Sales Team Management Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Sales Managers, Newly Appointed Sales Leaders and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-S-034

Before you join: Participants should have practical experience in a sales, business development, account management or commercial role.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Sales managers are expected to deliver revenue while building a team that can consistently find, qualify, progress and retain profitable customer relationships. This requires more than monitoring monthly targets. Managers must set clear expectations, hire effectively, allocate territories and accounts fairly, coach sellers on live opportunities, maintain credible forecasts and address performance issues early. Poor sales management often appears as unreliable CRM data, thin pipelines, inconsistent selling standards, avoidable staff turnover and forecasts that surprise senior leaders.

This course equips participants with practical sales management methods for planning, leading and improving a sales team. Participants learn to translate commercial goals into quotas, territories, account priorities and operating cadences. They develop skills in hiring, onboarding, coaching, pipeline inspection, forecasting, sales performance management, motivation, compensation principles and cross-functional account leadership. The course also addresses how managers use CRM data and leading indicators to distinguish activity from meaningful sales progress.

Teaching combines concise instructor briefings with realistic sales cases, team discussions, group analysis, sales coaching simulations and management planning. Cases can reflect B2B, financial services, public sector, technology, professional services, retail or NGO partnership sales contexts. Participants leave with a practical sales team management pack containing templates and plans they can adapt to their own sales operation, including a management cadence, coaching plan, pipeline review structure and 90-day leadership plan.

The course is suited to new and experienced sales managers, team leaders and commercial managers who already understand the fundamentals of selling and now need to lead seller performance with greater consistency and discipline.

What you will be able to do

  • Design a sales management cadence for coaching, pipeline reviews, forecasting and performance follow-up
  • Set SMART quotas, territory assignments and account priorities using capacity and opportunity data
  • Apply structured hiring scorecards, behavioural interviews and onboarding milestones for sales roles
  • Coach sellers using the GROW model, SBI feedback and evidence from live opportunities
  • Inspect pipeline quality using CRM stage criteria, coverage ratios and MEDDICC qualification
  • Produce bottom-up sales forecasts using weighted pipeline, seller judgement and variance analysis
  • Manage sales performance through documented expectations, improvement plans and review conversations
  • Create a 90-day sales leadership plan with measurable priorities, routines and stakeholder actions

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Run purposeful one-to-ones, pipeline reviews and forecast meetings
  • Coach sellers on observable behaviours and live deal decisions
  • Make forecast calls with clearer evidence and stated assumptions
  • Handle underperformance using fair, documented management processes
  • Present a credible 90-day plan when entering a sales leadership role

For your organisation

  • Improves consistency in pipeline stages, CRM data and forecast discipline
  • Reduces avoidable revenue risk through earlier identification of stalled deals
  • Strengthens seller ramp-up through structured selection and onboarding methods
  • Raises coaching quality and reduces dependence on manager-led deal rescues
  • Creates clearer accountability for territories, quotas, customer ownership and results

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can establish the leadership routines, responsibilities and accountability structures required to manage a sales team.

  • Sales manager responsibilities translated into weekly leadership and revenue routines
  • Team charter defining purpose, decision rights, standards and escalation routes
  • RACI matrix for manager, seller, sales operations and marketing accountabilities
  • Management cadence linking one-to-ones, pipeline reviews, coaching and forecasts
  • Leading versus selling: priorities during growth, recovery and personnel issues
  • Psychological safety and accountability in evidence-based performance conversations
  • Manager time allocation using activity, pipeline and people development priorities

Participants can convert commercial objectives into practical territory, account and quota plans.

  • Market segmentation using ideal customer profiles, buying triggers and profit potential
  • Territory design balancing opportunity, travel time, account workload and coverage
  • Account tiering with revenue potential, relationship strength and strategic fit
  • SMART quotas aligned with historical attainment, capacity and market opportunity
  • Sales capacity model using headcount, ramp time, productivity and attrition
  • Account plans mapping stakeholders, whitespace, risks, actions and review dates
  • Territory conflict rules covering ownership, handoffs, overlays and credit allocation

Participants can select and onboard salespeople using evidence-based criteria and early performance milestones.

  • Structured hiring scorecards based on competencies, evidence and role outcomes
  • Behavioural interviewing using STAR questions, probes and calibrated scoring
  • Work-sample assessments for discovery, objection handling and account planning
  • Reference checking focused on attainment, conduct, collaboration and coachability
  • Onboarding plans covering product knowledge, systems, process and field practice
  • Thirty-sixty-ninety-day milestones for activity, pipeline, skills and revenue
  • Early performance signals distinguishing ramp-up needs from selection errors

Participants can coach individual sellers through observation, questioning, feedback and focused development plans.

  • GROW coaching model applied to live deals and skill gaps
  • Observation criteria for sales calls, discovery meetings and presentations
  • Feedback using SBI: situation, behaviour, impact and agreed next action
  • Question-led coaching that tests assumptions without taking over opportunities
  • Deal coaching through customer problems, stakeholders, value and next steps
  • Call coaching plans with one priority behaviour and measurable evidence
  • Peer coaching structures that build shared standards without manager dependency

Participants can assess pipeline health, identify deal risk and direct corrective sales actions.

  • CRM hygiene standards for stages, close dates, amounts and next steps
  • Pipeline coverage ratios matched to sales cycle, win rate and quota
  • Stage-exit criteria preventing optimism from inflating pipeline quality
  • MEDDICC qualification assessing metrics, buyer process, pain, competition and champions
  • Pipeline reviews separating deal inspection, coaching needs and forecast calls
  • Leading indicators including meetings, conversion, sales cycle and deal aging
  • Dashboard design showing attainment, activity, quality, capacity and risk
  • Corrective actions for stalled opportunities, thin coverage and stage congestion

Participants can prepare and communicate evidence-based forecasts, risks and recovery actions.

