Methodology Coaching Cheat Sheet for 1:1s

A deal-status 1:1 asks "what's happening with this account?" A methodology-coaching 1:1 asks a diagnostic question, listens for a specific red flag, and then coaches with a question — never a lecture. Pick 1–2 skill areas per 1:1 based on where a rep's deals are actually stalling; don't run all seven every time.

1. Discovery & Questioning

Ask: "Walk me through the last three questions you asked before you pitched anything." Red flag: The rep can't recall asking an implication question ("what happens if this doesn't get fixed?") — they moved straight from stating the situation to pitching a solution. Coach with: "What would have happened if you'd asked one more 'so what' before you presented?"

2. Economic Buyer Access

Ask: "Who's the economic buyer on your top three deals, and when did you last speak to them directly?" Red flag: The rep only knows the EB's name and title, has never spoken with them, and relies entirely on the champion's secondhand account of what they think. Coach with: "What's stopping your champion from getting you 15 minutes with them?"

3. Champion Development

Ask: "What has your champion personally risked to move this deal forward?" Red flag: The champion has only ever forwarded emails or scheduled meetings — never taken a real internal risk, like pushing a budget conversation or defending you in a meeting you weren't in. Coach with: "What would you need to show them for them to be willing to do that?"

4. Business Case / Metrics

Ask: "What number is the buyer defending internally, in their own words?" Red flag: The rep can restate the value proposition fluently, but not a number the buyer has personally committed to in front of others. Coach with: "Whose number is this — yours or theirs? What would make it theirs?"

5. Decision Process Navigation

Ask: "What are the next three steps to signature, with dates and owners attached?" Red flag: The rep can describe the steps in general terms but can't name who owns each one or when it happens. Coach with: "What happens to this deal if nobody owns the next step?"

6. Competitive Positioning (teach / tailor / control)

Ask: "What did you teach this buyer about their own business that they didn't know coming in?" Red flag: The rep can list product differentiators fluently, but nothing that actually reframed how the buyer thinks about their problem. Coach with: "What's one insight from a similar customer you could bring into this account?"

7. Objection Handling

Ask: "Tell me about the last real objection you got, and exactly what you said back." Red flag: The rep's response was a rebuttal or a feature dump, not a question that reopened the conversation. Coach with: "What question could you have asked instead of answering it head-on?"

How to run these 1:1s

• Pick the 1–2 skill areas most relevant to where this rep's pipeline is actually stalling — check their MEDDPICC scores or forecast-call answers first.
• Use real, recent examples from their own calls wherever possible; a hypothetical is a weak substitute for "tell me what you actually said on Tuesday."
• Every "coach with" question is deliberately a question, not advice — the goal is the rep articulating their own next step, not you handing them a script.
• Revisit the same skill area the following week if the red flag persists; one 1:1 rarely fixes a habit.