10 Game-Changing Sales Manager Tips for 2025

B2B sales is constantly evolving.

Every day, a new initiative or sales tool promises to deliver growth. That means, as a sales manager, you need to be on top of your game.

But sales management is no longer just about managing pipelines. Sales managers are coaches, data analysts, strategists, tech adopters, and pipeline managers.

So, if you’ve Googled “top sales manager tips” and found this blog, bookmark it! Save it as a refresher for when you need to improve your management skills.

Scroll 👇 for our top 10 sales management tips.

1. Use technology to smash sales targets

Sales teams can no longer operate like they’re stuck in the past. With AI changing the game, teams need access to the best sales software.

Without it, teams fall behind. And when teams fail to close deals or warm up prospects, it’s your job on the line.

How should you navigate the B2B sales tech landscape?

Start by researching the best tools on the market. Compare features, benefits, and pricing. If you can, sign up for free trials or product demos.

When you’ve made the right choice for your sales team, ensure you implement it in a smooth and seamless way. Give your reps the necessary training to become superusers.

At the end of the process, you’ll have a team and tool set up for reaching your sales goals.

One of the best sales management tools out there is Cognism Sales Companion. It’s your team’s +1 for smarter, faster prospecting.

Check out this list of benefits:

• Prioritise the right accounts: Deliver tailored recommendations to every rep based on target persona, territory, and ICP fit.
• Connect with real decision-makers: Phone-verified mobile numbers and fresh company data drive more conversations and fewer missed dials.
• Standardise high-performance prospecting: Create repeatable, scalable workflows across your team with shared targeting, buying signals, and best practices.
• Streamline your tech stack: Push Cognism’s sales data into your CRM tool for faster activation.
• Get instant insights with AI research: No prompts, no manual digging - just smart, contextual company summaries to prep reps for every call.

Now, take an interactive tour to see if it’s right for you 👇

2. Coach consistently (and personally)

Ali Newton-Temperley is the founder of The Agency Growth Pad. She shared her insights on what to do to become a pro sales manager (and how to ace sales team motivation).

She said:

Good managers take the time to create sales training programs to help their reps succeed; repeatable processes that use technology and proven, winning strategies.

But even the most robust sales tech stack or the best strategies are useless without well-trained reps.

That means you, as the manager, need to make sales coaching a weekly activity. Carve out time for regular in-person training. Provide diverse coaching materials that all your reps can engage with.

Stuck for ideas? Here are some sales training suggestions for you:

• Listen to your reps’ cold calls, review them and give feedback.
• Schedule some sales role-plays with your team. Run through different scenarios each time, such as objection handling or deal closing.
• Develop cold call scripts to help guide conversations. Build up a library of scripts for different personas and industries.

⚠️ Check out Cognism’s SDR Zone, the best of our sales content for managers and reps.

3. Master data-driven sales

Closing sales deals is less about feeling a certain vibe and more about using high-intent data to guide your team’s focus.

Data is gold for sales managers. Understanding the sales funnel and buyer behaviour starts with analysing conversion rates, deal velocity, and buyer activity.

Once you have the numbers, you can guide your sales team on the next steps to reaching revenue goals.

Like Ali said:

Use tools like Cognism’s Sales Companion to uncover actionable, accurate data. With Sales Companion, you can:

• Segment target lists, so your team can focus on high-intent accounts.
• Highlight company signals as a heads-up on when to make contact.
• Get personalised insights for your next targets.

4. Set clear, attainable goals

Here’s a prime sales management tip:

Set SMART goals for your team. 

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. They’re less of a wish list and more of a goal tied to an action plan.

They provide a roadmap for new sales reps to achieve their goals and a framework for teams to align actions to meet revenue targets.

You’ll need data, like conversion rates or outreach stats, to set SMART goals.

Ali said:

Using sales software, like Cognism’s Sales Companion, is helpful for getting those initial data points to help set team and individual goals. These tools provide sales metrics without requiring managers to waste an entire afternoon with a calculator and a spreadsheet.

Pro tip:

Sales reps perform better when expectations are transparent. Track performance metrics beyond revenue to measure their progress.

Examples are: 

• Call activity.
• Meetings booked.
• Pipeline coverage.

Review your SMART goals regularly to ensure your team is hitting its sales targets.

5. Build a repeatable sales process

Great sales managers think in systems and processes.

That means:

• Creating playbooks for reps to follow.
• Setting expectations to maintain a clean, up-to-date CRM.
• Encouraging reps to enter notes into the CRM regularly.

Ali mentioned that sales professionals have a reputation for not always being on top of their admin. But, she also pointed out that “processes form a large part of success in sales.”

