How Sales Leaders Can Better Engage Their Sales Team

Ever watched a professional golfer navigate a challenging course? It's not just about power – it's about precision, strategy, and knowing exactly which club to use at the right moment. Much like a golfer who must read the green before putting, sales leaders must understand their team's landscape before expecting results. The most successful sales managers aren't just tracking numbers – they're creating an environment where their sales professionals feel equipped, motivated, and ready to take their best swing at every opportunity.

The Engagement Handicap: Why Most Sales Teams Underperform

The data tells a sobering story about sales team engagement. According to a 2025 study by Gallup, employee engagement is at an all time low. This disengagement translates directly to the bottom line. Sales teams with high engagement levels outperform their less engaged counterparts by 23% in profitability.

What's causing this engagement gap? Much like a golfer who can't seem to escape the bunker, sales professionals get trapped by four common hazards:

1. They don't see a clear path to success. Without a defined course, every hole feels impossible.

2. They receive inconsistent coaching. Imagine trying to fix your swing with contradictory advice.

3. They're overwhelmed by customer resistance. It's like facing a strong headwind on every drive.

4. They lack a sense of purpose beyond hitting their numbers. Golf isn't just about the score – it's about mastering the course.

The truth is that receptivity – both from your customers and your team – drives more impact than even the most persuasive pitch. When your team members are unreceptive to your leadership approach, no amount of motivational speeches or incentives will move the needle.

"The sales professional's willingness to listen is more important than your ability to communicate," notes Tom Stanfill, CEO of ASLAN Training & Development. This principle applies equally to how you engage with your team as it does to how they engage with prospects.

What separates winning sales leaders from the rest? They understand that true engagement comes from addressing the root causes of resistance. They don't just focus on the swing – they make sure their players understand the course. A 2024 study by CSO Insights found that sales teams with highly engaged managers exceed their targets by an average of 18% compared to those with disengaged leadership.

Consider this: your sales team's performance relies less on telling them what to do and more on creating conditions where they want to perform. Like a caddie who provides insight at critical moments rather than swinging the club, your job is to remove obstacles and provide guidance, not micromanage every interaction.

Choosing the Right Club: Building an Other-Centered Approach to Leadership

Great golfers know that club selection is everything. Try to drive with a putter, and you'll fall embarrassingly short. Similarly, trying to engage your sales team with the wrong approach will leave you frustrated and your team disengaged.

The foundational club in your leadership bag should be what ASLAN calls the "Other-Centered" approach. Instead of focusing on what you need from your team (the sale, the numbers, the performance), shift your attention to what they need to succeed.

This isn't feel-good advice – it's business-critical strategy. 

Tom Stanfill explains it clearly: "When facing strong resistance, if you try to convince them why your recommendation is in their best interest, the decision-maker will become even more closed." This applies to your team as well as customers. Pushing harder rarely works – changing your approach does.

Here's how to implement this approach:

Pre-meeting mindset: Before every team meeting or one-on-one, make a simple but powerful decision: who is first? If you fail to consider this, you'll default to self-interest. Ask yourself: "How can I serve this person today? What obstacles can I remove?"

Drop the Rope®: Instead of playing tug-of-war with resistant team members, release the pressure. Genuinely communicate that you aren't sure what they need but that you're committed to helping them succeed.

Lead with their whiteboard: Picture each team member sitting in their office with a whiteboard listing their priorities and challenges. What does it say? Lead with that, not your agenda.

This shift fundamentally changes the dynamic. When sales leaders make this transition, team members stop seeing themselves as quota-carriers and start viewing themselves as problem-solvers. 

Finding Your Swing: Creating a Consistent Coaching Cadence

Every golfer knows that a consistent swing isn't developed overnight—it requires regular practice with quality feedback. Similarly, engaging your sales team isn't a one-and-done initiative but rather a cadence of meaningful interactions that build momentum over time.

According to the Sales Management Association's 2024 Research Brief on Sales Coaching, sales managers spend only 5-10% of their time coaching their teams, despite evidence showing that teams receiving at least three hours of coaching per month outperform their peers by up to 29% in revenue achievement.

This coaching gap exists for the same reason many golfers never improve their handicap: they're too busy playing to practice. Sales leaders get caught in the trap of "playing alongside" their reps—jumping in on calls, taking over deals, and fighting fires—rather than stepping back to provide structured coaching.

