Short answer: Sales performance issues fall into three categories. Quantity issues mean the rep is not doing enough of the work, such as too few accounts engaged or too few opps worked. Quality issues mean the work is not converting, such as low connect rates, low acceptance rates, or low win rates. Tempo issues mean the work is moving too slowly, such as long gaps between touches or deals stuck in stage. Naming the category correctly is step 4 of the 9-step sales coaching conversation, and it decides what you coach.
Why does the category matter?
Each category calls for a different kind of coaching. A quantity issue is coached with time, focus, and rhythm. A quality issue is coached with skill: messaging, discovery, targeting, multithreading. A tempo issue is coached with process: next steps, mutual plans, and follow-up discipline.
When a manager misreads the category, the rep gets the wrong coaching. A rep with a conversion problem who is told to make more calls will burn through more of the territory at the same low conversion rate. A rep with a volume problem who gets talk track coaching will sound better on fewer calls.
What does each category look like for SDRs and AEs?
| Quantity | Quality | Tempo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDR signals | Low accounts engaged, calls, emails, connects, or meetings created | Low connect rate, response rate, or opps per connect; low acceptance rate; junior contacts; poor account fit | Long time between touches; too few touches per account or per contact |
| AE signals | Few total opps engaged, new opps, or meetings | Low win rate or opp conversion; few meetings per opp; low average opp size; heavy discounting | High average opp age; long time in stage; stuck or untouched opps |
| What you coach | Time blocking, daily rhythm, territory coverage | Messaging, discovery, targeting, multithreading, holding price | Next steps, mutual action plans, follow-up discipline |
For the full metrics trees behind these signals, see The SDR Leader 1:1 and The AE Leader 1:1.
How do you tell which category you are looking at?
Ask three questions in order.
- Is the volume there? Compare the rep's activity or pipeline volume to the team norm. If it is clearly below, start with quantity.
- Is the volume converting? If volume is in range, look at the conversion metrics at each stage. A drop at one stage points to a quality issue at that stage.
- Is it moving? If volume and conversion look healthy and the output still lags, look at time between touches, time in stage, and opp age. That is tempo.
Work in that order because each category hides the next one. A rep with low volume has too little data to judge conversion, and a rep with poor conversion will look slow because deals are stalling for a quality reason.
Not sure which issue your team has?
Bring your dashboard to a session and we will run the three questions together, rep by rep.
How do you document the issue once you know the category?
State the category, the driver metric, and the downstream consequence in one or two sentences. For example:
- SDR, quality: "Your activity is in line with the team, but your opps per connect dropped this month. That means fewer accepted opps for your AE and less pipeline for the quarter."
- AE, tempo: "Your win rate is holding, but four of your opps have been in the same stage for over a month. If they slip, the quarter slips with them."
Then move to step 5 and ask the rep where they think it is coming from. The questions I use are in Coaching Questions for Sales Reps.
Frequently asked questions
What are the three types of sales performance issues?
Quantity, quality, and tempo. Quantity is not enough of the work. Quality is work that does not convert. Tempo is work that moves too slowly.
How do you know if a sales rep has a quantity or quality problem?
Compare their volume to the team norm first. If volume is in range and output is low, look at conversion at each stage. A drop at one stage points to a quality problem at that stage.
What is a tempo issue in sales?
A tempo issue means deals or prospects are moving too slowly. Signals include long time between touches, high average opp age, long time in stage, and stuck or untouched opps.
Should you coach quantity or quality first?
Check quantity first. Without enough volume there is too little data to judge conversion. Once volume is in range, coach the quality driver at the stage where conversion drops.
Related
Want your managers diagnosing the same way?
I train frontline leaders to read the formula, name the category, and coach the right driver. Book time and we will start with your team's numbers.