A coaching cadence is the fixed, recurring schedule of coaching meetings a sales manager keeps with each rep and with the team, each meeting with one subject and one output.
The meetings in a typical cadence
A typical cadence has a weekly 30-minute one-on-one about the rep, a weekly pipeline review about the whole book, a weekly team meeting built on one shared deal or call, and deal reviews on single opportunities as needed. One selling skill per rep runs for a month and is checked inside the one-on-one on a live deal.
| Meeting | Subject | Written output |
|---|---|---|
| One-on-one, weekly, 30 minutes | The rep: one deal and the month's skill | The next buyer conversation, with a date, and one line on the skill |
| Pipeline review, weekly | The whole book | Which deals are stuck, and on what |
| Team meeting, weekly | One shared deal or call | The move the team will try this week |
| Deal review, as needed | One opportunity | The gap in one sentence and the opening line of the next conversation |
Weekly beats occasional because spaced practice outperforms massed practice, across 63 studies (Donovan & Radosevich 1999; Cepeda et al. 2008). The skill of whoever runs each meeting matters too: across 1,246 pharmaceutical reps, frequent coaching from less skilled managers was linked to worse results (Dahling et al. 2016). Full detail is in our sales manager coaching guide.
One rep's week
Illustrative. A rep's week under one cadence: Monday, a 45-minute pipeline review where the manager marks two deals as stuck at the economic buyer. Tuesday, a 30-minute one-on-one that works one of those deals to its next conversation and checks the month's skill, putting a number on the buyer's problem. Wednesday, the team meeting uses another rep's stuck deal as the shared example. Later that week, the rep takes the second stuck deal to a deal review on a call and leaves with a dated meeting with the CFO. Every deal discussed ends with a named next conversation.
- MondayPipeline review
- 45 minutes
- Two deals marked stuck at the economic buyer
- TuesdayOne-on-one
- 30 minutes
- One stuck deal worked to its next conversation
- The month's skill checked
- WednesdayTeam meeting
- Another rep's stuck deal as the shared example
- ThursdayDeal review on a call
- A dated meeting with the CFO
The quickest test of whether a cadence is real: ask a rep on Friday which deal they are bringing to next week's one-on-one. On a kept cadence they already know. On a cadence that only exists on paper, the answer is "whatever comes up".
Related
- How to set a sales coaching cadence: the seven-step procedure.
- One-on-one sales meeting template: the weekly meeting at the center of the cadence.
- How to run a one-on-one on a deal: the deal block, step by step.
FAQ
What is the difference between a coaching cadence and a sales cadence?
A coaching cadence is the schedule of meetings between a manager and reps. A sales cadence is the sequence of outreach touches a rep sends to a prospect, such as emails, calls and LinkedIn messages. People often mix the two up.
How often should coaching happen in a cadence?
The one-on-one and pipeline review run weekly, deal reviews as needed, and a skill focus or call observation monthly. Weekly works because spaced practice beats massed practice (Donovan & Radosevich 1999).
What should a coaching cadence include?
It should include a weekly one-on-one, a weekly pipeline review and a weekly team meeting. Add deal reviews on single opportunities as they come up, and one skill per rep per month. Each meeting needs one subject and one written output.