Managers who prioritise creating agile systems and sticking to them will outperform their counterparts by miles. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel for every deal. It’s simply a matter of finding a repeatable sales process and scaling it.

Plus, when something goes wrong, it’s much easier to find the issue and correct the course before it damages the bottom line. 

Here’s Ali’s advice:

Unsure where to start with creating a sales system that works for your team? Start with documenting:

• Sales stages: BOFU, MOFU, or TOFO.
• Handoff processes, like when to escalate a deal to a senior sales professional.
• Qualification criteria for leads.
• Proven sales strategies and playbooks.

The more you can document your sales processes, the better. Expectations and “how to” become clear and achievable.

Pro tip:

Share these resources and expectations with your team for better alignment.

6. Lead effective pipeline reviews

The best sales managers don’t work alone. Understanding that sales is a team effort is one of the quickest and most effective ways to guarantee success.

That means inviting your team to the table for pipeline reviews and considering their input.

Ali suggested making sales pipeline review a group activity. She said:

Although you manage the pipeline, your sales reps work with leads daily. They often know the pipeline like the back of their hands and can suggest areas for improvement.

Don’t let team pipeline meetings become status updates, though. Use structured, data-backed reviews to identify:

• Blocks within the system.
• Risky deals that might cause a hang-up.
• Next steps for improvement.
• Deal health, not just deal size.

7. Develop your team’s soft skills

A sales pro is 63% more likely to become a top performer when they have an effective manager and access to coaching and training.

But don’t neglect dedicating time to helping develop their soft skills, like:

• Cold outreach etiquette.
• Strengthening communication skills.
• Practising active listening.
• Creating a teamwork mindset.

However, be careful not to handhold. Empowering your reps to think critically is more effective than guiding them through every roadblock.

Over to Ali:

Along with mentoring sales calls, launch training initiatives to strengthen:

• Discovery call skills.
• Negotiation skills.
• Active listening.
• Handling complex buyer groups.

These often overlooked skills drive long-term performance. Make it a priority to help your team develop them.

8. Build cross-functional alignment

The sales team is just one part of the revenue engine. Sales managers act as the go-between for marketing, product development, customer service, and finance.

This means that alignment isn’t optional; it’s a necessity. Working closely with other departments helps:

• Improve lead quality.
• Share customer feedback.
• Shorten sales cycles.

When you sit in on cross-departmental meetings, advocate for your team’s needs and share your challenges. Your counterparts in other departments likely have ideas on improving the sales funnel and closing deals. 

Be sure to listen and take notes. For example, the marketing team might share meaningful insights that you can use to refine your sales scripts or outbound messages.

Then, find creative ways to incorporate feedback and comments from other departments into your sales strategy. Don’t be afraid to test ideas or theories, or partner with other teams to set SMART goals.

Teamwork makes the dream work, especially when chasing your company’s growth goals.

9. Prioritise rep wellbeing and motivation

According to Gartner, 90% of sales pros experience burnout on the job. When burnout takes hold, unhappiness sets in, retention rates drop, and your company suffers. 

As a sales manager, you’re responsible for maintaining and improving retention rates. This means you need to find creative ways to motivate your reps.

Start by recognising wins beyond closed deals. Did your new rep send a cold message that received a response? Celebrate it!

For new reps who’ve yet to master the art of B2B sales, it’s crucial that they understand that small, incremental moves make meaningful differences to the bottom line. Celebrating their small wins helps them feel like part of the team.

It’s also important to recognise and discuss career paths, especially for reps who want to improve their skills and advance.

Ali said:

Providing clear career progressions gives your reps something to work for, personally. 

Remember: Happy, motivated reps result in better performance. 

10. Invest in your own development

Our final tip for sales managers is a simple one:

Invest in yourself!

Great managers keep learning. They stay up-to-date on modern sales tactics, seek out resources, like podcasts or webinars, and aren’t afraid to implement what they’ve learned.

Take part in:

• Sales leadership events or conferences.
• Online or offline groups and communities.
• Leadership training.

As for Ali’s top sales training resource? She told us:

When you take your job seriously and commit to improving your skillset, your team will notice. Lead by example.

Lead sales teams that actually sell

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to managing a sales team. Some tips on this list might not be what you need, while others might propel your team (and your career) forward.

However, one thing is clear:

The best sales managers don’t leave success to chance. They invest in their people, build processes that scale, and use tools that give their teams an edge.

Whether you’re fine-tuning your coaching style, tightening up your pipeline reviews, or just trying to get a few more reps across the finish line this quarter, our guide’s sales tips are a solid place to start.

When you focus less on targets and more on people, you unlock momentum that compounds over time.

And don’t forget, your tech stack should work just as hard as your team does.

Book a demo with Cognism and see how Sales Companion can simplify your day-to-day and help your reps win more deals.