There’s a moment every intake leader faces: the choice between correction and connection.
You hear a call. Something’s off. Maybe the tone was flat. Perhaps the rep rushed through the objection. Maybe they missed a critical step. Your instinct kicks in, and you want to fix it fast. You jump straight into “what went wrong.”
But here’s the truth about intake coaching that gets overlooked:
How you start the conversation determines how it ends.
If you start with what went wrong, most reps stop listening. They brace. They shut down. Even your best intentions get lost in the noise of their nervous system firing off alerts.
That’s why the most effective intake coaching strategy is to start with what they’re doing right.
In this post, we’ll explore the psychology behind positive-first coaching, why it works better than traditional methods, and exactly how to implement it with your team, whether you’re a new intake manager or a seasoned firm leader looking to build a stronger feedback culture.
Why Positive-First Feedback Works (Even When You Have Urgent Corrections)
Let’s start with the science. Why does beginning with strengths work so well?
1. It Lowers Defensiveness
When you lead with what a person is doing well, you engage their reward centers, not their fight-or-flight response. It creates psychological safety and opens them up to hearing feedback.
2. It Builds Trust
Starting with what’s right shows that you’re paying attention to more than just errors. It tells your team, “I see you. I value your effort. I’m here to help you grow.”
3. It Increases Retention of Feedback
When someone feels seen and supported, they’re more likely to remember and apply the coaching you give them, even when it’s corrective.
4. It Reinforces Repeatable Behaviors
By naming what went right, you encourage consistency. You give reps a clear signal: “Do more of this.”
That’s the foundation of real behavior change, not just pointing out what to stop, but reinforcing what to keep doing.
What Positive-First Coaching Is Not
Let’s clear up a common misconception.
Positive-first coaching doesn’t mean sugarcoating. It doesn’t mean avoiding hard conversations or giving everyone a participation trophy.
It means leading with clarity and care, so your feedback lands with impact, not resentment.
You can still correct mistakes. You can still hold high standards. But you’re doing it from a place of partnership, not policing.
The KerriJames Intake Coaching Framework
Ready to start coaching this way? Here’s a simple, repeatable structure you can use in every intake feedback session:
Step 1: Open with Strength
Before anything else, tell them what worked. Be specific.
Bad: “Nice job overall.”
Better: “I loved how calm and steady your tone was, even when the caller was frustrated.”
Best: “You stayed grounded even when the caller questioned our process. That built trust, and it made the rest of the conversation smoother.”
This creates an emotional anchor for the rep. It says, “I’m on your side.”
Step 2: Ask for Their Perspective
Now you invite them into the coaching conversation.
- “What part of this call are you proud of?”
- “Where do you feel you could improve?”
- “If you could do one part of the call over, what would it be?”
You’ll be surprised at how often reps spot the exact thing you were going to coach on. And when they do, they’re far more likely to own the correction.
Step 3: Offer a Targeted Tweak
Pick one specific behavior to improve. Not five. Not three. Just one.
- “Let’s work on slowing down when we explain the fee structure.”
- “Next time, pause after they mention pain level, that’s your opening for empathy.”
- “Try using our discovery transition phrase earlier; it’ll help you control the call.”
This keeps the feedback focused and actionable.
Step 4: Tie It Back to the Win
Connect the correction to their strength.
- “You already have a great tone. If you add this piece, it’ll take your close rate to the next level.”
- “You’re great at establishing trust early. Let’s make sure that continues through the close.”
Now the feedback feels like an upgrade, not a teardown.
Step 5: End with Encouragement and a Plan
Wrap up with confidence in their ability and clarity on what’s next.
- “You’re doing great work. Listen to two more calls this week and flag one for us to review together.”
- “Try that tweak on your next few calls. I’ll check in on Friday to hear how it’s going.”
This signals follow-up without micromanagement and reinforces the idea that coaching is a process, not a punishment.
Real Talk: What to Do When Reps Resist Feedback
Even with the best coaching strategy, you’ll run into resistance.
Here’s how to navigate it:
If They Get Defensive
“I hear you. My goal isn’t to criticize, it’s to help you keep getting better. You’re already strong in X. Let’s work on Y so you feel even more confident.”
If They Minimize Their Mistake
“I get it. It’s easy to miss in the moment. That’s why we review calls to catch these small tweaks that make a big impact.”
If They Avoid Ownership
“Let’s focus on what you can control. You handled part A well. What can we try differently next time for part B?”
Remember: Your calm, consistent leadership sets the tone. Don’t meet resistance with more pressure. Meet it with clarity and patience.
Building Coaching into Your Weekly Intake Rhythm
Coaching shouldn’t be an emergency response. It should be part of the regular rhythm of how your team operates.
Here’s how to build it in:
Daily
- Review 1–2 calls and leave quick voice notes with strengths and one opportunity.
- Send a Slack or email shoutout: “Great call from Sam today, smooth handoff and calm under pressure.”
Weekly
- One-on-one sessions with each rep (15–30 mins)
- Highlight one win, one tweak, one commitment.
- Encourage reps to bring a self-reviewed call.
Monthly
- Review trends across calls: Is your team improving objection handling? Are closings clearer?
- Use this to shape team training and goals.
Quarterly
- Tie coaching themes into performance reviews.
- Use call samples to show growth over time.
This structure takes coaching from reactive to proactive and keeps your team moving forward, one week at a time.
