FREE · YOUR FIRST WEEK IN THE ROLE

What to discuss with the owner in your first week as sales manager

“First Week: The Conversation with the Owner” is a free 10-page PDF for a new sales manager. It has 15 questions for the owner and a sheet where you write down together what should be done by day 30 and day 90. A month later you check against that sheet, not against what each of you remembers.

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  • English
  • updated October 13, 2026
Two cups of coffee facing each other and an open notebook with a diagram: getting ready for the first talk with the owner

Who it is for

Who it is for

For a sales manager who was recently hired or promoted from the sales team. And for an owner who is hiring a sales manager and wants to agree on expectations up front.

What this means for you

Pick the option that fits you, and the answer for your situation appears below.

Industry
Real estate and constructionRenovation and interiorsEducation and coursesHealthcare and beautyTravel and hospitalityManufacturing and wholesaleRetail and e-commerceBusiness services (consulting, marketing, IT, accounting)Auto and transportationFinance and insurance

Real estate and constructionAsk who owns the customers and the inquiries from listing sites: the company or individual agents. And how the commission is split when one person starts a deal and another closes it.

Renovation and interiorsAsk who looks after the customer from the site visit to handover, and where the salesperson’s job ends. If the site manager prepares the estimate, agree how many days after the visit it goes to the customer.

Education and coursesInquiries come in waves, with the most just before a course starts. Find out which start dates your first target is based on and which month of last year the owner will compare you with.

Healthcare and beautyAsk who works with returning clients now: the front desk, the doctor or the specialist. In your first week, agree whether a repeat booking counts as your sale.

Travel and hospitalitySales are seasonal. Find out which season your first month falls in and which numbers from last year the owner will compare it with.

Manufacturing and wholesaleA few regular customers often bring most of the revenue, and the owner handles them personally. Agree which customers you take over right away and which you first meet together.

Retail and e-commerceFind out what the owner counts as a sale: a placed order, a paid order or an order that was not returned. The number compared with the target in 30 days depends on the answer.

Business services (consulting, marketing, IT, accounting)Deals are long, and many will not close within 30 days. Agree what the owner will judge your first month by if there are no payments yet, for example the number of meetings or proposals sent.

Auto and transportationAsk what counts as a sale: a signed contract, a deposit or the vehicle handover. If the car is ordered from the factory, weeks pass between them, and the 30-day number depends on the answer.

Finance and insuranceFind out who is responsible for renewing existing policies or contracts: your team or another one. Renewals often bring a large share of revenue, so give them their own line in the agreement.

Your experience in the role
First month in the roleUp to a yearMore than a year

First month in the roleThis is the case it was made for. Have the conversation in your first seven days, before the owner’s expectations take shape without you.

Up to a yearThe conversation still helps if the expectations were never written down. Start by asking what the owner sees as your main result over these months, and compare it with how you see it.

More than a yearThe questions work for a reset: when the owner, the target or the team changes. Fill in a new agreement sheet for the next 90 days.

Team size does not change the conversation: the questions are the same for a team of two and a team of twenty.

What it does not do

  • it is not a legal contract or an employment agreement;
  • it does not calculate your pay or bonus;
  • it does not give you the owner’s answers: you ask the questions and write down the answers together.

What is inside

What you get

  • Start-here.pdf

    one page: where to begin, what is inside, how to print

  • First-Week-Owner-Talk.pdf

    10 pages, for printing

  • First-Week-Owner-Talk-fillable.pdf

    10 pages with 71 fields you fill in on screen

ZIP 812 KB, English. Pages are A4; on US Letter, print with “fit to page”.

How it works

How it works

How a conversation becomes an agreement

How a conversation becomes an agreementWEEK 115 questionsgoals, money, authority, peoplePAGE 530- and 90-dayagreementwritten and agreedDAY 30First checkwhat is done, what changesDAY 90Period reviewby the same criteriaHow a conversation becomes an agreementWEEK 115 questionsgoals, money, authority, peoplePAGE 530- and 90-day agreementwritten and agreedDAY 30First checkwhat is done, what changesDAY 90Period reviewby the same criteria
How it works. You ask the questions in your first week. The answers go on the agreement sheet, and at day 30 and day 90 you check together what got done.

Eight topics for the owner

Eight topics for the ownerGoalsMoneyAuthorityPeopleCustomersReportingBefore youWhat worries the ownerEight topics for the ownerGoalsMoneyAuthorityPeopleCustomersReportingBefore youWhat worriesthe owner
What to ask about. The 15 questions are grouped under eight topics.

Questions

Questions and answers

What should I ask the owner in my first week?

About goals for 30 and 90 days, money and authority, people and customers, how and when to report, what happened before you, and what worries the owner. The PDF has 15 questions under these eight topics, and each one shows a weak answer and what to do with it.

How do I find out which numbers I will be judged by?

Ask directly: “How will you know I am doing well?” Write down no more than three measures, each with a number and a date. If the owner answers in general terms, suggest the measures yourself and ask if they agree.

The owner does not like formalities. What then?

Cut the conversation to five questions and send a written summary the same day. The talk is shorter, and the agreement still ends up on paper.

Is the agreement sheet legally binding?

No. It is a working record of what you agreed and the date you will come back to it.

Can I fill it in on a computer?

Yes. There are two PDF versions: one for printing and one with 71 fields you can fill in with any PDF reader.

What do I do after the conversation?

Put the 30-day check on your calendar and start tracking the numbers week by week. For the first month there is the First 30 Days Sales Manager Operating Kit.

How much does it cost?

Nothing. Leave your email, confirm the address with the link we send, and the file arrives in the next email. It also stays in My materials in your account.

Author

Who made this

Natalia Kotovich

Author: Natalia Kotovich. About the author: .
Updated .

Route

Before and after this

Before thisFirst 30 days checklist (free)After thisThe Sales Manager’s Map (free)After thisFirst 30 Days Sales Manager Operating Kit

Every term on this page is explained in the sales manager’s glossary, the same one for all our materials. Free: the Sales Manager’s Map, the first 30 days checklist, the guides “How to run a sales meeting” and “Sales funnel stages”.

The questions are ready. All that is left is to book the meeting with the owner.

Get the file