Seller Performance Problems? You Need GTM Alignment—Not Just Manager Oversight

Every time I’m onboarding a new hire, there’s one slide in the “Here’s an Overview of Your Job” deck that makes my skin crawl…

…the dreaded PIP slide. 😬

(That’s “Performance Improvement Plan” if you’re not familiar.)

We have to review it. HR requires it. It sets clear expectations. But here’s the problem: by the time someone lands on a PIP, it’s often too late. The issue isn’t usually that the rep is lazy or unmotivated—it’s that the GTM ecosystem around them failed to set them up for success.

Performance Is a System, Not an Individual Problem

Sure, there are sellers who aren’t a fit. But more often, underperformance points back to bigger misalignments:

• Training gaps that weren’t caught during onboarding.
• Processes that create bottlenecks or confusion.
• Resources that don’t match how reps actually sell.
• Manager enablement that focuses on reporting KPIs instead of coaching to them.

A seller’s performance is the sum of the systems, tools, leadership, and culture around them. If a rep is struggling and no one noticed until a PIP conversation, that’s not just a rep problem—it’s a GTM problem.

From PIPs to Progress

When I get to that PIP slide in onboarding, I shift the conversation:
“I don’t even want to talk about this slide. What I want to talk about is how we build the right support system so you’ll never need it.”

That’s where the real work begins—digging into learning styles, strengths, motivations, and growth areas. This isn’t just enablement work; it’s a cross-functional partnership between sales leadership, RevOps, marketing, and HR. Together, we create a framework where sellers can grow, where early warning signals get caught, and where course correction happens before a PIP is ever on the table.

The GTM Team’s Role in Performance Management

Great performance management isn’t about a manager riding shotgun. It’s about an aligned GTM motion:

• RevOps provides visibility into the data to spot red flags early.
• Marketing arms reps with relevant messaging and content that actually works.
• Enablement designs coaching, training, and frameworks tailored to real gaps.
• Sales leadership drives accountability and culture around continuous growth.

When these pieces work together, sellers don’t just avoid PIPs—they thrive.

It’s About People, Not Just Pipelines

At the end of the day, sellers don’t show up hoping to fail. They want to succeed, grow, and make an impact. Our job as GTM leaders isn’t to punish failure after the fact—it’s to design systems where progress is visible, support is accessible, and growth is inevitable.

So, the next time you’re tempted to view performance issues as individual failures, zoom out. Ask: Where did our GTM system fail this person? Because the strongest revenue teams don’t just manage performance—they engineer environments where sellers are set up to win from Day 1 to Day 1000.

And that’s how you create great sellers.

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