The Hidden Cost of Untrained Sales Managers (And How to Fix It)
There’s a quiet crisis happening in companies of all sizes—and it’s costing them more than anyone thinks.
Every year, top salespeople get promoted into management roles with little more than a handshake and a “go teach them how you did it.”
No playbook. No real support. No training on how to actually lead.
What happens next is heartbreakingly predictable:
—Top performers leave.
—Teams miss quota.
—Morale tanks.
And that promising new manager hire ends up burned out, doubting themselves, and wondering if they made a huge mistake taking this job.
No one wins.
And yet, companies keep doing this: handing out manager titles like prizes without equipping their best people to succeed. It’s not just unfair to those managers. It’s unfair to their teams, and it’s unfair to your business.
Let’s break down the top things new frontline leaders struggle with, and how to help them through it for better-performing, happier teams.
The Identity Shift: Thinking Like a Leader
What made your new sales manager a superstar rep will sink them as a leader if they don’t make one essential shift:
Their job is no longer to be the hero. Their job is to build heroes.
There are a few traits that made them excel as a top-performing rep that can work to their detriment as a leader:
That competitive streak? It can make them take over deals instead of coaching reps.
That self-reliance? It can stop them from delegating and scaling.
That laser focus on running their own race? It can blind them to team dynamics and block out-of-the-box thinking.
Without guidance, new managers default to what worked as a rep, often with disastrous results. They need help stepping into the mindset of a true leader.
1:1s That Drive Connection & Collaboration
When untrained managers run 1:1s, they often fall into two traps:
Status update meetings (where nothing meaningful gets done)
Interrogations about the pipeline (that leave reps defensive and checked out)
N/A because they just get pushed or canceled.
Great 1:1s build trust, inspire growth, and drive results. They focus on:
Collaboration: Solving problems together, not just reporting on them
Connection: Knowing what really drives each person
Contribution: Holding people accountable while recognizing wins
Teach your managers to coach in these moments—and you’ll see a ripple effect across performance and retention.
Learning That Everyone is Motivated by Something Different
Money matters, but it’s rarely the whole story. The best managers learn what truly drives each person on their team.
I break down eight key motivators that resonate with salespeople:
Recognition - “show me I’m great by celebrating my efforts”
Financial Rewards - “pay me more so I feel more secure and valued”
Growth + Development - “invest in things that will make me better as a professional and human being”
Autonomy - “trust me to get the job done the way that I work best”
Connection to a Bigger Purpose - “show me that my work is tied to something I value”
Competition - “give me opportunities to win against my peers”
Balance - “provide me space to have a life and identity outside of work”
Security - “make me feel safe”
When managers figure out what drives their employees, they can lead with the right motivator and unlock performance and loyalty.
When they don’t? They risk disengaging even their top reps.
How Micromanagement Drives Talent Away
No one sets out to micromanage. But without training, new managers often:
CC themselves on every client email
Jump into deals to “save the day”
Rewrite reps’ emails
Dictate steps rather than outcomes
Fill the calendar with unnecessary meetings
These behaviors don’t help—they push people out. Teach managers to focus on outcomes, not controlling every step in the process. Show them how to hold reps accountable to results, without dictating their every move.
Time Management is a Survival Skill
New managers are often overwhelmed; pulled between selling, coaching, admin, and everything else. Without structure, it’s easy to burn out fast.
Great sales leaders learn to:
Prioritize daily: Drive revenue, develop people, delegate, defer
Time-block for deep work
Set office hours for team support
Cut noise (goodbye, constant notifications)
Say no to meetings that don’t move the needle
Show these managers how to control their time, and respect the boundaries they set in their calendar.
The ROI of Investing in Sales Managers
Here’s the hard truth: untrained managers cost you revenue, talent, and reputation; whereas trained managers multiply their impact.
The numbers don’t lie. Companies that invest in training sales leaders see:
32% higher quota attainment across reps
27% lower turnover of top performers
41% faster ramp for new reps
22% higher overall engagement
Your frontline managers aren’t just people leaders—they’re the engine of your sales organization.
So the real question is: Are you equipping them to win? Or setting them up to fail?
It’s time to stop promoting top performers into a no-win scenario. It’s time to invest in them—because when they succeed, everyone does.
Become the best leader you can be… and you don't have to do it alone.
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