Why Bigger Sales Teams Don’t Mean Better Outcomes
The Context: Dell’s Bold Move
Dell recently announced a significant reorg as part of “simplifying around AI.” We are seeing a similar trend across the industry of frontline leaders now overseeing larger and larger teams. At Dell, VPs need a minimum of 15 direct reports, and directors and senior sales managers must handle at least 20 sellers.
The rationale: fewer layers, fewer salaries, faster decisions, and greater scale in a fast-moving AI world.
The Danger: Blindly Scaling Manager Span of Control
At first glance, fewer layers mean efficiency. But here’s what most leaders miss:
- Diluted coaching impact: Managers spread thin can’t give reps the development they need. Enablement and HR will be taxed as a result.
- Degraded rep performance: Without focused support, ramp times slow down, and performance plateaus.
- Growing attrition risk: Reps sense they aren’t visible or supported: frustration follows burnout or exit.
We’ve seen real risk from thousands of coaching interactions with our clients: Expanding the span of control without strengthening manager enablement reliably reduces rep performance.
Bigger Span Requires Smarter Enablement
If you insist on larger teams, it can only work with an AI-powered co-pilot that supports managers, saves time, and analyzes the data and tech stack to separate the signal from the noise. That’s where CoachEm comes in.
Actionable Fixes for CROs:
| Pain Point | Recommended Step |
|---|---|
| Managers stretched thin | Implement AI coaching insights that flag priority conversations weekly |
| Automate 1:1 agendas based on rep needs, not pipeline review | Use guided coaching prompts tied to real CRM activity |
| Time spent prepping for 1:1s drains bandwidth | Automate 1:1 agendas based on rep needs and real-time deal insights |
| Visibility into rep development disappears | CoachEm surfaces bright spots and coaching gaps to the manager and the enablement team |
With CoachEm, larger spans become feasible and even powerful. Our platform acts as your manager’s AI co-pilot, surfacing:
- What to coach, when
- How to structure high-impact 1:1s
- Which skill areas need focus (and why)
Managers don’t get displaced—they get amplified. We make manager multipliers.
Final Takeaway for C-Level Decision-Makers
If your sales leadership team is stretched too thin and ineffective already, don’t assume that a higher span of control over a bigger team will drive success. Without high-leverage AI for the manager and additional support for the reps, you will erode rep capability and your revenue over time. A flatter structure can amplify speed and increase profits if you double down on AI-assisted managers to keep them effective.
It’s a fine line and a difficult balance, but we believe that AI can’t coach your reps, hold them accountable, or manage them effectively. Also, most managers were already drowning. Some reports suggested that over 50% of reps wouldn’t pay a single dollar for an hour of their manager’s time. And that was before they quadrupled the size of their team!
We need human sellers and managers, and we need them to be more effective and efficient. At CoachEm, we use AI to make managers multipliers of your reps’ success.
