For many sales leaders, a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is the final warning before a rep is shown the door. It’s a formalized process, a checkbox exercise, and in most cases, a death sentence for the employee. But what if the problem isn’t just the rep? What if it’s the way we think about coaching, accountability, and performance management in the first place?
In the latest episode of Coach2Scale, we sat down with Eric Hachmer and Steve Frappier of HighFive Advisory, two seasoned sales leaders with experience scaling teams at ADP, LinkedIn, and Oracle. They unpacked why PIPs often fail, how rigid sales policies do more harm than good, and what great leaders do differently to develop high-performing teams.
Here’s what every CRO should take away from this conversation…
PIPs Aren’t Coaching—They’re a Cover for Poor Leadership
The biggest problem with PIPs? They aren’t designed to help reps succeed; they’re designed to document failure. Managers slap them on struggling reps as a procedural step toward termination rather than using them as a tool for development. As Eric put it, “The wording itself is the problem—‘performance improvement’ implies you’re already in a bad spot.”
What should sales leaders do instead? Create a structured coaching plan before performance ever becomes an issue. That means tracking behaviors, not just results. If a rep is struggling, don’t wait until they’ve missed quota for two quarters. Step in early, diagnose the root cause, and work on skill development before things spiral.
One-Size-Fits-All Coaching is a Sales Killer
Many sales managers make the mistake of coaching from a playbook instead of adapting to the individual. They treat all reps the same, expecting them to respond to the same frameworks, processes, and feedback styles. But the truth is, no two reps are wired the same way.
Steve shared an example of two senior salespeople he coached; one needed process and structure to build trust, while the other needed to feel heard first before engaging in strategy. If he had applied the same coaching approach to both, one would have checked out entirely.
Great leaders meet their reps where they are. They adjust their coaching style to fit the person, not the other way around.
Sales Policies Can Backfire—Use Judgment Instead
We’ve all seen it: a rep builds strong rapport with a customer, only to be told the deal must be reassigned because of a territory rule or sales policy. What happens? The customer disengages, the rep gets frustrated, and revenue is lost—all in the name of process compliance.
Eric put it bluntly: “Sales policy is for the weak.” That doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be structure, but it does mean that sales leaders need to apply judgment and flexibility instead of blindly following the rulebook. If a policy is getting in the way of closing deals or serving customers, it’s time to rethink the approach.
Urgency is the Enemy of Good Coaching
One of the hardest things for sales leaders to do is to slow down. The pace of sales creates constant pressure—end-of-quarter deadlines, weekly forecasts, and daily fire drills leave little room for thoughtful coaching. When urgency takes over, coaching becomes a check-the-box activity rather than a meaningful development opportunity.
Steve and Eric emphasized that great coaching isn’t about quantity—it’s about quality. A manager who holds fewer, more intentional one-on-ones focused on skill development, not just deal progression, will have a far more significant impact than one who holds rushed, unfocused sessions. The best leaders take the time to coach properly, even when it feels like there’s no time at all.
Accountability is a Two-Way Street
It’s easy to hold reps accountable for their numbers. It’s harder to hold managers accountable for actually developing their teams. In many sales orgs, managers are so buried in data and forecasting that coaching takes a back seat. But when reps aren’t coached effectively, performance suffers—and the cycle repeats.
CROs must hold their sales managers accountable for coaching consistency just as much as they hold reps accountable for quota. If coaching isn’t happening, it’s not just a frontline issue—it’s a leadership issue. And the fix starts at the top.
Listening and Authenticity Define Great Sales Leaders
At the heart of this entire discussion was a simple but powerful truth: Sales leaders who build trust win. That trust isn’t built through micromanaging, rigid policies, or robotic coaching sessions. It’s built through active listening, authenticity, and a genuine investment in rep success.
As Eric shared, you can always tell when a leader is just repeating what their boss told them to say. The moment a leader stops being themselves, whether it’s due to pressure from above or fear of tough conversations, they lose credibility. The best leaders show up as their true selves, build relationships based on trust, and make coaching a priority, not an afterthought.
Coach Early, Coach Often, and Coach the Right Way
If you’re a CRO looking to build a high-performing sales team, start by fixing the way your organization thinks about coaching. Ditch the outdated PIP mindset. Encourage managers to tailor coaching to individual reps. Allow for flexibility in sales policies where it makes sense. Most importantly, leaders should be held accountable for coaching, not just forecasting.
If you want to dig deeper, contact us today to talk about AI-powered sales manager insights for better coaching!
