Coaching with Purpose. Win Big. Newsletter #7
Most executive strategies look great in the boardroom.
They’re bold, polished, and filled with growth targets. But strategies don’t sell. Salespeople do.
And execution doesn’t live in PowerPoint. It lives in conversations with prospects, discovery calls, follow-ups, and coaching sessions that sharpen a team’s craft.
Welcome back to Coaching with Purpose. Win Big., where I dive into the real-world playbook for sales leaders who want to build high-performing teams without losing sight of the people who make it happen. In this edition, I’m unpacking the Execution Playbook; how to turn executive strategy into sales behaviors that actually win in the field.
The best leaders know how to bridge the gap between vision and action. They build an Execution Playbook that translates strategy into sales behaviors, refines those behaviors through data and customer insights, and reinforces them through coaching and energy.
I learned this firsthand while leading a 450-person sales team. The year we saw 62% year-over-year growth wasn’t because of a clever strategy slide. It was because we built a playbook that turned corporate goals into frontline actions. We coached, measured, and celebrated those actions until they became habits.
Here’s how to build that kind of playbook.
Step 1: Translate Strategy Into Clear Sales Behaviors
Executives speak in outcomes. Reps need behaviors.
If the strategy is to increase close rate, the behaviors might be:
• Asking more open-ended questions in discovery
• Listening without rushing to pitch
• Confirming value before presenting price
If the strategy is to increase leads, the behaviors might be:
• Asking every satisfied customer for a referral
• Building a daily rhythm for outbound prospecting
• Strengthening follow-up discipline after initial contact
When reps understand the specific actions that drive the result, execution becomes tangible. And when leaders connect those actions to the “what’s in it for me,” more commission, recognition, career growth and motivation follows.
Step 2: Let Data and Customer Insights Shape the Playbook
Data is the compass that shows if your plays are working. But data alone isn’t enough.
To build a winning playbook, leaders must pair performance data with real customer understanding.
• Close rates reveal how well discovery is being done
• Conversion metrics highlight the strength of follow-up
• Customer feedback uncovers whether value is landing
When I built reporting systems for my teams, the breakthrough wasn’t the dashboards. It was the conversations those dashboards started. Instead of talking only about quotas, we were talking about what customers were saying, what behaviors were working, and how we could adjust.
That shift created alignment, not just around numbers, but around serving customers better.
Step 3: Coach Sales Behaviors Relentlessly
Too many managers inspect results but ignore the inputs that create them.
Great leaders coach behaviors, not just numbers.
• Role-play discovery questions during one-on-ones
• Review call recordings like game film
• Observe customer interactions and give immediate feedback
When I began leading through coaching, I stopped asking “How many deals did you close this week?” and started asking “What did you do in your conversations to earn trust and uncover real needs?”
That change in focus turned under-performers into consistent producers, not because they suddenly wanted it more, but because they knew what to do and had practiced it until it became habit.
Step 4: Build Energy With Incentives and Recognition
Sales is demanding. Without energy, execution fades.
That’s why the best leaders create momentum through recognition and contests tied directly to behaviors.
• A short contest for most referrals asked in a week
• Recognition for the rep who ran the strongest discovery, not just the biggest deal
• Small rewards that keep things fun; a team lunch, the right to pick the next meeting opener, public praise
Energy isn’t fluff. It’s fuel. When people feel seen and valued for how they work, not just what they sell, they bring more passion to execution.
Step 5: Close the Loop and Keep the System Alive
Here’s where most organizations fall short. They launch a playbook, run a training session, and move on. Execution fades.
High-performing teams treat execution as a loop, not a launch.
• Strategy defines the plays
• Customer insights and data test them in the field
• Coaching sharpens behaviors
• Recognition builds momentum
• Leadership reinforces, adjusts, and repeats
When I led my own teams, this loop became our operating rhythm. We didn’t just set plays once, we refined them constantly. That’s why our execution stayed fresh, aligned, and effective.
A playbook isn’t a document. It’s a system. And systems only work when leaders keep the loop alive.
The Bigger Picture
Strategy without execution is wasted potential.
Execution without data is guesswork.
Execution without coaching stalls out.
Execution without energy fizzles.
But when you connect them… strategy, behaviors, data, coaching, energy, you create a culture of execution.
That’s how you turn vision into growth. Not in the boardroom, but on the sales floor. One conversation at a time.
Let’s Connect
Visit www.ericboettner.com or follow me on LinkedIn.
Driving Sales Growth at the Intersection of People, Process, Performance | Sales Enablement & Execution Expert | Strategic Operator | Servant Leader | 20+ Years Scaling Teams, Systems & Results
I build sales engines by connecting strategy, enablement, and coaching to drive measurable growth and stronger teams. That includes delivering 62% year-over-year growth across a 450-person team and leading enablement programs that supported over 700 locations.
I make complex ideas practical, build coaching cultures focused on behaviors over outcomes, and design scalable enablement systems that align people, process, and performance. The result is execution with clarity, consistency, and accountability.
𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁
Open to conversations and leadership opportunities where enablement, coaching, and operational clarity can drive measurable growth.
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