Last week, I had the opportunity to attend Mike Weinberg’s Sales Leadership Event at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta. This was my third time attending, and once again, it delivered exactly what sales leaders need: clarity, conviction, and no-nonsense frameworks that move the needle.
All four sales leaders who attended with me agreed—it was the best single-day sales leadership event they’d ever experienced.
Here are some of my biggest takeaways:
- Sales Is a Competition. Lead Like It.
Too many sales managers act like administrators or CRM technicians. But sales isn’t admin—it’s a competition. If we want our teams to perform like winners, we have to lead like coaches, not report-pullers. - The Sales Meeting: Energize, Align, Equip
Mike reframed the purpose of the weekly and monthly sales meeting. It’s not for nagging, chasing deals, reading dashboards or giving operational or inventory updates. It should:
- Energize the team
- Equip them to win
If your meetings aren’t doing those 2 things, they’re draining your team—not building it up.
- Accountability That Sticks: The RPA One-on-One
Mike’s format for a strong one-on-one meeting is called the RPA:
- Results
- Pipeline & Forecast
- Activity
These meetings should be regular, formal, and scheduled. They build rhythm, clarity, and performance. Your job isn’t to do the work for them—it’s to coach, challenge, and hold them accountable.
- Smart Talent Management = Top Results
Sales leaders often waste time and energy trying to fix the bottom 20%. The best-performing managers spend 2.5x more time with their top reps than their bottom reps. They challenge, develop and retain top talent.
Mike’s 4 R’s of smart talent management:
- Right people in the right roles
- Retain top performers
- Remediate or replace underperformers
- Recruit constantly
- Role Clarity: Zookeepers vs. Hunters
Many companies expect one person to manage accounts and chase new business. That doesn’t work. Account managers (“zookeepers”) and new business developers (“hunters”) have different wiring. Define those roles clearly to unlock real performance. - Culture Matters
You can have great tools and processes—but if your culture is anti-sales, it won’t matter. One of the most critical roles of a sales leader is building a culture that celebrates selling, winning, and creating impact. That shift has to be intentional.
Final Thought
Sales leadership is simple—but it’s not easy. Like everything in sales, the basics work, but only if you commit to them consistently. Whether you’re coaching new reps, refining compensation, or rebuilding your sales culture, Mike always reminds us:
Sales Leaders: You are the key.
Cheers,
Kyle Jager
