Every agency owner has dealt with this situation.

An agent seemed promising. They interviewed well. They got trained. They had the opportunity in front of them.

Then they just did not produce.

Or maybe they were producing for a while, but then they hit a wall they could not seem to get through.

The usual response is a conversation. You encourage them. You give them another training. You remind them of the opportunity. You talk through mindset, effort, scripts, and consistency.

And if things still do not improve, eventually you have to make a hard decision about whether that person belongs on the team.

But most agency owners skip one of the most important steps before that conversation ever happens.

They skip the diagnostic step.

They do not look at the numbers closely enough to figure out exactly where the breakdown is happening. Instead, they rely on feelings, assumptions, and whatever the agent says happened.

John Whetmore does not skip that step.

And it changes everything about how he leads his team.

Diagnose the Problem Before You Have the Conversation

When one of John’s agents is not producing the way they should be, his first move is not to call them in for a pep talk.

His first move is to look at their numbers.

That matters because the numbers tell you something a conversation cannot always tell you. They show exactly where in the sales process the agent is breaking down without the noise of emotion, excuses, or misremembered details.

If you only look at the final sales number, every problem looks the same.

“They are not producing.”

But that is not specific enough to coach.

An agent may not be producing because they are not making enough calls. They may not be producing because nobody is picking up. They may be getting people on the phone but failing to convert those conversations into presentations. Or they may be presenting consistently but failing to close.

Those are four completely different problems.

And each one requires a different solution.

If Dial Count Is Low, It Is an Activity Problem

The first number to look at is dial count.

If the dial count is low, the problem is activity.

The agent is not doing enough work to create enough opportunities.

That is not a script problem. It is not a lead quality problem. It is not a closing problem. It is an accountability problem.

This should become a conversation about commitment, expectations, and daily activity.

Are they clear on what is expected? Are they actually blocking time to make calls? Are they avoiding the phone? Are they letting distractions take over the day? Are they treating this like a real business or just hoping production happens?

That conversation is very different from a skills coaching session.

You do not need to coach someone on closing if they are not even creating enough conversations to close.

Low dials mean you start with accountability.

If Dials Are Strong but Pickup Rate Is Low, Something Else Is Wrong

If the agent is making plenty of dials but the pickup rate is unusually low, the problem is different.

Now you know the agent is putting in activity, but something is not working with the connection strategy.

John gave an example of an agent who made 5,000 dials and only talked to seven people.

That is not normal.

When you see a number like that, it tells you something specific is wrong. Maybe the agent is calling at the wrong time of day. Maybe the phone number is getting flagged. Maybe they are not triple dialing. Maybe they are not using contact cards, supporting texts, FaceTime audio, or any of the other tactics that can improve connection rates.

The point is that you are no longer guessing.

You can investigate.

This is why data matters. Without the numbers, the agent may simply say, “Nobody is answering.” With the numbers, you can see whether that is a normal pickup issue or a serious breakdown in the setup.

Strong dials with weak pickups means you need to improve the connection strategy.

If Pickups Are Solid but Presentations Are Low, It Is an Opening Problem

If the agent is getting people on the phone but not converting those conversations into presentations, the breakdown is happening at the beginning of the call.

This is a skill gap.

The agent is reaching people, but they are losing them in the first 30 seconds.

Maybe they sound unsure. Maybe they are not establishing the reason for the call quickly enough. Maybe they are letting the prospect take control too early. Maybe they are asking weak questions. Maybe they are not creating enough curiosity for the person to stay engaged.

This is where coaching gets much more specific.

Instead of saying, “You need to sell better,” you can say, “We need to work on the first 30 seconds of your call.”

That is something an agent can actually improve.

They can practice the opener. They can listen to call recordings. They can role-play. They can tighten the first question. They can learn how to guide the conversation instead of letting it drift.

Pickups without presentations usually means the problem is not activity.

It is the opening.

If Presentations Are Strong but Sales Are Low, It Is a Closing Problem

If the agent is getting people on the phone, moving them into presentations, and still not closing, the issue is at the end of the process.

This is where the conversation shifts to objection handling, confidence, presentation structure, and asking for the sale.

The agent is doing enough activity. They are getting people to listen. They are creating sales opportunities. But they are not converting those opportunities into business.

That may mean they are not presenting value clearly enough. It may mean they are not handling objections well. It may mean they are hesitating when it is time to ask for the application. It may mean they are talking too much, not listening enough, or failing to create urgency.

Again, the numbers make the coaching more precise.

You do not need to fix everything.

You need to fix the part of the process where the breakdown is happening.

Strong presentations with weak sales means you focus on closing.

Four Numbers Create Four Different Coaching Conversations

This is why John’s tracking system is so useful.

