One of the most important responsibilities for any sales manager is holding their salespeople accountable. Some sales manager only truly approach this topic at the end of the commission cycle when the rep is underperforming against quota. This approach is better than nothing (which I have personally experienced).
This article from Selling Power provides a great process for holding salespeople accountable for consistent revenue production. The takeaway quote:
“Just because reps know what they need to do doesn’t mean they’ll do it. It’s like going to the gym €“ you know you should go on your way home, but there are usually myriad reasons for not getting there. Thus once you clearly set goals and expectations, your reps need to commit to achieving them.”
Later in the article, the author mentions that there must be consequences for noncompliance. The sales manager must be prepared to follow through with the consequences which is another discussion in itself. These tips are a good start to turning around an underperforming sales team.