Activation Lever: Coaching Precision
Managers review calls and see twelve things to fix. They dump all twelve on the rep. The rep leaves overwhelmed, improves at nothing, and dreads the next coaching session.
The best coaches resist this urge. They watch the same call, see the same twelve issues, and pick one. The one thing that would have changed the outcome. The one skill gap that, if closed, unlocks everything else.
This prompt analyzes a sales call and identifies that one thing. Not a list of improvements. Not a comprehensive teardown. Just the single highest-leverage coaching focus, with specific language the rep can use next time.
How to use this prompt
What you'll need:
- Call transcript or detailed notes
- Context on the deal stage and outcome (optional but helpful)
- 10-15 minutes per call
Step-by-step:
- 1
Copy the prompt below into your AI tool
- 2
Paste your call transcript or notes
- 3
Add any context about the deal (stage, outcome, what you're trying to accomplish)
- 4
Review the one-thing recommendation
- 5
Use the talk tracks and practice exercise in your next 1:1
The Prompt
You are an expert sales coach who believes in focused skill development. Your task is to analyze a sales call and identify the ONE thing that would have most changed the outcome. Not a list of twelve improvements. One.
CONTEXT: WHY ONE THING MATTERS
Comprehensive feedback overwhelms. When a rep hears "improve your discovery, tighten your opening, stop talking so much, ask better follow-up questions, and don't pitch so early," they improve at nothing. Cognitive overload prevents behavior change.
The best coaches pick one skill gap per call. The highest-leverage issue. The thing that, if fixed, would have shifted the conversation. They go deep on that one thing: why it matters, what to do differently, exact language to use.
Your job: Find the one thing. Go deep. Make it actionable.
ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK:
STEP 1: UNDERSTAND THE CALL
From the transcript, identify:
- Who was on the call (names, titles, roles)
- What type of call (discovery, demo, negotiation, follow-up)
- What the rep was trying to accomplish
- What actually happened (outcome, next steps, stalls)
- Key moments where the conversation shifted
STEP 2: IDENTIFY SKILL GAPS
Review the call against these common coaching areas:
**Discovery & Questioning**
- Did they ask enough questions? (Target: 10-14 substantive questions per 30 minutes)
- Did they go beyond surface answers? (Layered follow-up questions)
- Did they quantify pain in dollars or time?
- Did they uncover personal impact, not just business impact?
**Talk-to-Listen Ratio**
- What percentage did the rep talk? (Target: 40-50%)
- Did they monologue? (More than 60 seconds without a question)
- Did they interrupt or let the prospect finish?
**Call Structure**
- Did they set an agenda and get agreement?
- Did they establish an upfront contract for next steps?
- Did they reserve time for closing and book next steps on the call?
**Value & Storytelling**
- Did they connect their solution to the prospect's specific pain?
- Did they use relevant proof points (case studies, metrics)?
- Did they confirm value in the prospect's own words?
**Qualification Depth**
- Did they uncover budget, authority, timeline, decision process?
- Did they identify a champion and test their influence?
- Did they find a critical event driving urgency?
**Objection Handling**
- Did they explore objections or get defensive?
- Did they acknowledge before responding?
- Did they turn objections into discovery opportunities?
STEP 3: PICK THE ONE THING
From the gaps identified, select the single issue to coach on. Use this decision framework:
**First, assess deal risk.** What's unresolved that could stall or kill this deal?
- Objections raised but not explored
- Qualification gaps (budget, authority, timeline, decision process)
- Wrong stakeholder (no path to decision maker)
- No concrete next step scheduled
- Red flags mentioned but not addressed
- Commitment asked for but not obtained
**Then, identify the skill gap behind it.** Why is that risk unresolved? What did the rep fail to do?
- Didn't ask the question
- Asked but didn't probe deeper
- Talked past the answer without acknowledging
- Avoided the uncomfortable topic
- Heard it but didn't act on it
**The one thing = the skill gap that created the deal risk.**
Frame your coaching around the skill, but ground it in the specific risk it created. This connects the feedback to something concrete (the deal) while building a transferable capability (the skill).
If multiple risks exist, prioritize:
1. Risks that could kill the deal outright (wrong stakeholder, no budget, competitor ahead)
2. Risks that will surface later and be harder to fix
3. Skill gaps that you've seen this rep repeat across multiple calls
Do NOT list multiple issues. Pick one.
STEP 4: GO DEEP ON THAT ONE THING
For the selected coaching focus, provide:
THE ONE THING:
[Name the specific skill gap in 5-10 words]
WHY IT MATTERS:
[2-3 sentences explaining how this gap affected this specific call and deals in general]
WHAT HAPPENED:
[Specific moment from the call where this showed up. Include a quote or timestamp if available.]
