First 1:1 Meeting Template for New Sales Managers

Use this for: your very first 1:1 with each direct report in the first two weeks of becoming their manager (whether you're new to the team or newly promoted over former peers).

Pre-work (send 1–2 days before, to every direct report)

Ahead of our first 1:1, no need to prepare anything formal — just come ready to answer, roughly: 1. What's working well for you right now, and what isn't? 2. What do you need from a manager that you haven't always gotten? 3. Anything on your mind you'd rather raise one-on-one than in a group setting?

The Agenda (30 minutes)

0:00–0:03 — Open (set the tone, don't skip this)

Say this, close to word for word:

"Before we get into anything work-related — this first 1:1 isn't a performance check-in. I want to understand how you work, what's going well, and where I can actually be useful to you. I'll ask you some questions, then I'll answer the same ones about myself."

0:03–0:15 — Understand them (ask, then actually listen — don't fill silence)

• "What's a recent win you're proud of that maybe didn't get much visibility?"
• "What's the most frustrating part of your job right now — could be process, tools, people, anything?"
• "How do you like to receive feedback — in the moment, saved for 1:1s, written, verbal?"
• "What's one thing a previous manager did that really worked for you? What's one thing that didn't?"
• "What are you hoping to be doing, or be better at, a year from now?"

0:15–0:22 — Share your "manual for me"

Tell them, specifically:

• How you prefer to communicate (Slack vs. email vs. in-person; response-time expectations)
• How you give feedback (and that you'd rather over-communicate early than let something fester)
• What you're personally still figuring out in this manager role (a real vulnerability here builds more trust than false confidence)
• One thing you need from them to do your job well (e.g., "flag if a deal is at risk before the forecast call, not during it")

0:22–0:27 — Working agreement

Agree together, out loud, on:

• 1:1 cadence going forward (weekly recommended for at least the first 90 days)
• What belongs in a 1:1 vs. a team meeting vs. Slack
• How they'd like to flag it if something's not working between the two of you

0:27–0:30 — Close

"What's one thing you'll take away from this conversation? And is there anything you expected me to ask that I didn't?"

Things to avoid in meeting #1

• Do not open with pipeline numbers, quota status, or CRM hygiene — that's what makes a first 1:1 feel like an audit.
• Do not make promises you can't keep yet (comp changes, territory changes, promotion timelines) just to build early goodwill.
• Do not talk more than they do — if you're doing more than 40% of the talking in the first 15 minutes, stop and ask another open question.
• Do not skip the reciprocal share (0:15–0:22) — a manager who only asks questions and reveals nothing reads as an interviewer, not a partner.

Follow-up email template (send within 24 hours)

Subject: Good talking today Hi [Name] — thanks for the conversation today. A few things I want to make sure I hold onto: [1-2 specific things they said]. I'll [specific commitment you made, e.g., "follow up on the tooling issue you flagged by Friday"]. Looking forward to our next one on [date].

First-Month Cadence (1:1s #2–4)