6 Salesperson Performance Secrets You Need To Know About

You know that one rep on your team who just crushes it every month? While everyone else struggles to hit quota, this person somehow sells twice as much.

That gap looks bad on paper and it can tank your business if you don't fix it. Here's the truth about most sales training: it's a complete waste of time.

Over half the people running these programs have no clue if they actually work. So what actually helps your whole team sell more?

Let's dig in and find out.

Why Your Sales Training Fails Your Team

Selling looks totally different now than it did ten years ago. I mean yeah making money still matters most. But buyers today want salespeople who actually understand their business, know their stuff cold, and can customize solutions just for them.

Just pushing product doesn't work anymore.

The old way of judging sales folks only looked at closed deals but never explained why some people consistently sold more than others. This left sales managers constantly playing catch-up instead of actually helping their team get better.

Let's face it, selling is harder now:

• You've got buying committees with 6-10 people who all have to say yes

• You have to crush it on both Zoom calls and in-person meetings, navigating the challenges of hybrid and remote work

• Your customers have already Googled everything about you before they even talk to you

• Everyone expects you to be this mini-consultant with insights, not just a product pusher

The best sales teams watch for behaviors and warning signs that predict success. This helps them catch problems early before someone tanks their quarter.

Sales Metrics That Predict Success

Great sales tracking looks at both what people do (activities) and what they get done (results). Sales teams that track both figure out why some people crush it while others struggle.

Numbers That Show Who Can Sell

Here are numbers that actually tell you something useful:

• Lead Qualification Rate: Can they spot a real buyer from a tire-kicker?

• Win Rate by Stage: Where do their deals get stuck? Demo? Pricing? Final approval?

• Sales Cycle Length: Do their deals take forever to close? That usually means they don't know how to move things forward

• Customer Lifetime Value: Good salespeople don't just close deals, they bring in customers who stick around and buy more stuff

These metrics give you a much better picture, but having a system around them works even better. Companies with real processes see 40% more sellers hitting targets compared to places that wing it.

Clear goals make a huge difference. When people know exactly what good looks like and how you're measuring it, they do better. Plus, good tracking helps you spot exactly where someone needs help.

Salesperson Performance Gaps And How To Close Them

Why does most sales training bomb? Because it treats everyone like they have the same problems. One rep struggles with discovery questions while another can't handle objections, but they sit through the exact same boring training.

Even worse, most companies never check if the training did anything. Most places spend almost nothing on checking if their training worked, with less than 9% of training money going toward measuring results. They throw cash at training with no clue if it helps at all.

What Works Instead Of Boring Training

What works better? Learning and development strategies that focus on what each person actually struggles with. Figure out exactly what skills someone's missing, then give them practice just on those things.

AI roleplays are crazy helpful. They let salespeople practice tough conversations without risking a real customer relationship. This hands-on practice builds skills way faster than watching another mind-numbing PowerPoint.

Good coaching makes a huge difference too. Sales coaching helps teams close 25-40% more deals. Companies with decent coaching can boost their sales by up to 16.7% just by making their reps better at their jobs.

The winning combo is AI practice tools plus human coaching. The tech gives people unlimited practice with instant feedback, while human coaches explain what it all means and how to use it in real calls.

AI With Coaching Creates Unstoppable Sales Teams

Sales tech used to just help with boring stuff like logging calls and updating the CRM. Now, with the transformative impact of AI roleplaying, it actually makes people better at selling.

The numbers don't lie. Sales teams using AI sell up to 35% more while getting way better at predicting what deals will close. Teams with AI assistants get 25-40% more productive.

Tech That Makes Your Team Sell More

The most helpful sales tech, representing the latest AI in learning and development, includes:

• AI Conversation Practice: Tools that let you try out customer conversations risk-free

• Real-Time Call Coaching: AI that listens to your calls and whispers suggestions in your ear

• Skills Tracking: Tools that spot exactly what skills you need to work on

• Just-in-Time Tips: Quick advice that shows up right when you need it during your day

The magic happens when you mix tech tools with human smarts. AI is great for practice and data, but human coaches bring the wisdom and emotional intelligence that computers just can't match.

Exec nails this balance by combining AI roleplays with expert coaching to create a better system for making salespeople more effective.

Create A Sales Team That Never Stops Improving

Most sales training fails because it's a one-time thing. People go to a workshop, get pumped for a week, then go right back to their old habits.

Even worse, most companies spend less than 9% of their training budget checking if anything improved. They have no clue if all that training money did anything useful.

A continuous improvement approach fixes this by creating regular practice and feedback, guided by effective leadership guides. It treats getting better as an everyday process, not a special event.

The impact on business is huge. Sales teams with good systems win nearly 50% more deals and integrate new employees, getting them selling in half the time. They also build teams that can adapt when the market throws curveballs.

Here's what makes a good continuous improvement system:

• Regular Check-ins: Looking at skills and behaviors, not just numbers

• Consistent Practice: AI scenarios that recreate the tough conversations and enhance conflict resolution strategies your team faces

• Learning During Work: Training that fits into what people are already doing instead of pulling them away from selling

• Measuring What Matters: Tracking skill improvement over time with real data

This approach turns getting better from an occasional event into a daily habit, creating a culture where improving is just part of the job.

Six Steps To Better Sales Team Results

Want to enhance team performance? Here's a simple plan that works:

• Know Where You Stand: Start by measuring how everyone's doing right now. The right platform gives you a clear picture of your team's current skills and where they're falling short.

• Find the Real Problems: Good AI tools can spot each person's specific weak spots by analyzing their practice conversations, revealing issues you might miss.

• Create Personal Plans: Build learning paths based on individual needs. The best systems automatically generate customized training focused on exactly what each salesperson struggles with.

• Practice Regularly: Modern AI roleplays feel like real customer conversations, not awkward scripts. Your team can practice with virtual customers who respond naturally. If they mess up, the virtual customer actually gets annoyed just like in real life.

• Add Expert Coaching: Technology alone isn't enough. Expert coaches help make sense of all that practice data and turn it into advice they can use. It's like having a sales mentor who's watched hundreds of your calls.

• Track Progress: See measurable improvement over time. Good platforms track how salespeople progress on specific skills, so you can see who's getting better at handling objections or who's mastered discovery questions. This makes it easy to show ROI to the higher-ups.

You'll hit some speed bumps: people resist change, practice gets inconsistent, and it's tough to link training to actual sales results.

Stop Stressing About Missed Sales Targets

Remember how stressed you felt last quarter when half your team missed targets? It's not just your numbers taking a hit, it's your life too. More stress, less family time, and always worrying.

Want to fix it? Book a consultation with Exec to see how AI roleplays can help your team close more deals.