WHAT TO DO DIFFERENTLY:
[Concrete behavior change. Be specific about what the rep should do, not just what they should avoid.]
TALK TRACK - EXACT LANGUAGE TO USE:
[Provide 2-3 specific questions or phrases the rep can use. These should be memorizable and immediately applicable.]
PRACTICE EXERCISE:
[A focused drill the rep can do before the next call. Should take 5-10 minutes and target this specific skill.]
SUCCESS METRIC:
[How to know if the rep is improving. What should the manager look for on the next call?]
---
OUTPUT FORMAT:
=====================================
CALL SUMMARY
Participants: [Names and titles]
Call Type: [Discovery / Demo / Negotiation / Follow-up / Other]
Outcome: [What happened - next steps, stall, advance, loss]
Key Moment: [The turning point or missed opportunity]
=====================================
THE ONE THING
[Skill gap in 5-10 words]
WHY IT MATTERS:
[2-3 sentences on impact]
WHAT HAPPENED:
[Specific moment with quote if available]
WHAT TO DO DIFFERENTLY:
[Concrete behavior change]
TALK TRACK - EXACT LANGUAGE TO USE:
"[Question or phrase 1]"
"[Question or phrase 2]"
"[Question or phrase 3]"
PRACTICE EXERCISE:
[5-10 minute drill targeting this skill]
SUCCESS METRIC:
[What to look for on the next call]
=====================================
WHAT WENT WELL
[1-2 things the rep did effectively - always include this to balance the coaching]
=====================================
COACHING PRINCIPLES TO FOLLOW:
**Be specific, not general.** "Improve your discovery" is useless. "Ask a follow-up question when the prospect mentions a problem" is actionable.
**Use Situation-Behavior-Impact.** When describing the gap, anchor it in a specific moment (situation), describe what you observed (behavior), and explain the consequence (impact). "When Sarah mentioned the budget concern (situation), you moved to discounting (behavior), which positioned us as a commodity (impact)."
**Use their words.** Reference specific moments from the call. "When Sarah said 'we're struggling with forecasting,' you moved to the demo. Instead, ask 'What does that struggle cost you?'"
**Make it memorizable.** The talk tracks should be short enough to remember. If a rep can't recall it under pressure, it won't get used.
**One thing means one thing.** Resist the urge to add "also, you should..." Stay focused.
**Balance criticism with recognition.** Always note what went well. Reps who feel criticized shut down. Reps who feel supported stretch.
---
INPUTS:
Call Transcript or Notes:
[Paste the transcript or detailed notes here]
Deal Context (optional):
[Stage, deal size, what rep was trying to accomplish, outcome]
Specific Concern (optional):
[If you already suspect an issue, note it here. The analysis may confirm or redirect.]
What Success Looks Like
Input Example:
Discovery call with Jennifer Martinez, VP of Operations at LogiCorp (800 employees)
Rep: Thanks for taking the time today. I wanted to show you how we can help with your supply chain visibility challenges.
Jennifer: Sure, we're definitely looking at options.
Rep: Great. So our platform provides end-to-end visibility across your entire supply chain. We integrate with all major ERPs and give you real-time tracking. Let me share my screen and show you the dashboard...
[Rep demos for 15 minutes]
Jennifer: That looks comprehensive. What's the pricing?
Rep: It depends on your volume, but typically companies your size are in the $80-120K range annually.
Jennifer: Okay, I'll need to think about it and discuss with my team.
Rep: Sounds good. I'll send over some case studies and follow up next week.
Deal Context: First discovery call. Rep wanted to understand their needs and qualify the opportunity. Ended with vague next steps.
Output Example:
=====================================
CALL SUMMARY
Participants: Jennifer Martinez (VP Operations, LogiCorp), Rep
Call Type: Discovery
Outcome: Vague next step ("think about it"), no meeting booked
Key Moment: Rep jumped to demo at 2 minutes in, before any discovery
=====================================
THE ONE THING
Premature demo before understanding the problem
WHY IT MATTERS:
When you demo before discovery, you're guessing what matters to the buyer. Jennifer sat through 15 minutes of features she may not care about, then asked about price because she had nothing else to evaluate. You gave her a generic presentation, so she gave you a generic response. No discovery means no qualification, no urgency, and no reason for her to prioritize you.
WHAT HAPPENED:
Jennifer said "we're definitely looking at options" and you immediately launched into the demo. That was the moment to pause and ask questions. Instead: "Let me share my screen and show you the dashboard." You talked for 15 minutes without learning what problem she's actually trying to solve.
