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Memory under pressure is fickle.

It doesn’t care how solid your onboarding was or how polished your playbook is. In the heat of a live call or a high-stakes email, even top performers sometimes forget the pitch, the next step, or the resource that could’ve moved the deal forward. 

…not because they’re careless, but because they’re overloaded.

In her book, , Melanie Fellay, �����APP CEO, writes:��

“Employees are expected to complete modules in advance, detached from real-world situations where they’ll need to apply their learnings. Such training leads to information overload, low retention, and a disconnect from the immediate challenges that employees face. Why cram for a final exam when the real test is happening right now, in the trenches?” 

Sales isn't a knowledge game. It's a recall and execution game. So, you can only improve sales rep performance when reinforcement is timely, contextual, and consistent, as reps juggle competing priorities and fast-moving deals.

To identify what needs reinforcement, consider three core factors:

• Clarity. Do reps truly understand what’s expected of them beyond just “hit $100k this month?”  Without clear definitions of what good sales performance looks like—whether that’s pipeline health, deal velocity, or call quality—they’re left to guess. And guesswork doesn’t scale.
• Capability. Do they have the right skills to meet those expectations? Can they run a crisp discovery call? Handle objections with confidence? Move stalled deals forward? Without targeted, personalized skill development, capability gaps compound quickly.
• Consistency. Are reps being supported in the flow of work, or is everything taught once and forgotten? Training that lives in a folder or slides gets buried. Without real-time reinforcement, even the best sales coaching fades fast.

If any one of these is missing, performance suffers. The good news? Each one can be strengthened with simple, intentional shifts. 

Here’s how to improve your sales team’s performance by reinforcing the right things at the right time:

1. Set clear success criteria beyond quota numbers

When vague expectations like “hit your quota” are the only directive, reps default to whatever feels familiar, even if it’s inefficient or misaligned. They might chase the wrong deals, rush through discovery, or inflate deal forecasts. 

To fix this, give reps precise, visible markers for success:

Redefine “pipeline health” with clear benchmarks

Instead of telling reps to “build more pipeline,” break it down into trackable sales performance metrics:��

• Stage distribution: e.g., at least 20% of pipeline in discovery, 50% in proposal, and 30% in closing.
• Average deal size: e.g., target a $10K average across all active deals.
• Sales cycle timeline: e.g., discovery to close should take no more than 45 days.

These specifics help reps prioritize the right activities and give managers a clearer view of pipeline bottlenecks.

Create a simple, visual guide for what “good” looks like

This could be a one-pager or interactive �����APP card that includes:

• Messaging examples for each persona (e.g., finance vs. operations).
• Stage requirements, like:
  
  • Discovery: Complete a qualification checklist and customer pain map.
  • Proposal: Confirm budget, authority, and urgency in CRM.
  • Close: Log mutual action plan and secure verbal commitment.

A visual, step-by-step layout gives reps something to reference quickly in the flow of work.

Revisit and realign these definitions quarterly

For example, if you’ve launched a new product or shifted to mid-market, your “healthy pipeline” benchmarks may need to reflect:

• Higher average deal size (e.g., from $10K to $25K),
• Longer sales cycle expectations (e.g., from 30 to 60 days),
• Or new required steps like adding a technical validation phase.

Bake these updates into team meetings, refresher training, or inline tools so the entire sales team stays aligned.

💡Pro tip: Use ���ĺ���APP to embed these definitions directly inside Salesforce (or other CRMs), so reps see them right when they’re updating deals or prepping for a call. This in-the-flow visibility makes expectations harder to forget—and a lot easier to follow.

2. Use 5-minute pre-call debriefs to identify skill gaps faster

Not every rep struggles in the same way. One may run a brilliant discovery call but freeze during negotiations. Another might shine in demos but consistently drop the ball on follow-up. But diagnosing them doesn’t have to mean sitting through hours of call recordings or performance reviews.

Quick, focused conversations, done regularly, can surface a lot more than you’d expect.

