If you manage a sales team, you know the pain: some reps just aren’t hitting their numbers. You want to help, but it’s tough to separate real coaching opportunities from noise—and even tougher to know if your coaching is actually working. This is for sales managers and enablement folks who want to use Leveleleven for more than just dashboards and leaderboards. We’re getting into the nitty-gritty: how to use it to actually coach your underperformers, not just monitor them.
Let’s skip the fluff and get into the steps.
1. Get Clear on What “Underperforming” Means
Before you bring up a rep’s numbers in a meeting, be sure you’re looking at the right numbers. Leveleleven tracks all kinds of activity, but not all activity matters equally.
What to do: - Decide what really matters for your sales process. Is it calls? Meetings set? Demos run? Deals closed? - Don’t get distracted by “vanity metrics”—if a metric doesn’t tie to revenue or pipeline, it’s probably not worth coaching on. - In Leveleleven, review your Scorecard setup. Are you tracking the right behaviors? If not, fix it before you start coaching.
Pro tip: If you’re new to Leveleleven, don’t just use the default metrics. Talk to your top reps and figure out what actually moves the needle in your sales cycle.
2. Spot Underperformers with the Right Filters
It’s easy to get lost in Leveleleven’s dashboards. To find underperformers: - Use the Scorecard leaderboard and filter for the bottom quartile. Don’t just look at results—look at activity too. - Watch for reps who are way behind on certain activities, not just closed deals. - Avoid snap judgments. Sometimes a rep is behind because of PTO, territory changes, or bad data.
What works: - Compare reps with similar territories or tenure. Otherwise, you’ll waste time coaching someone who’s just in a tougher patch. - Look for consistent underperformance over a few weeks, not just an off month.
3. Dig Into the Activity Patterns
Numbers are symptoms, not causes. Once you’ve flagged someone, it’s time to figure out why they’re behind.
- Pull up their activity history in Leveleleven. Are they making enough calls? Are they skipping certain steps (like follow-ups)?
- Check the timing of activity. Are they front-loading (big Monday, quiet rest of week) or cramming at the end of the month?
- Compare their activity mix to top performers. Are they doing different things, or just less of everything?
What to ignore: - Don’t obsess over tiny day-to-day fluctuations. Patterns over weeks are what matter. - Don’t assume “working harder” (more dials, more emails) is always the answer. Sometimes it’s the type of activity, not just the volume.
4. Have a Real Conversation—Not a Data Dump
Nobody likes a “You’re behind, here’s a chart, fix it” meeting. Use Leveleleven data as a starting point, not the whole conversation.
How to approach it: - Bring specific examples: “I noticed your demo-to-close rate is half the team average. Let’s talk through a few of your recent deals.” - Ask open questions: “What’s getting in your way?” or “Which part of the process feels hardest right now?” - Listen for blockers outside the numbers—bad territory, product issues, or even personal stuff.
What works: - Show empathy. Most reps know when they’re behind; they don’t need a lecture. - Make it collaborative: “Let’s look at your activity together and figure out what we can tweak.”
5. Set Simple, Actionable Goals in Leveleleven
After the conversation, agree on a couple of specific, realistic actions. Use Leveleleven’s Scorecard or Coaching tools to track these.
- Don’t overload the rep with five new goals—pick one or two things to focus on. (Example: “Aim for 10 more follow-up emails per week.”)
- Use Leveleleven to set up alerts or notifications for those specific activities.
- Make the goals time-bound (next two weeks, not “forever”).
- If possible, show the rep how to track their progress in real time. Nothing fancy—just the relevant dashboard or email summary.
Pro tip: If your org has a coaching tool or meeting tracker in Leveleleven, log the action items right there. It keeps things visible and accountable.
6. Follow Up (and Don’t Wait for the Month-End)
Most coaching fails because managers set goals, then vanish until the next pipeline review. That doesn’t work.
- Use Leveleleven’s weekly summaries or custom reports to check in on progress—ideally every week, not just end of month.
- If you see improvement, call it out! Even if the numbers aren’t perfect yet, momentum matters.
- If there’s no change after a couple weeks, don’t just repeat the same advice. Dig deeper—maybe the goal wasn’t clear, or there’s something else going on.
What to ignore: - Don’t use Leveleleven as a surveillance tool. If you’re only checking in to catch people slipping, you’ll just breed resentment. - Don’t get hung up on the tool itself. It’s a means to an end, not the point of coaching.
7. Use Recognition—But Make It Meaningful
Leveleleven is big on badges, shoutouts, and leaderboards. These can work, but only if they’re tied to real progress.
- Recognize effort and improvement, not just top results. For underperformers, call out when they hit new activity highs or close a tough deal.
- Avoid cheesy or public praise if your rep hates the spotlight. Sometimes a quick Slack or a 1:1 “nice work” lands better.
- Don’t force it. If gamification feels cringey to your team, focus on private recognition instead.
8. Know the Limits of Leveleleven
Here’s the truth: Leveleleven is a tool, not a magic bullet. It will show you the “what” and “when,” but not always the “why.”
- Data can spot trends, but it won’t fix motivation, product problems, or a broken comp plan.
- Coaching is still a human process. Use the tool to get clear on facts, but rely on your judgment and relationships for everything else.
- Don’t fall into the trap of managing only to the metrics. Sometimes the best coaching move is to advocate for your rep, not just push them harder.
Pro tip: If you find yourself spending more time fiddling with Leveleleven than actually talking to your reps, you’re missing the point.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Stress About Perfection
Coaching underperformers isn’t about chasing every number or running perfect reports. Use Leveleleven to get a clear, honest look at what’s happening, start a real conversation, and set one or two specific goals. Follow up, recognize progress, and adjust as you go. Skip the complicated playbooks and focus on what actually helps your team get better—one step at a time.