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

---

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?

---

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."