Short answer: An AE leader coaches to bookings, which equals wins multiplied by average sales price, divided by average deal cycle. Wins equal win rate multiplied by attempts. In a 1:1, start at bookings, find which of the four parts moved (win rate, attempts, average sales price, or average deal cycle), and coach the driver behind it. Each part maps to one kind of issue: quality of execution, quantity of pipeline, deal quality, or tempo.
This article is the AE companion to The 9-Step Sales Coaching Conversation. The nine steps stay the same for every rep. This page covers what an AE leader brings into steps 4 through 7: the formula, the drivers, and the diagnosis. If you lead SDRs, read The SDR Leader 1:1.
What is the AE revenue formula?
Bookings = (Wins × Average Sales Price) / Average Deal CycleWins = Win Rate × AttemptsPipeline feeds two parts of the formula: it sets the number of attempts, and it shapes the average opp size that becomes average sales price. That is why a pipeline gap often shows up in more than one place on an AE's dashboard.
What metrics drive AE performance?
| Part of the formula | What it measures | Driver metrics to coach |
|---|---|---|
| Win rate | Quality of pipeline execution | Meetings per opp; contacts per account; time between touches; follow-up meeting ratio; opp conversion; opp progressions; untouched opps; email engagement rate |
| Attempts | Quantity of pipeline execution | Total opps engaged; new opps; meetings |
| Average sales price | Deal quality | Contacts per account; average opp size; bookings per meeting; account types; discounting |
| Average deal cycle | Tempo of pipeline execution | Average opp age; average time in stage; opp progressions; stuck opps; follow-up meeting ratio; time between touches |
How do you diagnose an AE performance issue?
Start at bookings and find which of the four parts is off. Then bring that driver into step 4 of the conversation.
Win rate is down
This is a quality of execution issue. Look at meetings per opp, contacts per account, follow-up meeting ratio, and untouched opps. Coaching usually centers on multithreading, discovery, and keeping every open opp moving.
Not enough attempts
This is a quantity issue. Look at total opps engaged, new opps, and meetings. Coaching usually centers on self-sourcing, partnering with SDRs, and working the full pipeline. For help setting the coverage targets behind attempts, see territory planning for early-stage vs. scale.
Deals close small
This is a deal quality issue. Look at average opp size, account types, contacts per account, and discounting. Coaching usually centers on account selection, reaching senior buyers, and holding price.
Deals take too long
This is a tempo issue. Look at average opp age, time in stage, stuck opps, and time between touches. Coaching usually centers on mutual action plans and securing the next meeting before the current one ends.
For a side-by-side view of quantity, quality, and tempo issues across SDR and AE roles, see Quantity, Quality, or Tempo.
Need your AE leaders coaching to the same formula?
I help sales leaders put a shared revenue formula and 1:1 rhythm in place, so every AE conversation starts from the same numbers.
What does a 45-minute AE coaching 1:1 look like?
Here is how the nine steps map to a typical AE 1:1. AE 1:1s run longer than SDR 1:1s because they usually include a review of live deals.
| Minutes | Steps | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | 1, 2, 3 | Open with a specific positive, such as a deal advanced or a strong discovery call. Restate the goal: the rep's growth and the team's bookings number. |
| 5 to 20 | 4 | Walk the formula from bookings down. Name the one part that moved, the driver behind it, and what it means for the quarter. Use one or two live deals as evidence. |
| 20 to 32 | 5, 6 | Ask the rep where it is coming from, deal by deal if needed. Then share your view. |
| 32 to 42 | 7, 8 | Agree the actions, each tied to a driver metric and a target, and name the deals they apply to. Close with confidence and one more positive. |
| After | 9 | Send the follow-up email the same day: the issue, the plan, the deals, the metric, the check-in date. |
One AE-specific note: keep deal inspection and coaching connected. A deal review tells you what is happening in one opportunity. The formula tells you whether the same pattern is happening across the whole book, and that pattern is what you coach.
For the questions to ask in step 5, see Coaching Questions for Sales Reps.
Frequently asked questions
What metrics should an AE manager coach to?
An AE manager coaches to bookings, which breaks down into win rate, attempts, average sales price, and average deal cycle. The driver metrics include meetings per opp, follow-up meeting ratio, new opps, average opp size, discounting, average time in stage, and stuck opps.
What is the AE revenue formula?
Bookings equal wins multiplied by average sales price, divided by average deal cycle. Wins equal win rate multiplied by attempts.
How do you coach an AE with a low win rate?
Look at meetings per opp, contacts per account, follow-up meeting ratio, and untouched opps. Low win rates usually trace back to single-threaded deals, thin discovery, or opps that stall without a next step.
How do you shorten an AE's deal cycle?
Look at average opp age, time in stage, stuck opps, and time between touches. Coach the rep to secure the next meeting before the current one ends and to agree a mutual plan with the buyer.
What should an AE coaching plan include?
Specific actions with owners, the driver metric each action should move, a target, the deals the actions apply to, and the date you will check progress, usually the next 1:1.
Related
Want a second set of eyes on your AE metrics?
Bring your team's bookings dashboard to a session and we will walk the formula together and find the driver worth coaching first.