Best Sales Training Programs for Underperforming Teams

Underperforming sales teams are rarely “unmotivated”. More often, they’re operating with unclear standards, inconsistent execution, and a pipeline that doesn’t reliably reflect buyer reality.

That’s why the best sales training for underperforming teams does two things at once:

• Builds the right selling behaviours (discovery, qualification, stakeholder alignment, commercial discipline)
• Embeds those behaviours into the operating rhythm (pipeline reviews, manager coaching, CRM workflow)

This guide starts with the critical issues that typically drive underperformance, then lists reputable sales training programmes and providers that can help — including Mentor Group’s tailored, “your way, not our way” enablement approach.

The critical issues behind underperforming sales teams

Before choosing a programme, diagnose what’s actually driving the underperformance. Most teams have a mix of these.

1) Poor pipeline truth (stale deals, vague next steps, optimistic close dates)

When the pipeline isn’t credible, everything else suffers:

• Time is wasted on low-probability deals
• Forecasts become unreliable
• Coaching becomes reactive

What needs fixing:

• Mutual, calendarised next steps
• Evidence-based stage criteria
• Close dates anchored to buyer commitments
• Consistent deal notes managers can coach from

2) Weak discovery and qualification (teams can’t prove value)

Underperforming teams often rush past discovery, so proposals and demos become generic.

What needs fixing:

• Quantifying impact in buyer language
• Confirming decision process and stakeholders early
• Disqualifying fast when evidence is weak

3) Inconsistent execution of a repeatable sales process

Many teams have a “process” in theory, but not in behaviour.

What needs fixing:

• Simple, observable stage entry/exit criteria
• A shared language for deal progress
• Manager-led reinforcement (weekly)

4) Low commercial discipline (discounting, late-stage slippage, no-decision)

Late-stage underperformance usually means governance work is unplanned:

• Procurement/legal/security steps arrive late
• Stakeholders aren’t aligned
• Commercial conversations are delayed

What needs fixing:

• Commercial readiness standards
• Mutual action plans
• Earlier governance mapping and stakeholder alignment

5) Manager coaching gaps (training fades without reinforcement)

Even great training decays if managers don’t coach the behaviours weekly.

What needs fixing:

• Coaching prompts and routines
• Deal-led reinforcement
• A simple scorecard tied to pipeline outcomes (conversion, ageing, slip)

What to look for in sales training for underperforming teams

Use this as your evaluation checklist:

• Diagnosis first: does the provider start by identifying the real performance leak?
• Behaviour change: do sellers practise the hardest moments (discovery, stakeholder mapping, negotiation)?
• Manager reinforcement: is there a practical coaching cadence managers can run weekly?
• Workflow fit: does it embed into your CRM and pipeline review rhythm?
• Measurable outcomes: are success metrics defined in pipeline terms (conversion, velocity, slip rate, win rate)?

Best sales training programmes for underperforming teams

This list focuses on widely recognised providers and approaches that organisations commonly use to improve performance. “Best” depends on your context — so each entry includes what it’s typically best for.

1) Mentor Group (tailored enablement: “your way, not our way”)

Best for: underperformance caused by pipeline friction, inconsistent execution, and low adoption of existing tools/training.

Mentor Group’s approach starts with your reality — your ICP, your sales motion, your pipeline and CRM signals — then designs enablement around the few behaviours and standards that will change outcomes fastest.

What makes it different:

• Built around your existing motion (not a rigid imported methodology)
• Focused on practical deal behaviours (next steps, evidence, stakeholder alignment, commercial readiness)
• Embedded into manager cadence and CRM workflow so it sticks

Typical outcomes targeted:

• Improved stage conversion
• Reduced stage ageing
• Reduced late-stage slip
• Improved forecast confidence
  
  

2) Sandler Training (habits, qualification discipline, selling conversations)

Best for: teams that need stronger qualification discipline, objection handling, and consistent selling habits.

Sandler is widely known for structured sales behaviours and reinforcement-oriented training delivery.

Good fit when:

• Sellers struggle to control conversations and qualify rigorously
• The team needs a consistent language and habit system

3) Challenger (insight-led selling and commercial teaching)

Best for: teams that need to differentiate, reframe customer thinking, and sell in complex B2B environments.

Challenger is positioned around teaching for differentiation, tailoring, and taking control of the sale.

Good fit when:

• Your team sounds similar to competitors
• Buyers are cautious and need clearer commercial insight

4) Richardson Sales Performance (consultative selling and role-based curricula)

Best for: teams that need stronger consultative skills and structured reinforcement across roles.