Coaching Your Coaches: Training Managers to Lead This Way
If you lead a larger team with intake supervisors or trainers under you, your job is to model this strategy and teach it to your leaders.
Host monthly “coach-the-coach” sessions. Bring real calls. Practice giving feedback using the positive-first model; Role-play tough conversations.
Ask:
- “Where did you start? What’s the first thing they heard?”
- “Was the feedback specific? Was the correction clear?”
- “Did the rep leave the conversation encouraged and equipped?”
This is how you scale a coaching culture, not with mandates but with modeling.
The Big Shift: From Compliance to Coaching Culture
When you implement a coaching strategy that starts with what’s going right, your whole culture begins to shift.
Here’s what it looks like:
- Reps ask for feedback because they know it will help, not hurt
- Mistakes become learning moments, not morale killers.
- Wins get replicated because they’re being named and noticed.
- Confidence rises not because people are being coddled, but because they’re being coached.
This is what sustainable intake performance looks like.
And it starts with a simple shift: lead with the positive. Always.
Coaching in Real Time: What It Looks Like on the Ground
Let’s move from the theoretical to the practical. What does great intake coaching look like during a regular Tuesday morning?
Imagine this:
You sit down with a rep to review a call from the previous day. They’re a strong team member, reliable, quick, generally positive, but you’ve noticed a pattern: they rush the close, especially when they feel a caller is hesitant.
Here’s how the coaching unfolds using the positive-first method.
You:
“First off, I just want to say how well you handled the middle section of this call. You were calm, asked every question in the script, and mirrored the client’s tone. It was clear you made them feel heard.”
Rep:
“Thanks! Yeah, I felt pretty good about that part.”
You:
“If you had the chance to re-do one moment from this call, what would it be?”
Rep:
“Hmm. I think I rushed the end. I didn’t confirm next steps as clearly as I wanted to.”
You:
“You’re exactly right. And I know you’ve got the skills, it’s just about remembering to slow down. You’ve built so much trust early in the call, and I don’t want us to lose that at the finish line. What’s one thing you could do differently next time?”
Rep:
“Maybe pause before I go into the close? Even say something like, ‘Let me walk you through what happens next’ so they’re ready for it?”
You:
“That’s a great line. Let’s try it out in a role play real quick.”
Five minutes later, that rep has practiced a smoother close, walked away feeling capable, and most importantly, they did most of the reflection themselves.
That’s the heart of coaching. Not giving all the answers and but helping your team uncover their next move.
Tracking Progress: What Gets Reviewed Gets Reinforced
One of the biggest mistakes we see firms make is treating coaching as a one-off conversation. They have the meeting, give the feedback, and then… nothing. No follow-up. No reinforcement. No measurement.
To avoid this, start tracking every coaching session in a central place. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
Create a simple document or CRM note with:
- Date of the coaching session
- Topic discussed
- Strengths named
- Improvement goal set
- Follow-up date
- Status update
When you revisit that rep a week or month later, you now have a point of reference:
“Last month, we focused on slowing your close. How has that felt? Want to listen to a recent call together and check progress?”
This level of attention signals to your team: I’m invested in you not just today, but long-term.
Coaching in Hard Seasons: When Morale Is Low or Mistakes Are Up
Not every week is smooth sailing. Sometimes your team is tired. Conversion is down. Personal lives spill into the workday. Mistakes increase.
This is where coaching matters most.
Here’s how to navigate it:
1. Lead with Curiosity, Not Critique
“I noticed a few calls this week where our tone wasn’t as confident. What’s going on for you right now?”
This opens the door to context. Maybe they’re burnt out. Maybe they’re unsure of a process change. You don’t know until you ask.
2. Anchor in the Past Win
“Remember how you nailed that call with the anxious client last month? That version of you is still here. Let’s talk about how to bring that back.”
When reps are struggling, remind them of who they’ve already proven they can be. You’re not building something new; you’re helping them return to their strengths.
3. Don’t Skip Coaching Shorten It
When your team is low on bandwidth, don’t cancel your coaching. Just tighten it.
- 10 minutes
- One call
- One win, one tweak, one encouragement
You’re reinforcing consistency, even in chaos.
Building Peer Learning into Your Coaching Strategy
Coaching doesn’t always have to come from the top down. Some of the most powerful moments happen when reps learn from each other.
Here’s how to encourage that:
1. Pair Up Reps for Peer Playback
Have reps choose a recent call and review it with a partner. Each person gives one strength, one suggestion, and one takeaway.
You’ll hear things like:
“You had a great opening line. I’m going to try that this week.”
“I liked how you stayed steady when they pushed back.”
This builds trust, language, and self-awareness across the team.
2. Create a Call of the Week Club
Every week, feature one call (with permission) during a team huddle. Play 60–90 seconds of a highlight moment. Ask:
- “What’s working here?”
- “What can we learn from this?”
- “How might we all bring this into our calls?”
Now your coaching culture is public, positive, and participatory.
Final Thoughts: Start Coaching Like You Mean It
You don’t need more scripts or dashboards to improve your intake performance.
You need better coaching conversations.
Ones that start with what’s right. Ones that build trust before they build skills. Ones that treat your team not as employees to correct, but as professionals to develop.
That’s the intake coaching strategy that works.
And the more you use it, the more your team will rise to meet it.
