New Sales Manager First-90-Days Toolkit

Part 1: The Checklist

Week 1

• 1:1 with your own manager: agree on your first-90-days success definition, in writing
• Get the roster: names, tenure, current quota attainment, last skill-observation scores for every rep
• Schedule a 30-minute "get to know you" 1:1 with every rep: no business review, just listening
• Shadow at least 3 live calls/deals per rep across the team, notes only, no feedback yet
• Read the last 2 quarters of team performance data: pipeline, attainment, ramp cohort data
• Identify your 2 strongest and 2 most at-risk reps: write down why, in skill terms, not just numbers

Weeks 2-4

• Deliver the First 1:1 Template (below) to every rep
• Set a recurring weekly 1:1 cadence: fixed day/time, never cancelled without a reschedule offered same-day
• Give your first piece of skill-specific coaching feedback to each rep, using SBI
• Sit in on one deal review/forecast call to learn the existing rhythm before you change anything
• Map each rep's biggest skill gap using the Manager Skill-Observation Scorecard
• Identify one "quick win" process fix you can make without needing sign-off from above

Days 31-60

• Run your first Monthly Skill-Review 1:1 with each rep
• Start a consistent shadowing cadence: minimum 2 calls per rep per month, calendarized
• Give each rep one written development goal tied to a named skill, with a 30-day check-in date
• Calibrate your observation scores against a peer or your own manager on at least 2 recordings
• Identify team-wide (not just individual) skill gaps and flag them to enablement for a refresher
• Have a direct conversation with your most at-risk rep about a specific improvement plan

Days 61-90

• Deliver a formal 90-day check-in to your own manager: what changed, what's still a gap, what you need
• Review ramp data for any new hires under you against the org's ramp benchmark
• Run a team-wide skill-capability snapshot against the core skill taxonomy
• Set next-quarter development goals for every rep, in writing
• Ask each rep for feedback on your management style so far (anonymously if that gets you honesty)
• Decide whether any role/territory/coaching-plan changes are warranted based on 90 days of direct observation

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Part 2: 1:1 Templates

First 1:1 Template (30 min, Week 1)

• Opening (5 min): "This isn't a business review. I want to understand how you work and what you need from me."
• Career & motivation (10 min): What made you get into sales? Where do you want this role to take you in 2 years? What's the skill you're proudest of? What's the skill you know you need to build?
• Working style (10 min): How do you like to receive feedback? What's worked with past managers? What's a dealbreaker in how you're managed?
• Logistics (5 min): Confirm 1:1 cadence, preferred communication channel, current blockers

Weekly 1:1 Template (30 min, ongoing)

• Wins since last time (5 min)
• Pipeline/deal review: only the deals that need help, not a status recitation (10 min)
• Skill coaching moment: one specific behavior from a recent call, using SBI (10 min)
• Rep's ask for you: "what do you need from me this week?" (5 min)

Monthly Skill-Review 1:1 Template (45 min)

• Review scorecard trend across the last 3 observed calls
• Name the single skill that will move the most metrics this month if improved
• Agree a specific practice plan (drill, roleplay, paired call) for that skill
• Revisit last month's goal, did it stick?
• Career-arc check: is this month's skill work visibly moving them toward their stated 2-year goal?

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Part 3: Coaching Skills Primer

The SBI Feedback Model

Describe the specific Situation, the specific observed Behavior, the specific Impact, never generalize ("you're bad at discovery") and never skip straight to prescription ("you should have...").

Example: "On the call with Acme at 2:15 (Situation), when the buyer raised budget concerns, you moved straight to a discount (Behavior), which meant we never found out whether budget was even the real blocker (Impact)."

The GROW Coaching Conversation Model

• Goal: what does the rep want to achieve?
• Reality: what's actually happening now, in specifics?
• Options: what could they try: generated by them, not handed to them?
• Will: what will they commit to, by when?

Active-Listening Checklist for Call Shadowing

• Are you writing down direct quotes, not summaries?
• Are you noting timestamps so every score has evidence behind it?
• Are you resisting the urge to jump in and "fix" the call live?

The 70/20/10 Coaching Allocation

Roughly 70% of your coaching time should go to on-the-job stretch (real calls/deals), 20% to peer/manager coaching conversations, 10% to formal training. If most of your time is in the last bucket, you're administrating, not coaching.

Cadence Discipline

One missed 1:1 is an accident. Two in a row is a pattern your rep will read as "I don't matter."