How to Fix an Underperforming Sales Team in 4 Steps

Step 1: Audit the Sales Process for Bottlenecks

Knowing how to fix an underperforming sales team starts with one question: is this a process problem or a skills problem? Unfortunately, many leaders blame the reps first. That’s usually the wrong call.

“The secret to fixing an underperforming sales team isn’t more pressure; it’s more clarity. If the sales cycle is unpredictable, the strategy is the bottleneck, not the talent.” — Harvard Business Review (Sales Management Analysis)

Run this diagnostic as a starting point. Work through the checklist below against your current sales process:

• Identify stall points. Map where deals stop moving. If opportunities cluster at the same stage, that’s a process gap — not a skills gap.
• Separate systemic from individual. One rep missing quota is a performance issue. Five reps missing the same milestone is a process problem worth exploring and resolving at the process level.
• Check for unpredictable cycles. No standardized methodology means every rep is running a different playbook. Research from Harvard Business Review and Vantage Point Performance shows teams with a formal sales process generate 28% higher revenue growth than those without one.
• Evaluate your sales strategy. Quota targets, territory splits, and prospect qualification can all impact sales before a single rep ever picks up the phone.

Once you’ve pinpointed where your sales funnel velocity breaks down, you have the data you need to move from diagnosis to action. Start with a structured plan that holds every rep accountable to measurable milestones.

Step 2: Implement a Structured Sales Performance Improvement Plan

Once you’ve identified where the process breaks down, the next move is to address the gaps. A Sales Performance Improvement Plan (SPIP) is far more effective at improving sales team performance than simply sharing “let’s do better” messages and conversations. According to studies, over 50% of sales reps expect to miss quota this year, so ad-hoc feedback or motivational messages aren’t enough.

Here’s how to build a SPIP that actually works:

• Define proactive and reactive KPIs upfront. Tie the plan to measurable numbers — calls booked, pipeline value, close rate, margins achieved. Vague targets create loopholes.
• Set 30/60/90-day milestones. Break recovery into three checkpoints. Each milestone should show measurable progress, not just activities.
• Address the “know-it-all” rep directly. A common pattern is to let resistant reps take their own approach — but within a defined performance window. If they miss the agreed-upon milestone, then they lose latitude to manage things “their way.”
• Create an improvement contract. Verbal agreements disappear. A mutually signed SPIP protects you and gives the rep zero ambiguity about expectations.
• Define clear outcomes. Be clear on what happens if targets aren’t met. Ambiguity eliminates urgency.

An SPIP isn’t punitive — it’s a structured path back to sales success. But structure only gets you so far. The next step is shifting how you coach reps day-to-day.

Step 3: Transition to Real-World Sales Coaching

An SPIP creates mutual accountability. Coaching creates capability. Knowing how to manage underperforming sales reps means understanding that difference — and acting on it.

Management tracks activity.

Coaching changes behavior.

High-performing sales organizations are 2.3x more likely to provide ongoing, real-world coaching compared to underperforming ones. Stop relying on weekly check-ins that review numbers without improving them.

Here’s how to shift to deal-level coaching that actually moves the needle:

• Replace pipeline reviews with deal debriefs. Pull a live, at-risk deal into each coaching session. Diagnose exactly where the conversation stalled — not what the CRM says.
• Audit how reps engage modern buyers. Today’s buyers research before the first call. Retire scripts built for a decade ago and coach reps on consultative, insight-led conversations.
• Run scenario-based training using real objections from your current pipeline. The Unstoppable Sales™ framework works because it’s grounded in actual deal contexts, not role-play theater.
• Eliminate low-value activity. If a task doesn’t directly advance a deal, cut it. Protect rep time for revenue-generating activities, such as discovery calls and follow-ups.
• Coach to the next stage, not the close. Reps lose deals by skipping steps. Focus each session on what it takes to advance to the next stage.

Consistent coaching builds repeatable habits. Once those habits stick, the next lever is consistency across the entire team — which starts with a shared methodology.

Step 4: Standardize the Sales Methodology

An SPIP and proactive coaching only stick if reps have a shared framework to work from. Without one, you get rogue selling styles — everyone improvising, and revenue becoming unpredictable. Implementing a standardized methodology directly correlates to revenue recovery by removing ambiguity from the sales process.

Here’s how to build that consistency across your team:

• Audit current selling behaviors. Map what each rep actually does — not what the playbook says. Spot where processes diverge and flag the patterns causing deal losses.
• Adopt a zero-fluff methodology. Choose a framework reps can execute immediately, not one that requires weeks of training before it’s usable. Simpler scales faster.
• Standardize lead qualification criteria. Every rep must use the same filters. Inconsistent qualification is one of the fastest ways to inflate your pipeline while starving your close rate.
• Align the team on the 5 C’s and the 3-3-3 rule. These frameworks create a common sales language — so reps aren’t just following steps; they’re making the same decisions in the field.
• Ensure process adherence. Any sales rep performance improvement plan loses its impact if the wider team has no standard to return to. Methodology compliance isn’t optional — it’s the baseline.
• Reinforce through repetition. Run weekly deal reviews against the framework. What gets measured gets followed.

Standardizing your methodology doesn’t limit good reps — it eliminates the noise that masks where the real problems are. Once your team operates from the same playbook, the patterns that drive sustainable performance become clear. That’s the foundation the next section builds on.

How to Sustain High Performance: Key Takeaways

Fixing an underperforming sales team isn’t a one-time intervention — it’s a system you build and maintain. The five steps in this guide work together: diagnose accurately, create accountability through structured SPIPs, develop capability through real-world coaching, and lock in a shared methodology. Skip any one of them, and performance gains tend to erode.

According to one study, replacing an underperformer costs over 200% of their annual salary. Recovery isn’t just the best option — it’s the most profitable approach.

Here’s what drives sustainable results:

• Process clarity eliminates chaos. Reps who don’t know what “good” looks like can’t self-correct. Define the pipeline stages, set clear benchmarks, and make expectations explicit.
• Consistent coaching beats administrative oversight. Weekly deal reviews and call debriefs build skill. Paperwork alone doesn’t.
• Standardized methodology scales. A shared framework means you can onboard faster, coach more precisely, and replicate what works.
• Act on underperformance early. A structured improvement plan applied at the first sign of drift — not the last — keeps your team on track.

Invest in disciplined sales team training now, and build a goal-setting rhythm that keeps performance visible quarter after quarter. That’s how you stop managing fires and start leading a team that closes.

© Shawn Casemore 2026. All Rights Reserved.