The four basic numbers are:

• dials
• pickups
• presentations
• sales

Those numbers reveal four very different root causes.

Low dials point to an activity problem.

Strong dials with low pickups point to a connection problem.

Strong pickups with low presentations point to an opening problem.

Strong presentations with low sales point to a closing problem.

Each problem has a different solution.

And when you know which problem you are dealing with before you sit down with the agent, the entire conversation becomes more productive.

You are not trying to coach everything at once.

You are diagnosing the real issue and addressing it directly.

The Conversation Changes When You Have the Data

Most performance conversations in agencies are vague.

They sound like this:

“You need to step it up.”

“Your numbers are not where they need to be.”

“I need to see more production from you this month.”

Those statements may be true, but they do not give the agent anything specific to work on.

The agent leaves the conversation knowing they are underperforming, but not knowing exactly what needs to change.

That is not leadership.

That is pressure without direction.

When you come to the conversation with data, everything changes. You are not simply telling the agent they need to do better. You are showing them exactly where the gap is and what needs to shift to close it.

That is a conversation an agent can act on.

It also shows the agent that you are paying attention to their business, not just their output. You are looking at the process behind the result. You are trying to help them improve in the right area, instead of just blaming them for the final number.

That kind of leadership builds trust.

It also builds loyalty.

What to Do When the Numbers Reveal a Deeper Problem

Sometimes the numbers reveal something that cannot be coached.

An agent who consistently has low dial counts despite multiple conversations about activity is probably not dealing with a training problem.

They may be dealing with a fit problem.

That is a hard truth, but it matters.

If someone is not putting in the work, the data will show it. And after you have addressed it clearly, set expectations, and given them a chance to improve, the conversation may no longer be about scripts, leads, systems, or strategy.

It may be about whether this person is actually right for the role.

John is straightforward about this.

The numbers do not lie.

If someone is not doing the work, the data makes that visible. And while that does not make the hard conversation easy, it does make it cleaner.

It is much harder to make decisions based on gut feeling. It is much easier to have an honest conversation when both you and the agent can see the same data.

That protects the agency.

It also protects the culture.

Tracking Builds Accountability Without Making You the Bad Guy

One of the best parts of John’s approach is that tracking creates accountability without the agency owner always having to be the bad guy.

When every agent logs their numbers daily, the data becomes the standard.

Not the owner’s mood.

Not a subjective opinion.

Not a vague feeling that someone should be doing more.

The numbers are visible.

Everyone knows what is expected.

Everyone can see the leaderboard.

Everyone understands what good activity looks like.

And when someone’s numbers are off, it is not you randomly singling them out. It is the data raising a flag that both of you can look at together.

That creates a healthier dynamic.

Instead of “I feel like you are not working hard enough,” the conversation becomes, “Let’s look at the numbers and figure out what is happening.”

That is much easier to scale.

You cannot be in one-on-one accountability conversations with every agent every day. But the numbers can keep running every day.

That is how you lead a larger team without losing visibility.

Why This Matters for Agency Growth

If you want to build a high-volume agency, you cannot manage production by feel.

You need a system that shows you what is happening inside the process.

Sales are the result, but they are not the whole story.

The real story is in the activity that creates the sales.

When you track dials, pickups, presentations, and sales, you can see whether your agents are doing the work, whether they are getting connected, whether they are moving conversations forward, and whether they are closing.

That visibility lets you coach better.

It lets you make decisions faster.

It lets you protect your time.

It helps you separate agents who need skill development from agents who are simply not doing the work.

That is a major difference.

Because a good leader should not treat every performance problem the same way.

The numbers show you what kind of problem you are actually dealing with.

Where to Start

If you want to build this kind of visibility into your agency, start with tracking the four core numbers.

Track:

• dials
• pickups
• presentations
• sales

Do it daily.

Review it weekly.

Use the data to guide your conversations with your team.

John’s free tracker at https://tracker.johnwetmore.com/ is one of the simplest ways to get started. It helps your agents log the right numbers and gives you the visibility you need to lead with more clarity.

You do not need a complicated system to begin.

You just need consistent tracking.

Once the numbers are visible, the coaching becomes clearer.

And when coaching becomes clearer, production becomes easier to improve.

Final Takeaway

If your agents are not producing, do not start by guessing.

Start by looking at the numbers.

Low dials mean activity needs to improve.

Low pickups mean the connection strategy needs attention.

Low presentations mean the opener needs work.

Low sales mean closing needs coaching.

Those are four completely different problems.

And if you treat them all the same, you will waste time, frustrate your agents, and miss the real issue.

Better data creates better leadership.

Better leadership creates better production.

And better production starts when you stop guessing and start tracking.

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