Uncoachable Reps: Spot Sooner, Act Faster

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As a sales leader, your most valuable lever for building a high-performing SaaS sales team is coaching.

You invest time, energy, and focus into helping your AEs improve. That’s the job.

But here’s the truth too many leaders learn too late: Not every rep is coachable.

And trying to coach someone who won’t absorb it is a direct hit to your time, your team, and your bottom line.

This isn’t about giving up early. It’s about spotting the signs and acting fast. Delay will cost you.

Why Uncoachable Reps Are a Threat

Letting one rep hang around who resists coaching does more damage than a missed number. They drag down everything around them:

They waste your time. Every hour spent trying to fix them is time stolen from a rep who actually wants to improve.

They kill morale. A-players see it. When you tolerate low effort or bad attitude, they question your standards.

They hurt performance. They don’t improve, they miss targets, and they bog down your pipeline.

They poison culture. Blame, negativity, or unchecked ego spreads fast. It undercuts the team you’re trying to build.

The Signs Are Rarely Just About Quota

Uncoachability shows up in behavior, not just numbers. Watch for these red flags:

The Know-It-All Resists feedback. Says “yeah, but…” to every suggestion. Closed off to learning.

The Victim Blames leads, product, comp, market—anything but themselves. No ownership.

The Wall Gets defensive. Argues. Shuts down instead of listening and adapting.

The Non-Implementer Nods during coaching, says the right things, but nothing ever changes.

The Checked-Out Rep Shows up late to coaching. Doesn’t ask questions. No drive to get better.

The Toxic Teammate Spreads negativity. Complains constantly. Undermines leadership. Refuses to see themselves as part of the problem.

You can sometimes spot this even in interviews—if you ask the right behavioral questions about past failures and how they responded to feedback.

Why Coaching the Uncoachable Never Pays Off

As leaders, we want to believe we can fix anyone. But hope is not a coaching strategy.

If the rep has made it clear through behavior that they won’t engage, implement, or improve, continuing to pour into them is a losing bet.

Your job is to grow coachable reps. Not to save the ones who don’t want it.

How to Act Faster (Without Cutting Corners)

Once the signs are there, follow this playbook:

1. Give Direct, Documented Feedback Be clear. Share specific behaviors and why they aren’t working. Set expectations for change, with a short timeline—think weeks, not quarters. Document everything.
2. Ask for a Real Commitment: Ask if they’re willing to change. Not a vague yes, but a clear commitment to implement feedback and take ownership. Their response tells you everything.
3. Set a Short-Leash Plan If they commit, set a focused PIP. Check in frequently—daily or every other day. Track only the behavior and execution tied to the feedback.
4. If Nothing Changes, Move On If they don’t improve within the timeline, make the call. Be clear, respectful, and fast. Don’t drag it out. Your team is watching.

The Payoff: A Coaching Culture That Works

When you remove uncoachable reps, here’s what happens:

• You free up time for people who actually want to grow.
• You send a clear message: effort and attitude matter.
• Team morale improves. People want to be part of a high-standard team.
• You reinforce a coaching culture where feedback leads to results.

Your Job Is to Protect the Standard

Spotting and acting on uncoachability isn’t harsh. It’s responsible leadership.

Your tolerance for low-effort, low-ownership behavior defines the ceiling of your team’s potential.

Set a high standard. Coach those who meet it. Take quick, decisive action with those who don’t.

That’s how you build a sales team that hits top 5% performance—without dragging anyone behind.

By Travis Janko, CEO of GSD Coach & Recruiting, helping SaaS founders build the top 5% of talent, FAST!