Sales Leadership Archives - Kona - Sales and Management Training

The Sales Manager’s Dilemma: When to Coach, When to Push, and When to Get Out of the Way

Posted on November 26, 2025 | by Sienna Anderson

Sales Management is a balancing act. Some days you’re a cheerleader. Other days you’re a drill sergeant. And occasionally you’re just trying not to get in the way of your own team.

The real challenge is knowing which hat to wear and when. That’s the sales manager’s dilemma. Coach, push or step back. Get the timing right and you elevate performance. Get it wrong and you stall momentum, frustrate a good salesperson or accidentally kill a deal that could have been saved.

Let’s break down how to figure out which approach your team needs in the moment.

1. When to Coach

Coaching is your most powerful long term lever. Great coaching turns average salespeople into consistent performers and strong performers into stars. But coaching is not correcting every tiny mistake or telling people what to do. Coaching is about developing their thinking so they can diagnose and solve problems on their own.

You should lean into coaching when:

A salesperson is motivated but lacking clarity.
The issue is skill based rather than attitude based.
You want long term improvement rather than a quick fix.

In these moments, slow down. Ask questions. What were they trying to achieve in the call or meeting? Where did it go off track? What options do they see for approaching it differently next time?

Your job is not to provide all the answers. Your job is to help them uncover their own.
When coaching is done well, your reps walk away with more confidence and more capability. They feel supported instead of judged. Over time, they become more self reliant which frees you up to focus on the bigger strategic picture.

2. When to Push

Sometimes people need a nudge. Or more accurately, a shove. Not every performance issue can be solved with gentle reflection and open-ended questions. There are moments when a salesperson is off track, and you can see it clearly even when they can’t. That’s when it’s time to push.

Push when:

A rep knows what to do but isn’t doing it.

Activity levels have slipped.

A deal is at risk because the rep is avoiding a tough conversation.

The behaviour problem is affecting the rest of the team.

Pushing doesn’t mean yelling or micromanaging. It means being direct, setting clear expectations and holding them accountable. It’s reminding them of their goals and why the work matters. It’s giving them a sense of urgency that they may have lost.

The trick is to push with purpose and professionalism. You’re not punishing them. You’re helping them rise to their potential. Many salespeople actually respond well to a clear directive, especially when they know you’ve got their back.

3. When to Get Out of the Way

This may be the hardest part of sales management. Sometimes the best thing you can do is step aside entirely. High performing salespeople often hit their stride when they have room to run. They thrive on autonomy, trust and ownership.

Step back when:

The rep has proven they can deliver consistently

They have more expertise in the account or industry than you do.

Your involvement will slow down the deal rather than add value.

They’re showing leadership qualities and need the space to grow into them.

Getting out of the way doesn’t mean you disappear. It means you shift into a support role. You’re available but not hovering. You’re aware but not interfering. You’re trusting them to do what you hired them to do.

And here’s the secret. Stepping back is also a powerful motivator. It signals respect. It shows you believe in their ability. That alone can elevate performance more than any pep talk ever could.

4. The Real Skill Is Reading the Moment

There’s no magic formula for deciding when to coach, push or step back. It comes down to reading the moment, understanding the individual and trusting your leadership instincts.

Ask yourself:

What does this person need right now.
Are they stuck because of skill, mindset or circumstances.
Will my involvement improve the outcome or make things worse.
What approach will help them grow for the long term.

Great sales managers adapt. They stay curious. They stay connected. And they always remember that their job is to bring out the best in their people, not simply control their outcomes.

Sales management is not easy. It demands emotional intelligence, sharp judgment and the willingness to switch gears quickly. But when you master the balance, you create a team that is confident, capable and consistently closing.

If you want support in strengthening your leadership skills and learning how to coach, push and step back with confidence, contact KONA Training for tailored Sales Management Training designed to help you lead with clarity and impact.

Call KONA on 1300 611 288 or send us an email to info@kona.com.au

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Author – Garret Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/garretnorris/

Why Every Great Sales Leader Needs a Team Leadership Charter

Posted on May 27, 2025 | by Sienna Anderson

If you’re leading a sales team and don’t yet have a Leadership Charter, you’re probably flying blind—and so is your team. Sales leadership isn’t just about hitting numbers or rallying the troops with a Monday morning pep talk. It’s about setting clear expectations, defining your leadership values, and aligning your team with a shared mission. That’s where a Leadership Charter comes in.

