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The quickest way to improve a 1:1 is to talk less. Good coaching questions get reps to diagnose their own deals and calls, which is how the lesson sticks. Below are 40 questions grouped by the part of the 1:1 they belong in, each with what to listen for, plus a 1:1 template and a way to pick the right question from a call scorecard.
Why questions beat telling
When a manager tells a rep what went wrong, the rep gets an answer. When the manager asks, the rep practices finding the answer, which is the skill they need when they're alone on the next call. Questions also surface things the manager doesn't know: what the buyer said off the record, what the rep was thinking, what's really holding a deal up.
That doesn't mean never telling. If a rep is about to make an expensive mistake, or simply doesn't know something, tell them. Questions are for building judgment, not for withholding answers. A useful habit is to ask first, then add what you saw, then agree on one change.
This post is a question bank. For ways to structure the conversation itself, such as the GROW model and call tape reviews, see effective sales coaching techniques. For where coaching ends and training begins, see sales training vs sales coaching.
Pipeline review
These questions test whether a deal is real, using what the buyer has done rather than how the rep feels. Use two or three per deal, not all ten.
- 1
"Which deal are you most worried about, and why?"
Listen for: Whether the worry is about the buyer or about the rep's own activity.
- 2
"What has the buyer done, not said, since our last 1:1?"
Listen for: Real buyer actions, such as meetings booked or documents shared, rather than good feelings.
- 3
"Who signs, and have you spoken to them?"
Listen for: A name, not a job title.
- 4
"What happens to the buyer if they do nothing?"
Listen for: A cost of inaction in the buyer's terms. Without one, the deal is likely to stall.
- 5
"What's the next step, and is there a date on it?"
Listen for: A specific, agreed meeting, not "they'll get back to me".
- 6
"What would make this deal slip to next quarter?"
Listen for: Risks the rep has already thought about, and a plan for each.
- 7
"Who else is the buyer talking to?"
Listen for: Competitors, and the option of doing nothing or building it themselves.
- 8
"If you could only work three deals this month, which would they be?"
Listen for: Priorities set by likelihood and value, not by who replied last.
- 9
"Which deal should we take out of the forecast?"
Listen for: Honesty. Reward it, or you will stop hearing it.
- 10
"Where do you need my help: a call, an introduction or an approval?"
Listen for: A concrete ask you can act on this week.
After a call review
Ask these after listening to a call together, or after the rep has reviewed their own scored call. Start broad, then narrow to one moment.
- 11
"What was your goal for the call, and did you hit it?"
Listen for: Whether there was a goal at all before the call started.
- 12
"What did you learn that you didn't know before the call?"
Listen for: New facts about the problem, its impact or the decision.
- 13
"Where did the buyer's energy change, up or down?"
Listen for: The moment the rep can point to, and what caused it.
- 14
"Which question got the best answer, and why do you think it worked?"
Listen for: Self-awareness about what the rep did well, so they repeat it.
- 15
"If you replayed the first two minutes, what would you change?"
Listen for: Specifics about the opener and agenda.
- 16
"Where could you have stopped talking sooner?"
Listen for: Spots where the rep pitched instead of asking.
- 17
"What did the buyer say that you didn't follow up on?"
Listen for: Missed threads, which are the easiest discovery wins.
- 18
"How did you handle the objection, and how did the buyer react?"
Listen for: Whether the rep acknowledged it and asked before answering.
- 19
"Did you get a clear next step? If not, what would you say next time?"
Listen for: The exact words they would use, said out loud.
- 20
"What's one thing you'll do differently on your next call?"
Listen for: One change, small enough to try tomorrow. End every call review here.
Skill development
These look beyond a single call to the skill the rep is building over weeks. They work best when the rep chooses the skill, with the scorecard as evidence.
- 21
"Which part of the call feels hardest for you right now?"
Listen for: The skill to focus on for the next few weeks.
- 22
"Whose calls do you learn the most from, and what do they do differently?"
Listen for: A model the rep already respects.
- 23
"What would you like to be better at in three months?"
Listen for: The rep's own goal, which they will work harder for than yours.
- 24
"On your last scorecard, which score surprised you?"
Listen for: Gaps between how the call felt and how it scored.
- 25
"What have you tried since we last talked about this skill?"
Listen for: Follow-through. If nothing, ask what got in the way.
- 26
"What would practicing this look like for you this week?"
Listen for: A specific practice plan with a time slot.
- 27
"Which objection do you still dread hearing?"
Listen for: The objection to roleplay next.
- 28
"How do you prepare for a first call today, and what would you add?"
Listen for: Whether research and a goal come before the dial.
- 29
"What feedback from a buyer has stuck with you recently?"
Listen for: Signals from the market that the rep has noticed.
- 30
"What should I watch for on your next recorded call?"
