27/04/2026
The CEO "we can't afford anyone else" in November.
I was consulting for a coaching company.
It was ugly:
3 top reps quit before Thanksgiving
It was holidays = no one buys
Agents were burned out, threatening to leave
Production was flat at 46 qualified appts/month
Goal: Don’t implode.
Instead, I pitched a Growth Performance Plan for the agents who stayed.
Leadership said: "We can’t afford raises. We can’t afford bonuses. We’re cooked."
I said: "We can afford clarity."
We rebuilt 3 things in 10 days:
Scorecards, not quotas: Each agent saw exactly what to do daily to get promoted
Pain of stay > Pain of change: We showed them their 2024 income if nothing changed vs if they hit new tiers
Public wins: First agent to hit Tier 2 got a LinkedIn shoutout from the CEO same day
No new hires. No ad spend increase. Holiday season.
Nov 1 - Jan 31 result: 46 → 194 qualified appointments. 322% growth in production. 4 agents promoted. 0% turnover.
The myth that kills teams in Q4: "You can't grow during holidays."
Truth: You can’t grow with vague expectations.
Hot take: Most “retention problems” are actually “promotion problems.”
Sales leaders: Be honest, would your bottom rep know exactly how to get promoted by Friday?
Coaches: What’s one thing you did in Q4 that actually moved the needle vs just “survived”? ↓
Drop "GPP" if you want the 1-page Growth Performance Plan template I used.
Send a message to learn more