Start with 5-minute pre-call or post-call debriefs

During the debriefs, ask three questions:

• What’s your goal? This reveals whether the rep has a clear purpose. Are they trying to book a meeting, move the deal to proposal, re-engage a stalled prospect, or qualify the opportunity? If they’re unsure, help them narrow it down and define a productive outcome.
• What’s your plan? This shows how well they’ve structured their approach. For example, are they sending a targeted email based on the prospect’s persona? Are they referencing a prior conversation or using social proof? If the answer is “I’ll just see where the conversation goes,” coach them to lead with intention.
• What does success look like? This helps you and the rep align on outcomes. If a rep says “getting to next steps,” but can’t define what those steps are—like scheduling a demo or confirming budget—that disconnect becomes a coaching opportunity.

Look for patterns in your debriefs

As you collect answers, watch for recurring issues across the team. For example:

• Are multiple reps struggling to move deals from discovery to proposal? You should reinforce qualification skills or help them position value earlier.
• Do your top performers use specific structures, like mutual action plans, while others don’t? If so, that’s a sign to document and share what those top reps are doing.
• Are the same objections coming up across calls? Build a shared objection-handling resource with tested responses and proof points.

Tracking these themes helps you tailor your coaching to the team's actual needs, not just what’s in the enablement calendar.

Don’t keep good calls siloed

Use top-performing reps as models for the rest of the sales team. For example:

• Share recordings of a strong discovery call where the rep uncovered urgency using open-ended questions.
• Highlight a follow-up email that led to a quick turnaround on next steps, and explain why it worked.
• Document one call per month that demonstrates great structure, and turn it into a “Call of the Month” ���ĺ���APP card.

Giving reps concrete examples of what “great” looks like can be more impactful than another workshop or slide deck.

3. Embed reinforcement where reps already work

In Just-In-Time Enablement, Melanie Fellay explored the forgetting curve, a diagram developed by psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus:��

This curve describes the natural tendency for people to forget what they learned over time when there’s no active effort to retain it. It shows that a significant amount of information is forgotten shortly after it is learned, with the greatest loss occurring in the first few hours or days.

“Traditional training methods like LMS courses—or even expensive events like your annual sales kickoff—often fall victim to this. They dump a large amount of information on learners only to have it vanish soon after because it’s never reinforced or revisited,” Melanie wrote. 

The key to fixing this isn’t more training—it’s smarter placement. Reps need reminders that show up in context, right when they’re doing the work.

Here’s how ���ĺ���APP makes that possible:

Convert key sales coaching points into bite-sized tooltips

Instead of repeating the same advice, like how to write a compelling follow-up email or handle pricing objections, turn it into a Spek that appears as a quick tip right where the rep is working. 

For instance, if a rep is logging a call with a new prospect, a tooltip can appear with bullet-point reminders on how to write a crisp, value-led follow-up. In Slack, drop those same Speks into team channels when themes come up in conversation, turning coaching into a shared, searchable resource.

Use �����APP to surface contextual guidance automatically

���ĺ���APP triggers real-time prompts the moment a rep takes a key action. For example, if a rep moves a deal from “Discovery” to “Proposal” in Salesforce, ���ĺ���APP will trigger a checklist with reminders like:

• “Confirm you’ve identified the budget owner and timeline.”
• “Log key pain points in the CRM notes.”
• “Attach the proposal template approved by legal.”

These timely nudges reinforce process consistency and reduce errors that often slow deals down or require manager follow-up.

Let ���ĺ���APP’s AI recommend relevant content

���ĺ���APP scans your entire content library—battlecards, one-pagers, case studies—and suggests the best asset to send based on where the rep is in the deal cycle. For instance:

• If a rep is writing an email to the Operations Lead at a healthcare company, ���ĺ���APP will surface a healthcare-specific case study and a value prop tailored to operations roles.
• If they’re chatting with a prospect in Slack about pricing, ���ĺ���APP will suggest a one-pager on pricing tiers and a link to your ROI calculator, if you have one.

These content suggestions appear in a sidebar inside tools like Salesforce, Gmail, or Slack, so reps can find and send the right asset in seconds, without switching tabs or digging through folders.

💡 Pro tip: Reinforce one key skill per week using in-workflow nudges instead of full sessions. For example, highlight objection-handling tips during negotiation stages, or share one discovery question daily directly in Slack. Small, well-timed nudges are easier to absorb and more likely to stick.

