In this episode, we’re talking about what really causes sales performance to decline and what leaders can do to help their reps bounce back with clarity and confidence.
Stephanie Downs, SVP/Senior Consultant at The Center for Sales Strategy, joins Matt to help break it all down. She expands on key ideas from her article in the 2025 Talent Magazine, where she shares a framework for diagnosing underperformance and reigniting momentum through strength-based leadership.
Stephanie delivers powerful takeaways, such as:
Stephanie and Matt agree: most feedback from sales managers is either too vague or too infrequent. Whether it’s praise or constructive criticism, reps need specific, actionable input, not generalities like “run faster” or “do more.” Effective coaching includes pointing out what is working, not just what needs to improve.
One of the biggest challenges leaders face is determining why someone is underperforming. Is it a lack of skills or a lack of effort? Stephanie emphasizes the importance of diagnosing the root cause.
Leaders must assess:
Whether expectations have been clearly communicated
If proper training and resources are in place
Whether accountability is consistent
If non-performance is being tolerated
Simply telling someone to “increase activity” isn’t the same as setting clear, measurable expectations, and that disconnect can hurt performance.
Stephanie makes a compelling case for focusing on a rep’s strengths even when they’re not hitting their numbers. Backed by Talent-Focused Management principles, she explains that leaning into someone’s natural talents can generate significantly greater results than trying to “fix” their weaknesses.
However, that doesn't mean leaders should lower the bar. The key is combining strength-based coaching with clear expectations and consistent accountability.
Too often, the Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is seen as a last resort, or worse, a precursor to termination. Stephanie challenges that mindset. Instead of waiting six months (or a year!) to address poor performance formally, she recommends acting earlier.
For example: If a rep is expected to set two new business appointments each week and they miss that goal two weeks in a row, a conversation should happen immediately... not months later.
Better yet, Matt suggests reframing the PIP entirely. What if every rep had a quarterly Performance Plan or Success Plan, regardless of how they’re doing? Tied to review/preview meetings, these collaborative conversations could normalize performance planning and remove the punitive stigma of traditional PIPs.
If a rep has clear potential but is still underperforming, leaders should go all-in. Stephanie’s coaching advice includes:
Diagnosing the true barriers to success
Focusing on 1–2 high-impact areas to improve
Riding along on calls and reviewing proposals together
Practicing sales scenarios and coaching through each stage
Replacing a rep is expensive. If they’re coachable and capable, they’re worth the effort.
To wrap up the episode, Matt asks Stephanie what one conversation a leader should have this week with an underperforming rep. Her answer is simple, yet powerful:
Lead with empathy
Use data to ground the conversation
Be clear about what’s expected
Ask for the rep’s own assessment
Offer tangible support and resources
And, most importantly, don’t assume they know they’re underperforming. You owe it to them to make that clear and help them course correct.