1. Define process metrics, not just outcome metrics
Revenue is a consequence. The indicators that let you step in early live in the process: activity volume, conversion rate by stage, average time in each phase of the funnel and the quality of each conversation.
- Volume: how many leads each rep is actively working
- Velocity: average time to move a lead from one stage to the next
- Conversion: advance rate at each funnel transition, per rep
- Quality: evaluation of conversations — questions asked, objections handled, tone
2. Use conversation analysis to give evidence-based feedback
Feedback based on impressions creates resistance. Feedback based on a specific conversation — “in this deal, the timeline objection came up twice and was never answered” — creates learning.
With the conversation history in the CRM, the manager walks into the 1:1 with concrete examples. The rep gets a diagnosis of their own behavior, not a subjective review.
3. Set up review rituals with a fixed cadence
Data without a ritual becomes a report nobody reads. The structure that works is simple: a weekly review of each rep's active pipeline, a biweekly 1:1 based on the conversations reviewed, and a monthly review of targets versus process.