Less than 20%. That’s the number of team members who are satisfied with their performance review process. In the selling niche, where results are often measured by sales quotas, targets, and revenue goals, the number drops even lower. The reason? A sales performance review can be disconnected from key metrics.
Customer satisfaction, churn, or lead conversion rates go down the drain, leaving professionals second-guessing where they stand. As a result, around 46% of professionals plan to find a new job within the next 3 months (source: Nectar).
Not anymore. In this guide, we will review key elements of effective employee reviews and study the best sales performance review examples. Let’s dive in!
Key Components of an Effective Sales Performance Review
So, how to evaluate sales performance and do it right? Start by understanding the core elements that set a good review apart from an effective one.
Provide Employees with Informative Feedback
Communication skills for a sales manager are as important as for an agent. We can all agree that a good evaluation starts with an honest, precise, and open conversation. Vague phrases such as “an excellent communicator” do not cut it anymore. Instead, consider the following:
- Refer to real cases: Provide sales reps with examples of their work and specific cases. This will shed light on the context and help them understand the situation.
- Discuss metrics: Did the agent increase their conversion rate by X%? Mention it. Evaluating sales performance means speaking facts and numbers can strengthen your feedback.
Example: Your average lead response time decreased by X% over Q2, which impacted your lead-to-meeting ratio (+X%). It is a great sign of strong pipeline management and time prioritization. Next quarter, we can work on improving post-demo follow-up to raise close rates.
Align Performance with Team & Company Goals
Does your sales performance evaluation template include details on goal alignment? It seems to have become a problem for 95% of sales managers who are not satisfied with the review system as it is not focused on goals, but rather on past activity (source: SHRM).
Consider linking your reviews to SMART goals, OKRs, or pipeline metrics. This way, you can assess how closely the rep’s performance tracked toward those specific goals.
Highlight Development Opportunities for the Role
Staying in the company with no professional development plan feels like a dead end. There is nowhere to go, no skills to improve, and as a result, no reason to stay. A great sales performance review template not only mentions results but also focuses on potential.
So, how about we review a few ideas to include?
- Role-specific competencies
- Managerial opportunities
- Sales presentation skills
- Objection handling
- Soft & hard skills growth
In addition to the growth options, ensure to add action steps and the software the sales rep needs, and you are good to go as we continue with the structure.
How to Structure a Sales Performance Review in 2025
Do you know a key ingredient for a good sales performance review template? It is a logical discussion structure. It keeps your face-to-face meetings sharp, professional, and ensures your words have impact.
Since I have openly mentioned the importance, it is time to study an example of a well-structured template.
Start a Conversation with Achievements
Your sales team deserves to hear about recent wins. Besides, it makes a great conversation opener. Surely, sales success stories only work as long as they have proof, so instead of mentioning vague profit increases, include numbers and percentages. Precision gets your reps closer to understanding how they and their company are doing, so it is never extra.
Example: You closed $XK in Q1, exceeding your goal by X%. Overall, your performance metrics improved by X% compared to the previous period.
Review Your Core Sales Metrics
No sales rep performance review template exists without a key metrics review. Neither does any feedback call. When chosen right, metrics help navigate toward the goal and provide clarity on current progress. So, once you have discussed achievements and set a positive tone for the meeting, you can move to the numbers.
Here are the key performance appraisal metrics:
- Lead conversion rates
- Deal progress & size
- Revenue generation
- Sales quotas
- Customer churn rate
- Sales volume
- Customer lifetime value
Set SMART Goals for the Next Period
“Smart” in this case does not equal “clever”. In fact, it stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound sales goals. Not only do these complement sales performance appraisal examples, but they also help agents move straight to the execution. There is no need to waste time interpreting targets, as they are understandable and ready to be used.
Create a Personalized Development Plan
What are the goals without a clear implementation plan and future opportunities? Well, they mean little. The best sales associate performance review examples feature a clear path and supporting resources, helping reps reach their dreamland.
Here are a few ideas sales leaders can use to support their employees:
- Peer shadowing with a top-performing rep
- AI-driven pitch coaching tools
- Monthly 1:1s focused on sales strategies
- Training sessions to improve sales cycles, product knowledge, or negotiation
Close a Meeting with an FAQ Session
How about a proven way to increase employee engagement? A brief FAQ section might be all it takes. In addition to a positive impact on work processes, it can be a great way to shift the focus from judgment to collaboration. We can all agree that performance review evaluation is stressful, and a discussion can ease it.
Let’s take a look at some of the questions you may ask your sales employees:
- What obstacles do you see in your pipeline now?