4. Use quick rep surveys to surface what motivates each individual

Reps aren’t wired the same way. While compensation matters, assuming money is the only motivator can cause you to miss what truly drives someone—or worse, disengage them entirely. 

Some reps want recognition. Others crave autonomy, growth opportunities, or simply a sense of progress. If you don’t ask, you’ll likely miss the mark.

Send a quick survey to reps monthly

In the survey, ask three open-ended questions:��

• “What motivates you?” - This gives you a window into what fuels each rep, whether that’s earning potential, beating their own records, helping customers, or climbing the corporate ladder.
• “What’s blocking you?” - This helps surface hidden friction: tools that slow them down, unnecessary internal processes, or even personal factors like burnout.
• “What’s one thing that would help you this week?” - This keeps the feedback grounded in the short term. You’ll get practical, often simple requests: a better lead list, shadowing a top rep, or clarity on a sales process.

Use the data to tailor how you support each rep

• For the rep who thrives on recognition, start calling out their wins—big or small—in Slack or during meetings.
• If someone wants more ownership, assign them as the lead on an account or let them pilot a new outreach or sales strategy.
• For those motivated by growth, offer a stretch goal or enroll them in a skill-based workshop.
• And for reps driven by money? Explore , tiered commission accelerators, or short-term bonuses tied to specific activities, not just closed deals.

5. Confirm that the problem isn’t the quota itself 

According to QuotaPath’s 2024 report, said unrealistic quotas were the main reason their reps missed quota.

When quotas don’t reflect the reality of a rep’s territory, lead volume, or current buyer behavior, it creates pressure to compensate in the wrong ways. Reps may start chasing poor-fit deals, inflating their pipeline, or padding forecasts just to keep up. 

Here’s how to assess and fix quota issues:

Benchmark sales performance by territory, role, or segment

Start by comparing core metrics, like win rate, average deal size, and sales cycle length, across reps with similar experience levels. For example:

• If only 1 out of 5 mid-market AEs in the West region is hitting quota, dig deeper. Is that rep working higher-quality leads? Does their territory include more active accounts?
• Compare ramp time across segments: Are reps handling SMBs getting up to speed faster because they close smaller deals with shorter cycles?

Look for patterns in who consistently underperforms and whether this ties back to the territory, vertical, or type of leads they’re working with. 

Revisit quota planning quarterly, not annually

Markets shift. Products evolve. If your sales cycle gets longer or lead sources change, quota models need to adjust. Build a recurring checkpoint into your quarterly business review to ask:

• Has our average deal size increased or decreased over the last 90 days?
• Have new competitors slowed our win rate?
• Did a change in product pricing or positioning affect how long deals take to close?

If your average sales cycle has stretched from 45 to 60 days due to economic headwinds, your current sales targets might no longer reflect what’s achievable. A quarterly check-in helps you stay aligned with real-time market conditions and lead volume. 

Involve frontline managers in the quota-setting process

Sales managers who directly oversee reps often have the clearest view into what’s realistic day-to-day. Include them early in quota planning to flag issues like:

• Lead flow inconsistencies: One rep might be working low-intent webinar leads, while another is getting high-intent demo requests from paid campaigns.
• Deal cycle changes: Selling to finance clients might require additional compliance reviews or procurement approvals, which can extend the sales cycle.
• Rep capacity limits: A sales manager might flag that a rep is being asked to close $500K per quarter while juggling onboarding responsibilities.

6. Turn coaching insights into scalable, self-serve knowledge

Sales coaching doesn’t scale if you're repeating the same advice to every rep, every week. Instead, turn coaching insights into self-serve resources reps can access anytime. This frees up time for managers and empowers reps to get answers when they need them, without waiting for the next 1:1.

Here’s how to do this:

Document your most repeated coaching points in a shared doc or Spek

If you’re explaining the same things in every meeting, like how to qualify a deal or follow up after a stalled proposal, turn that advice into a Spek or a shared doc. Then, group them by topic. For example:��

• Discovery – Lead qualification checklist, top five discovery questions by persona
• Negotiation – Sample responses to common pricing objections
• Forecasting – How to update deal stages and submit a weekly commit

This reduces repeat conversations and gives reps a resource to look at when they need a quick refresh.