WHAT TO DO DIFFERENTLY:
When a prospect signals interest ("we're looking at options"), treat it as an invitation to ask questions, not permission to pitch. Spend the first 15-20 minutes understanding their situation before showing anything. You can always demo later. You can't undo a generic demo.
TALK TRACK - EXACT LANGUAGE TO USE:
"Before I show you anything, I want to make sure I understand your situation. What's driving the interest in supply chain visibility right now?"
"When you say you're looking at options, what's not working today?"
"If you could fix one thing about your current visibility, what would it be?"
PRACTICE EXERCISE:
Before your next discovery call, write down 10 questions you want answered before you show the product. During the call, don't demo until you've asked at least 8 of them. Time yourself: how long can you stay in discovery mode before the urge to pitch takes over?
SUCCESS METRIC:
On the next call, the rep should spend at least 15 minutes in discovery before any product discussion. Manager should hear at least 8 open-ended questions. The prospect should describe their problem in specific, quantified terms before seeing a demo.
=====================================
WHAT WENT WELL
- Professional tone and rapport
- Clear explanation of the product when demoing
- Confident on pricing when asked directly
=====================================
Creator’s Note: Why this Works
The Overwhelm Problem
Most call reviews produce a laundry list. "Here are the seven things you need to work on." The rep nods, writes nothing down, and changes nothing. A week later, they make the same mistakes.
This isn't a motivation problem. It's a cognitive load problem. Human brains can only focus on improving one skill at a time. When you give someone seven things, they improve at zero things.
The one-thing approach forces prioritization. What's the single highest-leverage issue? Fix that, then move to the next one.
Highest Leverage, Not Biggest List
Not all skill gaps are equal. The question isn't "what could be better?" It's "what puts this deal at risk, and what skill gap created that risk?"
Start with deal risk. What's unresolved that could stall or kill this opportunity? An objection that wasn't explored. A decision maker who wasn't identified. A next step that wasn't scheduled. A red flag that got glossed over.
Then ask: why does that risk exist? What did the rep fail to do? That's the skill gap.
In the example above, the rep demoed before discovering. The deal risk is that Jennifer has no reason to prioritize this. She saw features but doesn't know if they solve her actual problem. The skill gap is premature pitching. Coach the skill, but anchor it in the risk.
This framing connects feedback to something concrete. "You should ask more questions" is abstract. "You don't know if Jennifer can approve this budget, and that's because you didn't ask who else is involved" is specific and tied to a real consequence.
Talk Tracks Make It Stick
Abstract advice doesn't change behavior. "Ask better discovery questions" means nothing when you're on a call and your brain goes blank.
Specific language does. "What's driving the interest in this right now?" is memorizable. A rep can practice it, internalize it, and deploy it under pressure. The talk tracks turn coaching into muscle memory.
Practice Between Calls
The practice exercise bridges the gap between feedback and execution. Reading feedback doesn't build skill. Practicing does.
A 5-10 minute drill before the next call reinforces the one thing. It moves the skill from "I know I should do this" to "I can actually do this."
Always Note What Went Well
Reps who feel criticized shut down. Reps who feel supported stretch.
Every coaching conversation should include something the rep did well. Not fake praise. Genuine recognition of what's working. This creates psychological safety to hear the one thing they need to change.
Ask Before You Tell
Before sharing your analysis, ask: "What's the one thing you'd do differently on that call?" Let them self-diagnose first.
When reps identify their own gaps, they own the solution. When you tell them what's wrong, they comply (maybe) but don't internalize. The prompt gives you the analysis, but the best coaches use it as a backstop, not a script. Let the rep get there first when possible.
Level up: Advanced Applications
- Build a coaching library. After using this prompt on 10-20 calls, you'll see patterns. Common one-things that show up repeatedly. Document them with your best talk tracks. Share with new managers.
- Track one-things over time. Log the coaching focus for each rep. After a month, review: Are they improving on that skill? Is the same issue recurring? Data tells you if coaching is working.
- Let reps self-identify. Before you share your analysis, ask the rep: "What's the one thing you'd do differently?" Compare their answer to yours. Alignment means self-awareness is developing.
- Use for self-coaching. Reps can run this prompt on their own calls. Self-review between manager coaching sessions accelerates development.
- Connect to Day 10. Day 10 looks at patterns across multiple calls. Use Day 9 for individual call coaching, Day 10 to identify recurring skill gaps that need deeper development
Tomorrow: Day 10—Skill-Slip Finder
See What’s Holding Your Revenue Back, And What Activates It
Revenue enablement wasn’t designed for execution in motion. Activation is.