- What’s one thing you’d change in our current sales department processes?
- What skill do you want to master by next quarter?
These questions create space for a conversation and wrap up our sections about key components. You are now equipped with all the knowledge to get into practice with examples and templates.
16 Examples and Templates for Sales Reviews
Effective sales performance review examples are what we are here for, right? With no prolonged introduction, I suggest that we move to the templates. I have hand-picked examples for various sales roles and occasions, so it is only a matter of time till you find your next favorite one.
Review Templates Based on Activity & Skills
The first category of sales rep performance review examples is all about assessing quotas, pipeline performance, and overall activity. Each template includes a brief description and a download link for your convenience.
Template for Quarterly Sales Rep Performance Review
Similar sales associate performance review examples are perfect to track key quota metrics with weighted scoring to assess closers on revenue impact, follow-ups, and deal quality.
SDR Activity Tracker Template
Not all salesperson review examples have to dig deep into their soft & hard skills. Some mid-period checkups may focus on metrics or activity review. This template is precise and simple, but it gives a general understanding of how the sales rep is doing.
Template for Self & Manager Skills Review
Unlike previous sales performance review examples, this template focuses solely on a professional’s skills, such as communication or collaboration with other team members. It can be handy when your goal is to work with soft skills, in case there are complaints or negative changes.
Template for Demo Skills Review
What if you need some sales performance review examples that focus on a particular process? Say, it is a demo call. In this case, the template below is exactly what you need. It explores storytelling, objection handling, and personalized value delivery, focusing on how a professional works during the demo calls.
Template for Customer Retention Review
Let’s be honest, without customer retention analysis, salesperson review examples do not seem complete. So, why continue without a template? This table can be useful for managers who want to get a more comprehensive look at customer relationships and detect gaps or areas for improvement.
Template for Discovery & Target Profile Review
What about some sales performance review examples focused on qualification, problem framing, and target persona understanding? This aspect of work is undeniably important, so it is only logical to include it in your performance evaluations. The template below includes a set of skills and areas for review that can become a solid foundation.
Template for Teammates' Feedback Review
A friendly and supportive atmosphere between team members is motivating at the very least. It can give a sense of belonging, may motivate and encourage open conversations. However, with a healthy environment gone, the productivity and sales results go down the drain. This template focuses on assessing collaboration between teammates and detecting potential problems.
Review Templates for Managerial Roles
Now that we are done with the templates for agents, we can move to sales manager performance review examples. I have picked templates that focus on specific areas of managerial roles, so you can choose which you’d like to explore and build your review from these ready-to-use pieces.
Template for Manager Coaching Effectiveness Review
A good manager creates a positive employee experience from the very beginning, right when onboarding and coaching start. This template focuses on how effectively a leader works with teammates and whether they create a clear and smooth path for employees to reach their goals.
Template for Team Performance Overview
Can you assess a manager’s performance without reviewing how their team works first? Probably not. This template is one of the sales performance review examples that delve deeper into the employees to evaluate the manager. It includes key areas such as team quota attainment, escalation handling, and low performer uplift, giving a clear picture of the leader’s work.
Template for a Manager’s Performance Overview
This template is a good foundation for those looking to assess sales managers’ performance without getting too detailed. The example is precise, professional, and focused on key areas that give a general understanding and can highlight early problems before they escalate.
Template for Enablement Sync Effectiveness
What about an example of the sales performance review examples that measure how managers drive enablement alignment? This template is a good start for professionals who’d like to assess adoption within sales teams. It is brief and focused, no fuss, but key points that are mandatory.
Template for Sales Decision-Making & Judgment Review
Some professionals stand out because of how they think. This template is a good choice to assess reps managing complex, multi-stakeholder deals. It focuses on the quality of rep thinking, customer advocacy, and how aligned they are with long-term brand values.
Review Templates Focused on Growth & Development
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of performance management? Is it just closing deals or helping people grow? It is the latter for me, and that’s what the section is about —the development of sales professionals.
Template for Sales Growth & Development Readiness
Is your sales rep ready for the next step? This sales performance review example is perfect to assess promotion readiness. It tracks behavioral maturity, peer influence, and skill expansion to ensure your future leaders are developed, not just assumed. It works well for identifying high-potential candidates and growing their skills.
Template for Sales Strategy Contribution
Strategic thinking is what sets good reps and future leaders apart. This review template can help assess how a salesperson contributes to sales planning, strategy, and go-to-market initiatives.