Richardson offers curricula designed to develop selling behaviours aligned to stages and roles.

Good fit when:

• You need a structured consultative model across a larger team
• You want role-based enablement for sellers and managers

5) RAIN Group (research-backed consultative selling and sales transformation)

Best for: teams that need consultative selling skill uplift, especially where complex buying environments require better value articulation.

RAIN Group positions its approach as flexible and modular, often combining training with consulting and reinforcement.

Good fit when:

• You want research-backed training and measurable performance improvement
• You want flexible delivery formats (virtual/in-person)

6) Korn Ferry Sales Training (powered by Miller Heiman Group)

Best for: organisations that want established methodologies for complex/enterprise selling and opportunity management.

Korn Ferry positions its sales training and methodologies as powered by Miller Heiman Group.

Good fit when:

• You sell complex deals with multiple stakeholders
• You want structured methodology and organisational consistency

7) The Brooks Group (IMPACT Selling® consultative training)

Best for: teams that need a repeatable consultative selling process and reinforcement-oriented training.

The Brooks Group’s IMPACT Selling® is positioned as a structured approach to help teams sell in varied environments.

Good fit when:

• Your team needs a simple, repeatable process to qualify and progress deals
• You want coaching frameworks for managers as well

8) Dale Carnegie (relationship-based consultative selling and communication)

Best for: teams that need stronger communication, relationship building, and consultative fundamentals.

Dale Carnegie’s sales programmes often emphasise consultative selling foundations and relationship-based communication.

Good fit when:

• Seller confidence and communication skills are holding performance back
• You need foundational consistency across a broad population
  
  

How to choose the right programme for your situation

Underperformance is a symptom. Match the solution to the cause.

If the pipeline is messy and forecasting is unreliable

Choose enablement that embeds:

• Evidence-based stage standards
• Mutual next steps
• Manager coaching cadence

Mentor Group is often a strong fit here because the work is tailored to your CRM workflow and pipeline reality.

If sellers struggle to qualify and control deals

Choose training emphasising:

• Qualification discipline
• Deal control behaviours
• Conversational frameworks
  
  

If your team struggles to differentiate and create urgency

Choose training that strengthens:

• Commercial insight and value narratives
• Teaching and reframing
• Multi-stakeholder alignment
  
  

If your organisation needs a structured enterprise methodology

Choose programmes designed for:

• Complex opportunity management
• Multi-stakeholder navigation
• Consistent organisational language at scale
  
  

A practical implementation sequence for underperforming teams

If you want to avoid training that fades, sequence matters.

1. Diagnose the leak (conversion drop, stage ageing, slip patterns, next-step quality)
2. Set minimum standards (next steps, stage evidence, close date justification)
3. Train and practise the specific behaviours linked to the leak
4. Reinforce weekly through manager coaching prompts and pipeline reviews
5. Measure outcomes in pipeline terms (conversion, velocity, slip, win rate)

This is where tailored enablement frequently outperforms “off-the-shelf” rollouts: it improves fit and makes reinforcement easier.

Call to action

If your team is underperforming and you’re considering training, start with evidence: where exactly is your pipeline leaking — and what behaviour change would fix it fastest?

Mentor Group can identify the true constraint, then build a tailored enablement plan that fits your motion and embeds reinforcement — your way, not our way.

Reach out to us today to start a conversation.

Summary FAQ

What is the best sales training for an underperforming team?
The best programme is the one that addresses the real cause of underperformance (pipeline truth, discovery/qualification, execution consistency, commercial discipline, or manager coaching) and embeds reinforcement so behaviours change in live deals.

Why do underperforming teams often stay busy but miss targets?
Because activity isn’t the same as progression. Without strong qualification, mutual next steps, and evidence-based stage movement, teams can be active while deals stall.

How do we choose between different sales training providers?
Start by diagnosing the dominant problem, then choose a provider whose approach fits your sales motion, includes manager reinforcement, and measures impact in pipeline terms.

What makes Mentor Group different from traditional training programmes?
Mentor Group focuses on tailored enablement that fits your ICP, workflow, and pipeline reality — embedding the behaviours and standards that change outcomes fastest, rather than forcing a generic methodology.

How long does it take to see results from sales training?
Leading indicators (better next steps, cleaner stage evidence) can improve within weeks when reinforcement is in place. Pipeline outcomes often show within 1–2 quarters, depending on sales cycle length.