We’ll break down what a Leadership Charter is, why it’s critical for sales leaders, and how it can transform your team’s performance and culture.

What Exactly Is a Leadership Charter?

A Leadership Charter is a written declaration of who you are as a leader, how you lead, what you expect from your team, and what your team can expect from you. Think of it as your leadership “compass” — a way to set the direction and tone for your team.

It typically includes:

Your leadership purpose or philosophy
Core values that guide your decisions
Expectations for behaviour, communication, and accountability
Commitments you make to your team
How you’ll handle challenges and conflict

It’s a practical document that grounds your leadership in clarity and intention.

Why Sales Leaders Can’t Afford to Skip This

It’s no secret that sales is high-pressure. Quotas, pipeline management, customer demands, and team dynamics can create chaos if left unchecked. Without a Leadership Charter, your team is left guessing what matters most to you.

Here’s why top-performing sales leaders rely on a Leadership Charter:

1. Clarity Creates Confidence

When your team knows exactly what you stand for and how you operate, it removes ambiguity. They’re not left wondering what will get them praise vs. what will get them pulled up in a one-on-one. Clarity builds trust — and trust builds results.

2. Consistency in Leadership

Sales leaders often have to make fast decisions. A Leadership Charter acts as your leadership filter — helping you make consistent calls that align with your core values. That consistency helps reduce confusion and second-guessing from your team.

3. Alignment Drives Accountability

When your expectations are clearly documented and shared, it’s easier to hold your team (and yourself) accountable. It’s not about micromanagement — it’s about alignment. Everyone knows the rules of engagement.

4. Improves Culture and Morale

A strong Leadership Charter includes how you treat people, celebrate wins, and handle setbacks. It sets the tone for your team culture. And when culture is strong, morale — and performance — follows.

5. Onboarding Gets Easier

Hiring new salespeople? Instead of repeating your leadership style in every onboarding call, your Leadership Charter does the heavy lifting. It gives new team members a fast-track to understanding what matters in your world.

“Okay… But Is It Worth the Time?”

Yes — 100%.

Creating your Leadership Charter might take a few focused hours, but the ROI is massive. It’s one of those high-leverage leadership tools that continues to pay off over time.

And here’s the thing: most sales leaders think they’ve already communicated their expectations and values. But unless it’s written down, revisited, and discussed, it’s just noise. A Leadership Charter makes it concrete.

Ready to Lead With Intent?

If you’re serious about elevating your leadership game — and your sales results — creating a Leadership Charter is a no-brainer. It’s the foundation for trust, performance, and a thriving team culture.

At KONA, we help sales leaders craft Leadership Charters that reflect their authentic style while driving real results. Whether you have an experienced leadership team or new leaders stepping into their first leadership roles, we can guide your team through the process with proven tools and coaching. To find out more about why you need a team leadership charter, click here.

📞 Want help building your own Leadership Charter?

Contact KONA today for tailored Sales & Leadership Training that turns good managers into great leaders.

Call 1300 611 288 or Email info@kona.com.au to get started!

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Why the Best Salespeople get Lucky

Posted on December 6, 2021 | by Sienna Anderson

Garret Norris | KONA Group CEO

All through my sales career and even today people have commented on how “lucky” I am… My response has been and will continue to be, “It’s hard work being this lucky”.

When I had large teams of salespeople, throwing “luck” in as a conversation sometimes helped but they also knew how unreliable it is. I have seen luck occasionally give lift to morale, but attributing success or failure to random outside factors drains salespeople’s willingness to try new strategies and they sometimes use it as an excuse (“Oh I was just unlucky with that deal“).

Consequently, I urge sales managers to de-emphasise luck, instead stressing the importance of stable, measurable, and controllable factors such as motivation and activity = results.

To find out more contact the KONA Group 1300 611 288 | info@kona.com.au

But if you choose to ignore “luck” altogether, you stand to fall behind competitors who have learned how to manage it.

