Sales Culture Audit Checklist
A scored diagnostic checklist across five culture domains plus an anonymous pulse survey, built to surface toxic quota pressure, sandbagging, and burnout risk months before they show up as attrition.
What's inside
- Section A: Quota Pressure & Fear Signals (6 scored items)
- Section B: Sandbagging Signals (5 scored items)
- Section C: Burnout Risk Signals (6 scored items)
- Section D: Manager/Leadership Behavior Signals (5 scored items)
- Section E: Data-Layer Signals pulled directly from CRM (5 scored items)
- Section F: Anonymous 5-question quarterly pulse survey
- 0/1/2 scoring rubric per item plus overall green/amber/red bands
- Standalone red-flag rule for low psychological-safety scores
How to use this
Score each item 0 (not present), 1 (some evidence), or 2 (clear, recurring evidence). This is a diagnostic, not a performance review — run it on the team/culture, not on individuals. Re-run quarterly; a single point in time tells you less than the trend.
Team/org being audited: _______________ Date: _______________ Auditor: _______________
Section A — Quota Pressure & Fear Signals
- (0/1/2) Reps describe quota conversations using words like "scared," "screwed," or "doomed" rather than "behind" or "on track"
- (0/1/2) Manager 1:1s are 80%+ pipeline-number review with no coaching or skill conversation
- (0/1/2) Reps report they've said something inaccurate to a prospect to protect a deal or hit a date
- (0/1/2) Public leaderboards/stack ranking are described by reps as punitive rather than motivating
- (0/1/2) End-of-quarter behavior includes visible panic (mass discounting, unauthorized terms, deals mysteriously closing on the 30th/31st)
- (0/1/2) Reps avoid bringing bad pipeline news to their manager until it's unavoidable
Section B — Sandbagging Signals
- (0/1/2) Deals cluster suspiciously at 60-70% probability for multiple quarters, parked rather than genuinely stuck
- (0/1/2) A disproportionate number of deals close in the last 3 days of the period
- (0/1/2) Reps privately admit to holding deals back to "have something in the bank" for next period
- (0/1/2) Forecast calls show a wide, consistent gap between "commit" and actual — always in the same direction
- (0/1/2) New reps are coached informally by peers on "how forecasting really works here," contradicting the stated process
Section C — Burnout Risk Signals
- (0/1/2) After-hours/weekend CRM or email activity is elevated and normalized ("that's just how it is here")
- (0/1/2) PTO is taken less than policy allows, or reps work through PTO
- (0/1/2) Sick days or short-notice absences have increased quarter over quarter
- (0/1/2) Reps describe the job using exhaustion language unprompted ("I'm just tired," "I don't know how much longer")
- (0/1/2) Voluntary attrition among tenured (12mo+) reps has ticked up, especially quieter mid-performers
- (0/1/2) No one on the team can name what "good" looks like beyond "hit number" — no sense of skill growth or mastery
Section D — Manager/Leadership Behavior Signals
- (0/1/2) Managers coach only on activity/output, never on skill or technique
- (0/1/2) Losses are attributed to the rep ("they didn't want it enough") rather than examined for skill or process gaps
- (0/1/2) Managers are visibly stressed about their own number in front of the team
- (0/1/2) "Culture" language in meetings is aspirational/poster-based ("we're a family," "grind culture") rather than behavior-based
- (0/1/2) Feedback flows one direction only — reps have no real channel to flag pressure, tooling problems, or unrealistic targets
Section E — Data-Layer Signals (pull from CRM, don't just ask)
- (0/1/2) New pipeline creation is heavily back-loaded into the last 2 weeks of the period
- (0/1/2) Deal aging: a growing share of "active" pipeline hasn't been touched in 14+ days
- (0/1/2) Discount depth increases measurably in the final week of the period vs. the rest
- (0/1/2) Close-date push rate (deals slipping quarter to quarter) is rising
- (0/1/2) A small number of reps carry a disproportionate share of "at risk" flagged deals with no manager intervention logged
Section F — Anonymous Pulse Survey (5 questions, run quarterly, anonymous)
Score each 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree):
- I can tell my manager when a deal is at risk without fear of how it will land.
- My manager has coached me on a specific skill (not just pipeline numbers) in the last 30 days.
- I feel able to take my PTO without pipeline anxiety.
- I understand what "good" looks like here beyond hitting the number.
- I would recommend this team to a friend looking for a sales role.
Scoring Guide
Section score: sum each section's checked points (max 12 for A, 10 for B, 12 for C, 10 for D, 10 for E).
| Total score (Sections A-E, max 54) | Read |
|---|---|
| 0-10 | Green — healthy culture, keep monitoring quarterly |
| 11-24 | Amber — early warning signs; address the top 2 scoring sections in the next 30 days |
| 25+ | Red — active risk; escalate and build a remediation plan now, don't just "watch it" |
Pulse survey: average score below 3.0 on any single question = investigate that area regardless of overall section scores. A low score on Q1 (psychological safety to raise risk) is the single most predictive early-warning item — treat it as a standalone red flag even if the rest of the audit is green.
How to use it
Score every item 0/1/2 based on real evidence rather than gut feel, run the anonymous 5-question pulse survey quarterly, and use the scoring bands to decide whether to monitor, intervene, or escalate.