put the answer together yourself? If so, your manager will love you for it. 

5. Always be curious

No one knows everything. There’s always a chance to learn, grow, and evolve. While your manager should be open to your own style, don’t assume that your way works best. Learn from others, and find a way to implement those learnings in your own unique way. 

sales manager quiz

Final thoughts on the ultimate rep-manager relationship

The key to a good rep-manager relationship is this: support each other, hold each other accountable, and focus on growth. If you do that, you’ll build a solid foundation that makes both parties hesitant to leave the organization. Happy selling!

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