Manage it? Yes: In my experience, luck should be viewed as a controllable determinant of salespeople’s achievement. Success derives not from effort alone but from a combination of effort, thus, creating “luck”. An understanding of luck’s synergistic role in success can improve performance and increase young salespeople’s confidence in the face of uncertainty and failure.

I have conducted many exploratory interviews with salespeople, including successful sales professionals and new salespeople, and research involving over 250 salespeople who sold many different products and services. The salespeople all had territories and targets and used a customer-relationship-management system.

Through this process I found that experienced salespeople can tell many tales of luck, and they tend to say that an important factor in their jobs is provoked luck: unexpected events that come about because their strategic behaviour has maximised the opportunities.

An example of provoked luck is one of my team who first lost a key account, then won it back because he called them every three months, emailed them relevant information and made sure that he remained their “strategic adviser” (see below KONA’s Six Levels of a Sales Professional).

Then, as “luck” would have it, he had an opportunity to help an executive of the client with industry advice, and the client put in a good word for him (this salesperson was always getting himself into lucky circumstances!!!).

To find out more contact the KONA Group 1300 611 288 | info@kona.com.au

My research findings involving salespeople has allowed me to estimate the importance of luck-related events in selling.

For example, following our sales training, a particularly renowned company’s sales team of 70 people sold more than $1.32M in services in one quarter – and they attributed more than two-thirds of the revenue to luck.

In fact, of more than $430,000 raised in selling, about 60% came from what they call “luck circumstances,” with the rest deriving from standard sales processes. From 76% to 88% of the “luck” circumstances were incidences of “provoked luck”. LUCKY, THEY HAD THE TRAINING!!!!

My research findings involving salespeople has allowed me to estimate the importance of luck-related events in selling.

To find out more contact the KONA Group 1300 611 288 | info@kona.com.au

The numbers would no doubt vary somewhat in other contexts, but I’m confident that provoked luck – that is, activity – is part of sales success in many if not all segments (but my question is, if no activity happened would they have been so lucky?).

So how do you manage this hugely important sales input?

The key is – belief.

I found that the greater a salesperson’s belief that success is a combination of luck and effort and that good luck will come, the greater a person’s sales activities, such as making phone calls, meeting prospects, qualifying prospects, and gathering intelligence about prospects and competitors.

The greater the sales activities, the greater the opportunities for luck and the greater the person’s provoked luck. The greater the provoked luck, the higher the performance.

To find out more contact the KONA Group 1300 611 288 | info@kona.com.au

Belief in the power of luck seems to boost self-assurance, thereby helping experienced sales professionals remain optimistic in the face of setbacks and assisting inexperienced salespeople in overcoming uncertainty and fear of failure.

These factors are critical in helping salespeople maintain motivation and job satisfaction. They also matter a lot in reducing turnover, especially for new salespeople.

Not only does a belief in luck boost sales behaviours, but it works the other way around too: sales behaviours can set the stage for improved luck.

Here are a few such behaviours that your sales team can be trained in:

Building a strong pipeline: Salespeople should be trained to search for knowledge about customers, prospects, competitors, and the overall market. The more field intelligence a salesperson has, the smarter (or “luckier”) they become.
Manage the Key Accounts: Being able to communicate effectively is one of the most important life skills to learn. Communication is defined as transferring information to produce greater understanding. The quality of our communication can only be measured by the response we receive from the other person, do not blame the other person if they don’t understand you!

Managers should be setting high goals: I’m not talking about targets. I’m talking about number of calls, numbers of meeting and real measurable activities, such as trying to surpass one’s past performance. Salespeople should be encouraged to adopt such goals, because they drive forward-looking behaviours. Ambitious goals make salespeople more creative and strategic.
Negotiate to sell more value: Poor sales negotiating may be costing you as much as 50% of your net profit. Economic uncertainty has taught customers to push hard on price and terms, and even relatively receptive buyers use aggressive negotiation techniques. For sellers, the impact on average price can be as much as 5%, which in turn can represent up to 50% of net profits.

To learn how to MAKE YOUR SALES TEAM “LUCKY” contact KONA: 1300 611 288 for a confidential conversation, or Email us at info@kona.com.au today.

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