Use past sales coaching sessions to build a “rep FAQ” 

Review your recent Slack threads, call reviews, or 1:1 notes to spot common questions or challenges, like:��

• “How do I respond when a prospect says they’re already using a competitor?”
• “Where do I log a mutual action plan in the CRM?”
• “What’s the right follow-up if someone ghosts after a pricing call?”

Compile those into an FAQ that lives where reps already work:

• In Slack, pin it in your team channel
• In Notion, link to it from the onboarding docs
• In ���ĺ���APP, embed it in Salesforce so reps see answers in context

Create role- or stage-specific cheat sheets

Reps at different levels and deal stages need different kinds of guidance. Break up your sales coaching content into role- or stage-specific guidance so it’s relevant and easy to apply. For example:

• For new SDRs:
  
  • How to personalize a cold outreach message in under 5 minutes
  • Quick checklist for qualifying a lead before passing it to an AE
• For AEs mid-funnel:
  
  • Discovery-to-proposal handoff checklist
  • Key questions to confirm urgency, fit, and stakeholder buy-in
• For reps working late-stage deals:
  
  • Template for building and logging a mutual action plan
  • Sample follow-up email to confirm verbal commitment and next steps

By segmenting content this way, you make it faster for reps to find what’s relevant, and easier for them to take action right away.

💡 Pro tip: If your team prefers video (or if written docs aren’t landing), record short 2-minute walkthroughs of common coaching tips. Tag them by theme or sales stage so reps can watch a quick reminder before a call or task. 

7. Watch for burnout signals and create small resets to rebuild energy

NAMI’s 2024 Workplace Mental Health Poll revealed that felt burned out at work in the past year, and 37% said they were so overwhelmed that it made it hard to do their job. Since burnout doesn’t always show up as someone saying, “I’m burned out,” you should actively watch for the early signs.  

According to the ICD-11 (), burnout is characterized by:

• Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
• Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of cynicism
• Reduced professional efficacy

In sales reps, this looks like missed follow-ups, low energy on calls, more mistakes in CRM entries, last-minute meeting cancellations, or simply a lack of enthusiasm. 

Here’s what you can do when you spot burnout signals:

Ask reps how they want to be supported

Burnout doesn’t look the same for everyone, and neither does recovery. A simple question like “What’s the most helpful way I can support you right now?” opens the door for honest, useful dialogue. 

• One rep might say, “I need fewer back-to-back meetings this week.”
• Another might ask for help deciding which deals to focus on first.
• Someone else may just want to talk through what’s been draining their energy. 

These conversations show you're not guessing or prescribing—you’re listening. And that alone can help a rep feel seen, understood, and less isolated in what they’re experiencing.

Give reps a say in one area of autonomy

Letting reps make small decisions gives them a sense of control and ownership, especially when motivation is low.

• Let them choose which segment or accounts to focus on that week.
• Give them the option to set their own outreach volume goals.
• Allow reps to structure their day based on their personal energy peaks (e.g., prospecting in the morning, meetings in the afternoon).

Create space for small wins

Not every win shows up on a dashboard. Recognizing meaningful actions helps rebuild momentum without adding pressure.

• Highlight a well-crafted email that sparked a reply from a tough lead.
• Spotlight a rep who asked a sharp discovery question that uncovered a key blocker.
• Give a shoutout to someone who helped a teammate troubleshoot a complex deal.

These moments help rebuild confidence and show reps that you appreciate their efforts. 

Build low-stakes moments of connection

Team connection doesn't always need an agenda. Small moments of levity and personal sharing go a long way.

• Start meetings with a light check-in: “What’s one non-work thing you’re looking forward to this week?”
• Ask fun, rotating questions like “What’s your go-to hype song?” or “What’s your weekend win?”
• Celebrate non-work milestones—moving into a new place, finishing a book, or picking up a new hobby.

These moments create psychological safety, build trust, and remind reps they’re more than a number on a dashboard.

Normalize time off

Reps shouldn’t feel pressured to power through exhaustion and illness, or skip personal needs just to prove their dedication. Encourage them to take time off so recovery feels like part of the process, not something to apologize for.

