Why you do this session / potential triggers
Talking to your reps about deals, targets and how to hit them is only one part of your job.
To lead a team to success, you need to be purposeful about helping them to develop and make space for them to discuss their needs. That’s what these 1:1s are for.
If you don’t already do these sessions on a regular basis, it’s time to schedule one if you notice that something is off with a sales rep. Or they may come to you saying “I want to progress to managing people, how do I do that?” and you should make time to focus on it.
What you need to prepare as a manager
Unless you’ve had a previous session, there’s nothing specific for you to prepare as a manager. The 1:1 is an opportunity for the rep to start outlining where they want to go and you discuss together to come up with a plan.
If you have had previous 1:1 and there have been some actions noted, these should be reviewed to be better prepared to discuss outcomes during the session.
What the rep needs to prepare
The rep should come to the session prepared with specific talking points. It’s where they should bring what they believe is their next opportunity for development and where they would like to focus.
What you’ll cover
Here’s some guidance for each talking point in the notes template:
Previous actions
First thing to do is check if actions from any previous sessions have been completed or not, and if they achieved what was intended.
Development area
Here’s where you talk through what the rep suggested they would like to develop.
Training / Growth Plan
Identify a plan and agree on the actions to take.
Resources needed
This is where you note what resources are available to support the plan and what may be required. Maybe books need to be purchased, skills trainer brought in, training course to be sourced. Maybe there are shadowing / mentoring paths that can be applied. Maybe there’s a bi-weekly sync with another team (marketing, product, sales operations) that might help. You might identify more actions in the process of figuring out these requirements.
What next?
Remember to share the notes and actions once you’re done.
Based on how the session went, you might want to update the rep profile with an update or a change in their skills profile.