Listen for: Ownership: the rep is asking to be coached on something.
Motivation and blockers
Skill problems are easier to see than motivation problems, but motivation problems usually show up first. Ask one or two of these every week, even when things are going well.
- 31
"What's taking up time this week that shouldn't be?"
Listen for: Admin, internal meetings or tools you can fix or remove.
- 32
"What part of the job are you enjoying most at the moment?"
Listen for: Energy you can build on.
- 33
"What's getting in the way of your call blocks?"
Listen for: Interruptions, unclear priorities or avoidance.
- 34
"Is anything about the process, tools or territory slowing you down?"
Listen for: Problems you can raise on their behalf.
- 35
"How are you feeling about your number this month?"
Listen for: Confidence or worry, and whether the plan matches it.
- 36
"What would make next week a good week?"
Listen for: A short list you can help make happen.
- 37
"Where do you want to be in a year, and what would help you get there?"
Listen for: Career goals, such as a move from SDR to AE, that shape what you coach.
- 38
"Is there anything I'm doing that makes your job harder?"
Listen for: The answer you least want to hear and most need to.
- 39
"What support from the team would help most?"
Listen for: Peer help, such as call shadowing or a practice partner.
- 40
"What should we stop doing?"
Listen for: Rituals that cost time and no longer help.
For SDRs, question 37 often turns into a conversation about the move to an account executive role. The SDR vs BDR vs AE guide covers what that path usually involves.
A 1:1 coaching template
A 30-minute 1:1 has room for one pipeline conversation and one skill conversation, as long as the rep's agenda comes first and the meeting ends with commitments.
| Time | Section | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 min | Rep's agenda and a win | The rep goes first: one win and one thing on their mind. |
| 5 to 15 min | Pipeline | Two deals the rep chooses, using questions 1 to 10. |
| 15 to 25 min | One skill from one call | A short clip or a scored call, using questions 11 to 30. |
| 25 to 30 min | Commitments | One change to try, one practice task, and how you'll both check it. |
Keep notes in the same place every week, so each 1:1 can start with "Last time you said you'd try X. How did it go?" The free 1:1 sales coaching template gives you this structure to copy or print, on a tab next to the sales call scorecard itself.
Use scorecards to pick the question
Forty questions is far too many for one meeting. A call scorecard tells you which ones to ask: find the lowest-scoring criterion on the rep's recent calls, real or practice, and pick a question that targets it.
| Low score on | Ask |
|---|---|
| Opening | "If you replayed the first two minutes, what would you change?" (question 15) |
| Discovery | "What did the buyer say that you didn't follow up on?" (question 17) |
| Listening | "Where could you have stopped talking sooner?" (question 16) |
| Objection handling | "How did you handle the objection, and how did the buyer react?" (question 18) |
| Next step | "Did you get a clear next step? If not, what would you say next time?" (question 19) |
| The same low score for weeks | "What have you tried since we last talked about this skill?" (question 25) |
Scored practice calls help here too, because reps can work on the criterion between 1:1s and you can both see whether it moves. Vonvo scores every practice call, so a rep can arrive with a recent scorecard to discuss. Team coaching covers running that across a whole team, and how to give feedback on sales calls covers what to say once the rep has spotted the issue.
FAQs
How many coaching questions should I ask in a 1:1?
Three to five good ones is plenty. The point is depth: follow up on the answers instead of working through a list. Choose them before the meeting, based on the rep's pipeline and most recent scorecard.
What is the difference between a 1:1 and a pipeline review?
A pipeline review is about deals: what's real, what's at risk and what happens next. A 1:1 is about the person: their skills, their blockers and their growth. Many managers combine the two, which works as long as the pipeline doesn't take over the whole meeting.
How often should sales managers hold 1:1s?
Weekly or every two weeks is common. The rhythm matters less than consistency: a 1:1 that keeps getting canceled tells the rep that coaching isn't a priority.
What if the rep doesn't have an answer?
Wait a few seconds longer than feels comfortable, then narrow the question: "What about the first two minutes?" If they still don't know, share what you noticed and ask what they make of it.
Should reps see their scorecard before the 1:1?
Yes. Reps who have reviewed their own scored call arrive with their own diagnosis, so the conversation starts from their view rather than yours. It also makes the 1:1 feel less like an inspection.
Keep going in the library
Scripts, objection responses, frameworks and free tools that go with this article.
- TemplateSales call scorecard templateScore calls on clear criteria, then print or export
- LibraryRoleplay scenariosPractice scenarios with a buyer, a setup and a goal
- LibrarySales methodologiesNEPQ, MEDDPICC, SPIN, Challenger and more
- LibrarySales glossaryPlain-English definitions of sales terms
- Objection"I'm not interested"Responses to the classic cold call brush-off
