Every successful sales team has a secret weapon that's often overlooked: effective one-on-one coaching sessions. As leaders, we're constantly looking for ways to scale our coaching and save time, often gravitating toward group sessions with our sales reps. But what if the real magic happens when you sit down with your team members individually?
In a recent episode of the SellMeThisPen Podcast, Yusuf Ongel, founder of XDRhub and a seasoned sales leader with over 10 years of experience, challenged the common misconception about one-on-ones:
"One-on-ones are not an add-on to a leader's day-to-day tasks or responsibilities. That's not an add-on job. It is THE job."
This insight stopped us in our tracks. What if we've been approaching coaching all wrong? In this article, we will explore why one-on-ones are the cornerstone of trust-building in sales teams and share Yusuf's proven 4-step formula to make these meetings truly transformative.
As sales leaders, we often find ourselves conducting group coaching sessions to maximize efficiency. It makes sense on paper – instead of having multiple 30-minute one-on-ones, you can gather everyone for a single hour-long session. But according to Yusuf, this approach misses something fundamental:
"Trust can't be built in a crowd."
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Think about it – would you share your deepest challenges in front of all your peers? Group settings naturally create fear of judgment from colleagues that result it surface-level conversations and missed opportunities for genuine connection.
The environment we create to be efficient often prevents the deep, trust-based conversations that drive real improvement in sales performance.
Before diving into how to build trust, let's address why it matters so much. Trust is the foundation that allows for:
Without trust, even the most sophisticated sales coaching platform or AI role-play tool will fail to create lasting change. Your reps might go through the motions, but they won't internalize the coaching or make meaningful shifts in their approach.
Yusuf shared four specific strategies that have helped him build trust with his team during one-on-ones:
Consistency is key to building trust. Yusuf recommends holding 30-minute one-on-ones every week without fail. But what makes his approach unique is how he structures these meetings:
The 15-15 Split:
This structure sends a powerful message: "You matter first, then the business." By giving your reps the first half of the meeting, you create space for them to bring up what's really on their mind.
This approach recognizes that sales reps are humans first, and their personal situations inevitably impact their performance. By acknowledging this reality, you can address the root causes of performance issues rather than just the symptoms.
Yusuf shared an alarming statistics: 73% of employees want constructive criticism from their managers but don't receive it. Too often, managers either avoid giving difficult feedback altogether or go to the other extreme and focus solely on areas for improvement.
The one-on-one setting provides the perfect opportunity to strike a balance:
Great sales coaches don't just praise—they address performance gaps directly, but do so in a way that builds rather than damages confidence.
Sometimes the most powerful coaching tools are the simplest. Yusuf recommends asking one specific question at the start of every one-on-one: "How's it going?"
While this might seem elementary, the key is to ask it consistently and track the responses over time. This creates a baseline that helps you detect subtle shifts in your rep's mindset:
"When someone who always says 'Great!' suddenly says 'Not bad'— you would notice and address the real issue instead of pushing your agenda."
This simple practice allows you to spot potential issues before they become crises and adapt your coaching approach to your rep's current state.
One of the most eye-opening insights from Yusuf challenges another common assumption in sales management:
"We as managers tend to think everybody wants to become a salesperson. If they're an SDR, they're going to end up being an AE."
The reality is far more diverse. Regular career discussions during one-on-ones often reveal that your team members have aspirations you might never have guessed: some SDRs want to move into customer success while others see themselves in marketing or enablement.
One-on-one sessions provide the safe space needed for honest conversations about where your reps actually want to go, not where you assume they should go. This knowledge allows you to:
While building trust through one-on-ones is essential, modern sales teams can amplify their effectiveness by integrating AI tools. AI sales roleplay platforms like SellMeThisPen complement the human connection of one-on-ones by:
The key is to use these technologies as extensions of your coaching philosophy, not replacements for human connection.
As sales leaders, we're constantly seeking the most efficient ways to develop our teams. But Yusuf Ongel's insights remind us that sometimes the most impactful approaches aren't about efficiency at all - they're about connection.
One-on-ones aren't just another meeting on your calendar; they're the primary vehicle for building the trust that makes all other sales enablement efforts effective. By implementing Yusuf's four-step approach to one-on-ones, you can create the psychological safety your team needs to truly excel.
In a world increasingly focused on AI and automation in sales, the human element of coaching becomes not less important, but more crucial than ever. The leaders who master the art of the one-on-one will be the ones who build sales teams capable of extraordinary performance.
In this episode of SellMeThisPen Podcast, Michael and Yusuf discuss the critical role of one-on-one coaching in sales leadership. They explore how these individual sessions build trust that group settings simply cannot achieve, and share practical frameworks for making these meetings truly transformative for both sales reps and managers.
Yusuf Ongel is the founder of XDRhub, a sales development services busines. With over 10 years of experience in sales and business development, Yusuf is passionate about one-on-one coaching as a fundamental leadership tool that drives both personal growth and business results.
