Free template · Sales / CS
Performance review template for a sales manager
A ready-to-use, section-by-section template with the competencies that matter for a sales manager, role-specific example phrases, and a guard against the stock filler that makes most reviews read as generic. Copy the structure, fill in your evidence, or skip the writing entirely with Crestento.
The template
Four sections, in this order. Length should match the evidence you have — a thin section is honest; an invented paragraph is not.
Summary
One or two paragraphs setting the context: what was expected of sales manager this period, and your overall verdict. Lead with the headline.
Example phrasing
“Team attainment at 108% with three of five reps above plan, ramped two new AEs through ramp quota in cycle 2, and rebuilt the weekly forecast cadence that took team forecast accuracy from 84% to 96%.”
Strengths
The behaviours and outcomes that made the work happen. Anchor in evidence: team quota attainment percent, proportion of reps at / above plan, team forecast accuracy (variance from commit).
- Evidence for: team quota attainment and individual rep performance.
- Evidence for: pipeline inspection and forecast quality across the team.
- Evidence for: rep coaching and development.
- Evidence for: hiring and ramping of new reps.
Areas for Growth
Forward-looking development edges. Frame as opportunities, not deficiencies. Specific behaviours to develop, not generic sales manager criticism.
- One pattern observed across the period.
- One specific behaviour to develop.
- One concrete next step.
Goals for the Next Period
Two or three concrete goals. Each should name a specific behaviour change, a measurable target, and a deadline. Avoid vague aspirations.
Competencies to evaluate
The 7 competencies a strong sales manager review structures around, in priority order. Use these as the spine of the Strengths and Areas for Growth sections.
- team quota attainment and individual rep performance
- pipeline inspection and forecast quality across the team
- rep coaching and development
- hiring and ramping of new reps
- territory design and account distribution
- cross-functional partnership (marketing, RevOps, CS)
- 1:1 cadence and deal-review discipline
Before you write
A sales manager's job is not to be the strongest closer on the team. It is to make every rep on the team measurably better, run pipeline and forecast discipline that the VP can trust, and build the bench that produces next year's quota. The work is mostly invisible to a dashboard: 1:1 coaching, deal inspection, rep-level development plans, calibration with RevOps. A review that anchors only on team attainment misses the manager craft.
Evidence to gather
Strong reviews for a sales manager cite evidence of these shapes. Only use a specific value (a percentage, a count, a dollar amount) if you actually have it — don’t invent a number to sound concrete.
- team quota attainment percent
- proportion of reps at / above plan
- team forecast accuracy (variance from commit)
- average ramp time for new reps
- rep retention rate
- internal promotions from the team
- pipeline coverage at the team level
Where to find the evidence
Work products a sales manager produces. Reference these by name in the review when they’re relevant — it signals you know the work.
- weekly forecast call notes
- monthly deal-inspection reviews per rep
- 1:1 development plan documents
- ramp plan templates for new hires
- territory plan / account distribution doc
- rep PIP or development-plan documentation when needed
Phrasing that lands vs phrasing that doesn’t
Strong — specific, evidenced, role-appropriate
“Team attainment at 108% with three of five reps above plan, ramped two new AEs through ramp quota in cycle 2, and rebuilt the weekly forecast cadence that took team forecast accuracy from 84% to 96%.”
Weak — vague, unevidenced, generic
“Strong sales leader.”
Phrases to never use
Stock filler that AI-written sales manager reviews slip into. Managers spot it instantly. Rewrite to name a specific behaviour instead.
- “strong sales leader”
- “drives team to results”
- “inspirational manager”
- “builds great culture”
- “leads by example”
- “consistently coaches reps to success”
- “trusted partner to the team”
Don’t invent these specifics
The details an AI tends to fabricate for sales managerreviews. If you don’t have the specific number, name, or date in your notes, leave it out — generic-but-honest beats specific-but- invented every time.
- team attainment percentages the manager didn't provide
- specific rep names beyond what was given
- exact ramp times or rep retention numbers not in input
- named territories or account distributions not mentioned
- specific forecast accuracy improvements not quantified
- particular sales methodology adoption claims not in input
Skip the template, generate the review
Drop your bullet points into Crestento and it produces the polished draft using this exact template structure, tuned for a sales manager. Two reviews free, no card.
Try Crestento free