Sales Leaders Focus on Wrong Skills Training, Data Shows

There are two types of sales organizations: Those with stated standards. Those with enforced standards. Most leaders think they have standards. They don’t. They have: Suggestions Intentions Best efforts Until something is inspected, it isn’t real. And when it’s not real… it doesn’t hold under pressure. And when that happens… you don’t see it right away. You see it in the forecast 60–90 days later. And here’s what actually happens: Week 1 — energy Week 3 — drift Week 6 — pressure Week 10 — reset Nothing breaks loudly. But by the time you notice… your forecast is already compromised. That’s the gap between: 👉 strategy and results Sales training doesn’t fail. It gets quietly erased. And most teams don’t see it happening. That’s why FOCUSED exists. Not to teach something new. To make what matters actually hold under pressure. That’s the pattern most teams don’t catch… until it’s already in the number. 🔻 CTA What’s one standard your managers are supposed to enforce… that you know isn’t holding right now? 📌 PINNED COMMENT If this feels familiar, you’ll recognize it immediately in FOCUSED. Most leaders don’t have a training problem. They have an enforcement gap.

Sales managers are expected to coach. But coach to what, exactly? Are they given visibility into where each person actually stands? A framework for diagnosing why someone is struggling? Time, training, and the tools to develop people, not just review deals? Usually not. So managers default to what they can do — pipeline reviews, activity checks, "what's the next step?" They're not bad managers. They're unequipped managers. And there's a big difference. When performance doesn't improve, we blame the methodology. Or the manager. Or the sellers. But the real problem is that we expected coaching to happen without building the system that makes it possible. The constraint isn't manager willingness. It's manager enablement. What's your experience — are your managers equipped to actually coach to skill development? Or are they stuck reviewing deals and hoping for the best? 

Sales managers are expected to coach. But coach to what, exactly? Are they given visibility into where each person actually stands? A framework for diagnosing why someone is struggling? Time, training, and the tools to develop people, not just review deals? Usually not. So managers default to what they can do — pipeline reviews, activity checks, "what's the next step?" They're not bad managers. They're unequipped managers. And there's a big difference. When performance doesn't improve, we blame the methodology. Or the manager. Or the sellers. But the real problem is that we expected coaching to happen without building the system that makes it possible. The constraint isn't manager willingness. It's manager enablement. What's your experience — are your managers equipped to actually coach to skill development? Or are they stuck reviewing deals and hoping for the best? 

I know a young sales manager who keeps turning teams around. Every organization he goes into, the numbers move. I asked him what he does differently. "All I do is coach." He's one of maybe two people in his $500 million company who understand the business at the level he does. He could spend his days in strategy meetings and pipeline reviews and nobody would say a word. Instead he's on calls with his reps, asking what happened, what they'd do differently, running through the scenarios they keep getting stuck on. Not scorekeeping. Coaching. Most sales managers I work with do the opposite. They look at the dashboard and tell people to do more of whatever metric is low. More calls. More proposals. More activity. And when nothing changes they go looking for a training solution or a new hire. You can make more calls and still not sell anything. You can send more proposals and still miss quota. Activity without skill development is just noise.

Think being a "perfect" sales manager makes your team more coachable? It turns out, dropping the act is actually a highly effective coaching tool. This research shows that when leaders get real and embrace vulnerability, it skyrockets trust and makes reps much more open to learning and handling tough feedback. Timing is everything because if you lean in at the wrong moment, you might inadvertently kill their sense of urgency. For example, if you're a brand new manager who hasn't built authority yet, or the team is in the middle of a high-pressure end-of-quarter push, it's best to hold off and lead with clear expectations first. On the flip side, if a rep just lost a major deal, that is the perfect time to share a past failure of your own to model resilience. Check out the research: Nguyen, C. A., Artis, A. B., & Anderson, J. E. (2026). When sales managers stop pretending to be perfect: vulnerability as a catalyst for sales coachability. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 46(1), 26–41. https://lnkd.in/eai-_nDB

Structured Learning Through Recommended Books Leaders in my company often recommend books on mindset, sales, communication, and leadership. These aren’t just “nice to read”—they’re treated as tools. By revisiting key ideas and applying them in real situations, you reinforce skills like discipline, confidence, and resilience. Common themes include: Personal responsibility Goal setting Financial literacy Emotional intelligence Many teams hold group discussions or informal book clubs. This is where the real “sharpening” happens. Instead of reading passively, you: Share interpretations Hear different perspectives Connect lessons to your business activities That social learning environment helps ideas stick and makes growth more practical. Unlike academic reading, PlanNet emphasizes application. For example: A communication technique from a book might be used in a presentation the same week A mindset shift might help you handle rejection better A productivity method can improve how you manage your travel business This quick feedback loop accelerates improvement. Because you’re surrounded by others who are also reading and growing, there’s built-in accountability. You’re more likely to: Finish books Take notes Actually apply what you learn Consistency is what turns reading into real personal development. As you grow within our company you’re often expected to teach what you’ve learned. Explaining concepts from books to others deepens your own understanding and builds leadership confidence. Overall, We use books as more than inspiration—they’re part of a system for continuous improvement. By combining reading, discussion, and real-world application, it creates a practical way to keep “sharpening the saw” instead of staying stuck at the same level.