Ep. 231: Moving From Sales Manager to Sales Catalyst PT. 3 Productivity

The Role of Results

At the heart of leadership lies the non-negotiable: results.

Every organization has a “dial of results” at the center of its dashboard. These results could be defined by profitability, revenue, retention, or growth. Whatever the definition, they are the bottom line, if results aren’t achieved, leaders and teams are at risk.

“Results are non-negotiable. Whether you want to sit in your car or not, make a personal phone call or not, those are things I can’t control. But the results? They’re non-negotiable.” — Tom Stanfill

The question for managers becomes: what drives those results, and how do we manage toward them?

The Three Dials: Desire, Productivity, and Capability

ASLAN’s leadership framework rests on three dials:

• Desire – Are reps intrinsically motivated to achieve?

• Productivity – Are they investing effort in the right areas that drive outcomes?

• Capability – Do they have the skills to execute effectively?

The previous episode covered “Desire,” which is often ignored or assumed. This episode focuses on “Productivity,” the dial many managers believe they’ve mastered but often misunderstand.

Activity vs. Productivity: Clearing Up the Confusion

The most common mistake leaders make is confusing activity with productivity.

Activity is simply the action taken, sending emails, making calls, and logging meetings. But activity alone doesn’t guarantee progress. A rep can make 100 calls and move nothing forward.

“That’s where I see one of the biggest misses. Leaders control activity, but that just gets people gaming the system—doing things that don’t really drive productivity.” — Tom Stanfill

Productivity, on the other hand, is about outputs, events with the customer that create or advance opportunities.

For example:

• A customer agrees to a discovery meeting.

• A decision maker shares critical information.

• A client requests a proposal.

These are not just tasks completed, they are moments of progress that can be tracked, measured, and directly tied to results.

Building a Productivity System That Works

To bridge the gap, Tom and Tab recommend moving beyond activity tracking into a point-based productivity system.

Here’s how it works:

• Different customer events are weighted according to their value in the sales process.

• A first discovery meeting with a new decision maker may be worth five points, while a full organizational assessment and recommendation presentation may be worth forty points.

• Reps are given a monthly target (e.g., 40 points), and hitting that number correlates with hitting their sales goal.

This system accommodates the complexity of a sales role. At times, reps may focus heavily on prospecting; at other times, they may be consumed with a large RFP. The point system flexes with reality while still holding them accountable for meaningful progress.

“If you do one recommendation presentation a month, you’ll hit your number. Who cares how you get there? The system adapts to what really drives results.” — Tom Stanfill

The Danger of Corporate KPIs

Many managers push back, saying: “I don’t have the authority to build a point system. Corporate sets our KPIs.”

Tom’s response is simple: even if you must adopt corporate metrics, you can still create clarity and alignment with your team by weighting the productivity metrics that matter most.

“Don’t do it as the manager. Have the reps figure it out. If you give them the plan, it’s just an exercise in creative writing. But if they build it, they’ll own it.” — Tom Stanfill

Ownership is key. Without it, reps find loopholes, like the rep Tab once shadowed, who sat in a parking lot for 30 minutes after a canceled meeting because company policy required him to stay that long to “get credit” for the call.

That wasted half-hour achieved nothing for the customer, the rep, or the company, an absurd example of why activity metrics backfire.

Funnel Management Simplified

So what should frontline leaders actually measure?

Tom and Tab recommend identifying a handful of customer-driven productivity metrics at each stage of the funnel:

1. Top of Funnel – First meetings with new decision makers

2. Middle of Funnel – Assessments, proposals, or team decision-maker meetings

3. Bottom of Funnel – Loyalty-building interactions with existing clients

These few KPIs are enough to clarify expectations and guide reps without overwhelming them with busywork.

Why It Has to Be the Rep’s Plan

The most powerful takeaway from this conversation is that productivity systems must be built by the rep, not handed down from above.

Managers can guide, coach, and clarify, but if the rep doesn’t own the plan, it won’t stick.

“You can have the greatest point system in the world, one that makes you cry it’s so good, but if the rep doesn’t own it, it ain’t going to happen.” — Tab Norris

When reps create their own plans, they are intrinsically motivated. Their goals connect to their desires. And the leader’s role shifts from enforcement to encouragement.

From Manager to Catalyst

This episode underscores ASLAN’s vision for frontline leaders, not as managers who enforce quotas, but as catalysts for change.

A catalyst leader wears three hats:

• Lead → Drive desire

• Manage → Focus on productivity (not activity)

• Coach → Build capability

Managing productivity is only part of the equation. The next dial, coaching, requires even more investment, patience, and skill. But the payoff is a team that isn’t just compliant with activity but truly engaged, productive, and capable of long-term growth.

Final Thoughts

Frontline leaders must stop confusing busyness with progress. Productivity is not about checking boxes, it’s about creating customer-driven outcomes that build opportunities, move deals forward, and deepen loyalty.

When reps take ownership of their plans and managers focus on outputs instead of inputs, sales teams transform.

“Nobody’s motivated by my business plan. They’re only motivated by their business plan.” — Tom Stanfill

Leaders who embrace that truth will shift from being activity enforcers to productivity catalysts—and that shift makes all the difference.

👉 Want to learn how ASLAN can help your frontline managers move beyond activity and truly become sales catalysts? Explore our leadership training solutions here.