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.
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.
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" |