Sales Team Charter Template
A fill-in-the-blanks template that gets a new or reorganized sales team's mission, working norms, and decision rights down on paper in one working session — so 'how we operate' isn't tribal knowledge.
What's inside
- 3-question pre-work sent to the team before the session
- Mission & ICP fill-in fields
- Core metrics/OKR table
- Working norms table (meeting cadence, response-time SLA, deal-review cadence, CRM hygiene)
- Decision-rights RACI grid for the 5 most common team decisions
- Values table (what it looks like / what it's not)
- Conflict & escalation protocol fields
- 90-minute workshop agenda, minute by minute
Format: run as a single 90-minute working session with the full team (not just leadership) — a charter written by one person and handed down doesn't get followed.
Pre-work (send 2–3 days before the session)
Every team member answers individually, in writing, before the session:
- "What's one thing about how this team currently operates that you'd protect no matter what?"
- "What's one thing about how this team currently operates that quietly frustrates you?"
- "What decision gets made too slowly, or by the wrong person, right now?"
Section 1 — Mission & Purpose
Our team exists to: _______________________________________________ (One sentence. Test: could a new hire recite the gist after hearing it once?)
We are the team of record for: _______________________________________________ (What market segment, product line, or motion is unambiguously ours?)
Section 2 — Who We Sell To (ICP)
| Field | Definition |
|---|---|
| Target company profile | |
| Target buyer persona(s) | |
| Disqualifying criteria (who we do NOT chase) | |
| Primary competitive alternative |
Section 3 — Core Metrics & OKRs (this quarter)
| Metric | Current | Target | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team revenue/bookings target | |||
| Leading indicator #1 (e.g., qualified pipeline generated) | |||
| Leading indicator #2 (e.g., win rate) | |||
| One skill/capability metric (e.g., % of reps certified on new methodology) |
Section 4 — Working Norms
| Norm | Standard | Exceptions/notes |
|---|---|---|
| Team meeting cadence | e.g., weekly 30-min pipeline review, Mondays | |
| 1:1 cadence | e.g., weekly, 30 min, never cancelled without reschedule | |
| Deal review cadence | e.g., every deal over $___ reviewed before proposal stage | |
| Internal response-time SLA | e.g., Slack within 4 business hours, email within 1 business day | |
| CRM hygiene standard | e.g., next step + close date on every open opportunity, updated weekly | |
| Core selling hours (if hybrid/remote) |
Section 5 — Decision Rights (RACI)
List the 5–8 decisions this team makes most often. For each: who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed.
| Decision | Responsible | Accountable | Consulted | Informed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discount above standard threshold | ||||
| Reassign an account/territory | ||||
| Escalate a stuck deal | ||||
| Hire/backfill a role on the team | ||||
| Change to comp plan or quota |
Section 6 — Values & Behaviors
For each value, define what it looks like in practice AND what it's commonly mistaken for:
| Value | What this looks like here | What this is NOT |
|---|---|---|
Section 7 — Conflict & Escalation Protocol
- Peer-to-peer disagreement: "We first try to resolve directly, within ___ business days, before either party raises it to the manager."
- Rep-to-manager disagreement: "___"
- What gets escalated immediately vs. handled at the lowest level: "___"
Section 8 — Review Cadence & Amendment Process
- This charter is reviewed: ☐ Quarterly ☐ At every new hire onboarding ☐ On request of any team member
- To propose a change: "___"
- Last reviewed: _______ Next review: _______
90-Minute Workshop Agenda
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 0–10 min | Share pre-work themes anonymously; look for patterns |
| 10–30 min | Draft Mission & ICP sections together, out loud |
| 30–45 min | Draft Core Metrics & Working Norms |
| 45–65 min | Draft Decision Rights (RACI) — this is usually where the real disagreement surfaces; don't rush it |
| 65–80 min | Draft Values & Behaviors using real recent examples, not abstractions |
| 80–90 min | Assign an owner to write up the final doc within 48 hours and circulate for a written thumbs-up from every team member before it's "final" |
How to use it
Send the three pre-work questions ahead of time, then work through all eight sections live as a team in the 90-minute agenda — a charter nobody helped write is a document nobody follows.