ASLAN's research with over 2,000 sales organizations reveals that the most effective coaching cadence includes three key elements:

First, establish a regular rhythm. High-performing sales teams engage in structured coaching sessions at least weekly, according to data from Gartner's 2023 Sales Performance Study. These aren't casual check-ins but focused sessions with clear objectives.

Second, focus on the right areas. Like focusing on your grip before your backswing, effective coaches prioritize foundational skills. The 2024 LinkedIn State of Sales Report found that the top three areas that drive engagement are discovery skills, building trust with customers, and communicating value—not closing techniques.

Third, measure impact, not just activity. Tracking the number of coaching sessions is like counting practice swings instead of watching where the ball lands. The best sales leaders measure how coaching changes specific behaviors and outcomes.

A structured coaching framework doesn't just improve performance—it dramatically increases engagement. When reps receive consistent, focused coaching, they're 67% more likely to report high job satisfaction and 49% less likely to look for new opportunities, according to research from the Sales Enablement Society.

Remember, in both golf and sales leadership, consistency trumps intensity. A regular cadence of focused coaching sessions will drive more engagement than sporadic, high-pressure interventions.

Reading the Green: Developing Individual Talent Effectively

No two golf holes are identical, and no two sales professionals are the same. The most engaging sales leaders understand this deeply and adapt their approach to each individual's unique strengths, challenges, and motivations.

How do top sales leaders "read the green" when developing talent?

First, they invest time understanding each team member's natural strengths. The best golf coaches don't try to make every player swing like Tiger Woods—they help each player optimize their natural motion. Similarly, effective sales leaders don't create cookie-cutter reps but rather help each person leverage their unique advantages.

Second, they customize expectations and metrics. While every golfer aims for a good score, the strategy varies based on individual playing style. Power hitters attack courses differently than precision players. 

Third, they create personalized learning paths. According to research from ATD (Association for Talent Development), sales professionals who follow personalized learning plans are 31% more likely to exceed their targets than those following generic training programs.

ASLAN's approach emphasizes that development must start with "embrace" before "execute." Before asking your team to change behaviors or learn new skills, help them understand and embrace why the change matters to them personally. Without this foundation, even the best development plans will face resistance.

Playing the Long Game: Measuring Success Beyond Numbers

The best golfers understand that obsessing over the scorecard for a single hole can ruin your entire round. They play the long game, making strategic decisions that might sacrifice an immediate advantage for a better overall performance.

Similarly, truly engaging sales leaders look beyond immediate results to build sustainable success. This perspective shift fundamentally changes how they measure and reward performance.

Research from the Sales Benchmark Index shows that organizations focused exclusively on lagging indicators (closed deals, revenue) experience 34% higher turnover and 27% lower engagement than those balancing results with leading indicators of success.

What should sales leaders measure beyond the numbers? The 2024 Deloitte Human Capital Trends report highlights three key areas that drive long-term sales engagement:

1. Growth indicators: Tracking skill development, knowledge acquisition, and professional advancement tells reps you care about their careers, not just their quota. 

2. Customer impact metrics: When reps understand how their work affects customers, engagement soars. 

3. Behavioral indicators: Measuring key behaviors—like discovery call quality, depth of customer research, or follow-through on commitments—reinforces what matters. 

This balanced approach transforms how sales professionals view their work. Rather than seeing themselves as transactional quota-carriers, they begin to see themselves as trusted advisors building long-term customer relationships.

As ASLAN's philosophy emphasizes, "When you make meaningful change your goal, results—like revenue—will follow." This principle applies perfectly to measuring and recognizing success in ways that drive engagement.

Perfect Your Game

Just as a golfer must integrate multiple skills to excel on the course, sales leaders must combine these approaches into a cohesive strategy for engaging their teams. By focusing on an Other-Centered leadership approach, establishing a consistent coaching cadence, developing individual talents, and measuring success holistically, you create the conditions where your team naturally engages with their work and their customers.

Remember, the ultimate goal isn't just higher numbers—it's transforming how your team approaches sales. When sales professionals find meaning and purpose in their work, when they feel supported and developed, engagement naturally follows—and with it, sustainable results.

Ready to transform your sales leadership approach? ASLAN provides sales management training programs that bridge the gap between traditional management and the coaching leadership your team needs to thrive in today's challenging environment. Contact us today to learn how we can help you engage your team and drive lasting results.