Template for Personal Brand & Communication Review
The next candidate in our sales performance review examples list is about personal brand. It can measure internal and external communication clarity, thought leadership, and adaptability across audiences. I’d say it is great for public-facing roles and cross-functional collaborators.
Template for Career Development Alignment
Are your sales pros growing intentionally or just clocking in? This template can help you answer the question. It focuses on how aligned an employee is with their career goals and how much effort they invest in development.
Leveraging AI Tools to Improve Sales Performance Reviews
How about reducing prejudice in sales performance reviews? These days, it is a reality if you are equipped with the right software. In case you need numeric proof, AI tools have helped to decrease bias by 25% (source: Harvard Business Review).
Surely, this is just the tip of the iceberg of all the potential, so let’s carefully examine how artificial intelligence can optimize performance management:
- Automated feedback mechanism: You can set up automatic notifications for critical issues or declines in employee performance to address problems promptly.
- Performance tracking in real time: AI can analyze lead response time, activity in CRM systems, or customer feedback and extract key metrics and identify gaps before they escalate.
- Evaluations based on data: No favoritism with AI! The tools offer 360-degree feedback from peers, clients, and across systems.
- Personalized recommendations: Some apps provide customizable sales performance review templates based on the role: account managers, sales agents, customer success specialists, and more.
How Sembly Can Improve Sales Performance Reviews
Imagine having every coaching session, pitch review, and QBR automatically analyzed. That’s what Sembly has to offer. Forget about listening to hundreds of your sales team’s calls and creating multiple dashboards to assess their performance. With Sembly, sales meetings turn into summaries and action items, so you know exactly what the call was about within minutes. Sentiment analysis to assess potential hot discussions? Check. Multilingual transcriptions with recordings to check communication skills? Check. Analytics to examine the total hours spent on calls? Check.
But that’s something you may have come across. What about unique functionality that sets the AI notetaker apart from the competition? Sembly’s team made its goal to cover every aspect of meetings with one solution, so from now on, you can generate comprehensive documents based on your discussions. Whether you need a feedback report or a sales strategy for the next quarter, Sembly can provide an answer within minutes.
Let Sembly handle the admin, so you can focus on important sales tasks.
Wrapping Up
Think of a sales performance review as an opportunity: to grow, to retain the best talents, or to identify information gaps and strengthen them in the future. Whether you need to track quota attainment, customer retention, or leadership potential, reviews that have a clear structure and data will outperform any gut feelings.
In this article, I have gathered 16 best sales performance review examples. Each one is structured, focused on a specific area, precise, and ready to be used. Now it is your move. Good luck!
FAQ
What is the best frequency for sales performance reviews?
The best frequency for sales performance reviews is quarterly, with monthly check-ins. Formal reviews every 3 months help managers track quota attainment, goal progression, and pipeline health. While monthly syncs help address potential performance declines and keep reps aligned with the company’s targets.
For SDRs and BDRs in actively growing companies, bi-weekly metrics reviews can also be effective.
What are the key components of a good sales performance evaluation?
The best sales performance review examples include the following:
- SMART goal review: This helps to assess progress against specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound targets.
- Quantitative metrics: You can analyze KPIs such as closed revenue, lead conversion rate, or quota attainment.
- Soft skills assessment: Assess skills like communication, objection handling, and CRM hygiene.
- Constructive feedback: It is important to provide clear examples with improvement suggestions.
- Development planning: Consider providing mentorship, tracking, or role-based growth targets.
- Self-assessment: Encourage reps to share their perspective for a 360° view.
- Next steps: Discuss what happens after the recent review and when the next evaluation occurs.
How to write a good review for a salesperson if you are a manager?
Follow these simple rules to write a strong sales performance review as a manager:
- Start with data and provide an agent with numbers and percentages for clarity.
- Acknowledge wins to set a positive tone for your conversation.
- Offer constructive feedback on each step of the meeting.
- Suggest clear actions for development.
- Highlight strengths and growth areas equally to avoid demotivation.
- Avoid generalizations and focus on performance-linked behaviors.
What are the sales performance review trends?
Most recent trends are tightly linked to AI, as it becomes even more implemented by sales teams. Here are a few trends you may consider for your sales performance review examples:
- AI-powered evaluations: Tools like Sembly or Effy AI help automate feedback, reduce bias, and base your feedback on actual data.
- Behavior-based skills: Companies now measure soft skills like objection handling, time management, and CRM compliance.
- Self + 360° reviews: Employees rate themselves and receive feedback from their teammates, managers, and cross-functional teams.
- Multi-meeting chats
- AI Insights
- AI Artifacts