  • Forecast categories defined by evidence, probability, timing and customer commitment
  • Bottom-up forecasts reconciled with seller judgement, pipeline data and capacity
  • Weighted pipeline calculations tested against historical conversion and sales-cycle patterns
  • Forecast inspection using commit, best-case, upside and downside scenarios
  • Variance analysis separating execution gaps, market changes and data quality
  • Rolling thirteen-week forecast cadence with assumptions, risks and actions
  • Executive forecast communication stating confidence, dependencies and recovery actions

Participants can strengthen seller motivation while maintaining fair and commercially useful performance incentives.

  • Compensation plan principles linking desired behaviours, results and affordability
  • Commission measures balancing revenue, margin, new business and retention
  • Sales contest design avoiding distorted incentives, exclusion and short-term behaviour
  • Recognition practices tailored to achievement, mastery, contribution and progression
  • Motivation diagnosis using autonomy, competence, relatedness and purpose
  • Fair workload distribution across territories, lead sources and account assignments
  • Addressing disengagement through expectations, barriers, support and consequences

Participants can lead account teams around customer value, stakeholder alignment and controlled deal progression.

  • Customer value propositions linked to measurable operational, financial and risk outcomes
  • Stakeholder maps identifying economic buyers, users, influencers and blockers
  • Key account governance covering executive sponsorship, service issues and growth reviews
  • Mutual action plans specifying commitments, owners, dates and decision gates
  • Cross-functional deal teams coordinated through RACI roles and escalation paths
  • Customer success signals informing retention risks, expansion priorities and renewal forecasts
  • Ethical selling boundaries for claims, gifts, procurement rules and data

Participants can diagnose sales process weaknesses and build practical playbooks for repeatable execution.

  • Sales process maps connecting buyer actions, seller actions and exit evidence
  • Conversion funnel analysis locating losses by segment, stage and source
  • Win-loss reviews distinguishing pricing, value, competition, timing and execution
  • Root-cause analysis using five whys and fishbone categories
  • Playbooks documenting discovery questions, proof points, objections and templates
  • Change adoption plans addressing training, reinforcement, measures and resistance
  • CRM workflow improvements reducing duplicate entry and missing decision data

Participants can address performance issues fairly and implement a focused plan for improving team results.

  • Performance review preparation using evidence, trends, context and agreed expectations
  • Difficult conversations structured around facts, impact, options and commitments
  • Performance improvement plans defining standards, support, milestones and consequences
  • Succession mapping for critical roles, readiness, exposure and development actions
  • Manager development goals linked to team metrics and observed behaviours
  • Ninety-day sales leadership plan with priorities, cadence, measures and stakeholders
  • Personal operating rhythm for weekly decisions, coaching and stakeholder communication

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Sales management cadence template
  2. Territory and quota planning model
  3. Sales hiring scorecard
  4. GROW coaching conversation guide
  5. Pipeline inspection and forecast review checklist
  6. Ninety-day sales leadership plan

Who should attend

  • Sales Managers — responsible for seller performance, revenue delivery and team development
  • Newly Appointed Sales Leaders — need a disciplined approach to managing former peers
  • Regional Sales Managers — coordinate territories, quotas, forecasts and field coaching
  • Business Development Managers — lead teams pursuing new customers and strategic opportunities
  • Key Account Managers — manage account teams, stakeholder plans and growth priorities
  • Commercial Directors — require consistent management standards across sales teams

Skills and tools covered

Sales performance managementPipeline inspectionSales coachingRevenue forecastingTerritory planningTeam motivation

Tools and standards

GROW Coaching Model, SBI Feedback Model, MEDDICC, RACI Matrix

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce sales management methods, followed by case analysis, group exercises, role-based coaching simulations and structured review of commercial data. Participants work with sales scenarios involving territory choices, weak pipelines, forecast variance, hiring decisions and underperformance. Coaching practice focuses on realistic manager-seller conversations rather than scripted presentations. Each participant develops application actions and reusable management documents linked to their own team, sales process and reporting cycle.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical experience in a sales, business development, account management or commercial role. They should understand common sales terms such as pipeline, opportunity, quota, forecast, conversion rate and customer account. Some experience supervising people is helpful but not essential; the course is appropriate for newly appointed sales managers. Participants do not need prior formal management training, advanced financial modelling skills or expertise in a specific CRM platform. They should be prepared to discuss the sales process, team structure and commercial measures used in their own organisation.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should understand the basics of selling and have experience in a sales, account management or business development role. Previous formal management training is not required, although participants should be ready to discuss team performance and commercial measures.

Participants should bring examples of their sales process, team structure, sales targets and pipeline reporting if organisational policy permits. Confidential customer names, pricing and personal data should be removed or anonymised.

The course is designed for sales managers, regional managers, business development leaders and newly appointed team leaders. It also suits key account leaders who coordinate sellers and internal specialists around major customers.

Sales skills courses focus on how an individual seller wins opportunities, while this course focuses on how a manager leads a sales team. It covers coaching, staffing, quotas, pipeline governance, forecasting and performance management.

Participants leave with templates for management routines, coaching, pipeline inspection and leadership planning. These can be adapted to the organisation's CRM, sales stages, reporting cycle and performance policy.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The five days progress from management foundations and planning through coaching, pipeline control, forecasting, motivation, account leadership and performance action planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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