• Offer mental reset days after high-effort weeks or major deal wins to help reps recharge.
• If a rep is sick, encourage them to fully disconnect—no Slack check-ins, no post-PTO catch-up.
• Use half-day Fridays or “no-meeting” blocks to reward consistency and focus. 

When reps recharge, they return sharper and more focused.

8. Use content engagement data to personalize sales coaching

If you’re guessing who’s engaging with training (and who isn’t), you risk wasting time on the wrong reps or missing those who are ready for more. Instead, use data to guide where and how you coach.

Track engagement within your sales training tool

Start by tracking how reps engage with sales training within the tool you use. For example, ���ĺ���APP’s analytics show which reps view key processes, content, and guidance—and how often. This helps you spot who’s actively using the resources available and who may be skimming past or skipping them entirely.

With ���ĺ���APP, you can also conduct knowledge retention assessments (or Knowledge Checks) to measure how well employees understand and remember key concepts. Knowledge Check analytics show you how your reps perform with these assessments, so you know what’s resonating and where reps need additional training.

Tailor your coaching based on rep behavior

Once you have the engagement data, customize your approach based on what the data reveals about each rep’s habits and needs.

• Reps with low engagement:

If a rep rarely opens �����APP content or skips over key training materials, ask:

• “Is the content not showing up where you need it?”
• “Are you unsure which resources are most relevant to your role?”

Then act on what you learn. For example:

• Walk them through how to find content embedded in Salesforce.
• Reposition content in more accessible formats—like turning a long process doc into a short Spek or visual checklist.
• Personalize content recaps in your next 1:1: “Here are two Speks worth reviewing based on where your deals are getting stuck.”
  
  

• Highly engaged reps:

If someone’s consistently viewing sales process content or objection-handling guides, use that as a signal to challenge them:

• Assign them a stretch goal, like leading a deal review session or mentoring a junior rep.
• Invite them to co-create or update a Spek based on what’s working in their own deals.
• Offer targeted coaching sessions on skills like multi-threading or executive alignment.

Read: Sales Content Analytics: How to Improve Your Sales Content Processes

9. Give reps a fast feedback loop with micro-wins

Instead of giving feedback only during pipeline reviews or quarterly check-ins, try sharing quick, targeted insights in the flow of work. 

Celebrate micro-wins

Create a “Win of the Day” Slack channel where managers or peers can recognize small wins that matter, like

• A creative follow-up message that re-engaged a stalled deal
• A proactive internal handoff that kept a deal from slipping through the cracks

These quick shoutouts take less than a minute to post, but they reinforce what “good” looks like and keep morale high. 

Give same-day coaching that sticks.

The closer the feedback is to the moment, the more likely it is to land and shape behavior.

• After a call, message the rep with a quick takeaway like:
  
  • “Great job digging into that pain point without jumping to a solution too soon.”
  • “Next time, try confirming the decision-making process earlier in the call—it’ll help you avoid surprises later.”
• If a rep logs an opportunity without critical info (like timeline or champion), use a CRM alert or Slack DM to flag it immediately and link them to a quick refresher Spek.

Timely insights reinforce what reps should keep doing and what to pay attention to as they deal with prospects.

Read: Sales Enablement Strategy Examples: Build a Strategy That Drives Revenue

From coaching to closing: Reinforce and improve sales performance with �����APP

The fix for poor sales rep performance isn’t always more coaching or longer training sessions. And that’s because lack of training often isn’t the root cause.

What looks like a rep/coaching issue is often something else: unclear expectations about what “good” actually looks like, coaching that’s too general or mistimed, or training that reps can’t recall when they’re in the middle of a deal. 

���ĺ���APP eliminates this problem by providing real-time guidance right inside the tools reps already use, like Salesforce, Slack, and Gmail. Whether they’re qualifying a lead, logging activity, or crafting an email, ���ĺ���APP delivers exactly what they need without disrupting their workflow.

For sales leaders, ���ĺ���APP’s analytics provide the visibility needed to coach smarter. You can see which reps are engaging with content, which ones aren’t, and where knowledge gaps exist. This way, your coaching is timely, targeted, and based on data, not gut feel.

To give your reps the support they need exactly when they need it, book a �����APP demo today.

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