A coaching checklist is a short list a sales manager runs through before, during and after a coaching 1:1, so that each session picks one call, coaches one step and ends with a date to check. It keeps the routine from slipping on a week when the pipeline takes over.
This post gives you the checklists we would use: one for each part of a 1:1, one for reviewing a call, one for the monthly team check and one for new hires. It is built on the routine in the guide to sales coaching, which has the reasoning behind each item.
What is a coaching checklist for sales managers?
It is a written list of the steps of a coaching routine, in order, short enough to use on a busy week. The checklist holds the routine, and the conversation stays human. Use it to prepare and to check yourself after the 1:1. Do not read it out in the session.
Before
Pick the call, mark one moment, write the step.During
Ask first, play the moment, agree on words, practice.
After
Set the check, write it down, look at the next calls.
Why bother? Most coaching fails in the gaps between the 1:1s: the call that was not picked, the step that was not written and the check that never happened. A checklist covers the gaps. Our post on activity coaching and win rate looks at what happens to behavior when the routine slips back to a pipeline review.
What should you do before a coaching 1:1?
Before the 1:1 you pick one recent call, find one step to coach and write it so that someone who was not on the call could check it. This takes about ten minutes per person, and it decides whether the session is coaching or a chat.
| Before the 1:1 | Why it matters | Done |
|---|---|---|
| Pick a call by a rule (for example, latest discovery call over 20 minutes) | A rule avoids picking only the best or worst calls | ☐ |
| Listen to the call, or to the part around one moment | You need to have heard what you will play | ☐ |
| Mark the one step that would change the call most | One step is coachable, a list is not | ☐ |
| Write the step as a checkable line | "Asked what the problem costs" can be marked from a transcript | ☐ |
| Find the 30 to 60 seconds to play | Evidence ends the debate about what was said | ☐ |
| Decide the opening question | "How do you think the call went?" works for most calls | ☐ |
If you cannot find a call to pick, that is itself information. The call scoring calculator shows what share of your calls anyone reviews today. Teams with more calls than a manager can hear usually need a way to find the right one, which is what the post on sales coaching software is about.
What should you do during the 1:1?
During the 1:1 you ask first, play the call, agree on what to try and practice it out loud. Keep it to 20 or 30 minutes, and cover one step.
| During the 1:1 | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Ask how the person thinks the call went, and listen | 0 to 3 |
| Play the 30 to 60 seconds around the moment | 3 to 8 |
| Ask what they would do differently, then agree on words | 8 to 15 |
| Practice it out loud, once or twice | 15 to 22 |
| Set the check: which calls, which step, which date | 22 to 25 |
Three habits keep the session coaching:
- Ask before you tell. "What did you notice when the buyer said that?" gets further than "You should have asked about cost."
- Play the call. "You talked too much" starts an argument. Thirty seconds of audio does not.
- Leave with one step. Two or three steps feel more helpful and are rarely done.
The session How to Run a Sales Coaching Session shows a coaching conversation from start to finish, which helps if you want to see how the minutes above sound.
What should you do after the 1:1?
After the session you write down the step, put the check date in the calendar and look at the next calls on that step. The after list is the shortest and the one most often skipped, which is why it is on the list.
- Write the step and the agreed words in a shared note the seller can see.
- Put the check date in the calendar before you leave the room, with the call type and the step.
- Look at the next two or three calls of that type on that step.
- Mark the result as showing up, partly or not yet, and decide the next step for the next 1:1.
- Log anything for the team. If the same step has come up in three 1:1s, take it to the monthly review.
If the step does not show up after a few calls, check three things before you decide anything about the person: the wording of the step, the practice you did and the call you picked.
What belongs on a call review checklist?
A call review checklist is the list of steps you mark a call against, and it differs by call type. Reviewing a call with the wrong list gives you a score that does not help coaching.
| Call type | Example steps to check |
|---|---|
| Discovery | Asked what the problem costs; asked who else decides; summarized the buyer's goal |
| Demo | Tied each feature to something the buyer said; asked for reaction after each section |
| Pricing | Asked a question before answering the objection; held the price before discounting |
| Next steps | Ended with a dated step the buyer agreed to |
Each step is marked met, partly met or missed, and each has one line saying what counts. Start with five to eight steps per call type. Longer lists are hard to coach from, because you can coach only one step in a session. The guide to sales call scoring has scorecard templates for discovery, cold calls, demos and pricing calls.
What belongs on a monthly team checklist?
Once a month, step back from individual sessions and look at the team. The monthly check finds patterns that eight separate 1:1s will not show.
- Which steps are missed most across the team, by call type?
- Who improved on the step they were coached on, and who did not?
- Do two managers score the same call the same way? Have them score one call alone and compare.
- Which person is doing something others are not? Record the move and share it.
- What did coaching skip? Check that the top of the team got a turn too.
The post on coaching sales managers covers how a sales leader runs this kind of monthly check across several teams. For what good coaching programs look like at a higher level, see best sales coaching.
What goes on a coaching checklist for new hires?
A new-hire list covers the basics of each call type and a plan for the first weeks, and it works as the coaching half of onboarding. The new hire has the least history, and the shortest feedback loop.
| Week | Coaching checklist items |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Share the scorecards for the call types they will run; play one strong call of each type |
| Week 2 | Listen to their first live calls; run a 1:1 on one step of one call |
| Weeks 3 and 4 | Weekly 1:1 with one step; check the previous step on their newest calls |
| Month 2 | Add a second call type; ask what they notice on their own calls before you play them |
A new hire needs more showing than telling. Play a strong call, let them try the move, and check it on their next call. The post on the salesperson onboarding checklist covers the rest of onboarding that surrounds this coaching.
How do you keep the checklist going?
Keep it short, keep it in one place and review it once a quarter. A checklist that grows every time something goes wrong ends up too long to use.
- Cut to what you did. After a month, remove the items you never ran.
- Keep one version. One shared note, so managers coach the same way.
- Tie it to the calendar. Each item that has a date gets an entry.
- Update it with the evidence. If a step on a scorecard keeps being met by everyone, retire it and add the next.
AI helps with the first item on the before list. It can score every call against your scorecard and show you the moment behind each score, so picking a call becomes a lookup. The guide to AI sales coaching explains how, and AI sales coaching vs traditional coaching covers what stays with the manager.
Where should you start?
Start with the before list this week, for one person. Pick the call, write the step and put the check date in the calendar. When that session is done, run the after list: write it down and look at the next calls. Add the monthly check once you have a few sessions behind you.
If the checklist gets used for three weeks, you have a routine. The foundation behind each item is in the guide to sales coaching.