Leadership Essentials

⏱ 5 min read

In a rush? Here is the quick overview.

The issue

• One-size-fits-all KPIs can undermine performance when they are applied without coaching or context.
• Even strong sales reps can struggle when standard activity goals do not match how they actually win business.

Best practices for you as the leader

• Use KPIs as a starting point, not as a substitute for coaching.
• Understand each rep's strengths, workflow, customer base, and prospecting channels before deciding what activity should look like.
• Be willing to test customized plans when the data and coaching conversation support a different approach.

Key takeaway

Great sales leaders coach performance instead of simply enforcing activity.

The Problem at Hand

Sales leaders rely on KPIs for a reason.

Activity drives pipeline. Pipeline drives revenue. It’s Sales 101.

We coach our teams with familiar truths:

• Start with what you can control.
• More activity creates more opportunity.
• Selling is a numbers game.
• Trust the process.

And in most cases, that works.

But when KPIs are applied without coaching and context, they can quietly undermine performance — even for strong salespeople.

Earlier in my career, I made this mistake myself. Later, as a senior leader, I watched it happen repeatedly.

This is not really about the quantity versus quality debate, which is another whole ball of wax.

It is about something more subtle:

Assuming that consistency automatically equals effectiveness.

When KPIs are working for most of the team, it is easy to conclude that a struggling rep simply needs to “do more” or “follow best practices.”

But that assumption can be costly.

A True Story

A top sales rep was failing—until she stopped making so many cold calls.

This sales rep had been a multi-year President’s Club performer before moving to a new team under a new leader.

For two years, she struggled to build her book of business.

She wasn’t disengaged.

She wasn’t lazy.

She hit her prospecting goals week after week — and still felt like she was failing.

Eventually, she hired a sales coach.

The coaching wasn’t about motivation or discipline. It was about understanding how she actually won business.

Together, they analyzed:

• Her prospecting channels.
• Her available prospecting time.
• Her natural strengths.
• How her target buyers preferred to engage.

What they discovered was simple but important:

The standard prospecting KPIs — dials, emails, texts — were not right for her desk.

• They didn’t play to her strengths.
• They didn’t fit her workflow.
• They weren’t the most effective way to reach her ideal customers.

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What Happened Next

They built a customized prospecting plan and she proposed it to her leader.

The response? A hard "no".

“Your peers have the same goals, and they’re getting it done.”

“We’ve been doing this a long time — we know this works.”

And honestly, I understand why that response happens.

Leaders are trying to be fair.

They are trying to maintain standards.

They are trying to avoid making exceptions that create chaos.

But fairness does not always mean sameness.

A few weeks later, because she was a top sales rep and because she knew the plan had merit, she tried again.

This time, she proposed a three-month trial.

And this time, she got approval.

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Coaching changed the outcome

Within six weeks of implementing the customized plan, her desk exploded with new business.

And with it:

• Her confidence returned.
• Her engagement skyrocketed.
• Her commitment deepened.

Oh — and she’s pacing President’s Club again.

That is the part sales leaders should pay attention to.

The goal was never to avoid activity.

The goal was to focus her activity in the right direction.

The Leadership Lesson

KPIs are not the problem.

Good sales teams need standards. They need expectations. They need clear activity goals.

But KPIs should be a starting point, not a blunt instrument.

The best sales leaders do not just manage activity. They coach performance.

That means asking better questions before assuming the answer is more effort.

• How does this rep actually win business?
• Where are they strongest?
• What does the data show?
• What is getting in their way?
• Are the current KPIs driving the right behavior, or just familiar behavior?

Standard goals can help create clarity.

But coaching creates performance.

So to sales leaders reading this:

• If your goals are applied globally, pause and reassess.
• If your coaching is mostly about compliance, you may be missing the bigger opportunity.
• Because consistency isn't the only ingredient needed to drive performance.
• A dash of understanding must be added, too.

Summary