What Unit Managers Do at Achieve: Coaching, KPIs and Sales Team Leadership

According to Marlene Simpson, the role of unit manager at personal finance company Achieve is a balancing act between achieving business goals and measuring the daily impact the sales team has on customers’ lives. 

“My role isn’t just about managing a floor; it’s about leading a team of consultants who are often the first point of contact for people in real financial distress,” Simpson said. 

Simpson’s responsibilities include helping the sales team balance their roles as well — on one hand, they need to have the “hard skills” needed for closing a deal, but they also need “soft skills” to make sure they’re really listening to customers. 

“My goal is to turn every team member into a high-performer who genuinely cares about the customer’s journey,” Simpson said. 

Built In spoke with Simpson in detail about what her day-to-day looks like as a unit manager at Achieve.

 

What a Typical Day Looks Like for a Unit Manager at Achieve

My day is centered on data-driven coaching and team alignment. Here is how I break it down: 

The Pulse 

I start with the DPR report, comparing my unit’s performance against the floor. I analyze yesterday’s stats to celebrate our wins and identify exactly which agents need my focus to move the needle today. 

The Blueprint

I move into strategic organization, mapping out my coaching schedule for the week. I also pull specific calls for calibration, ensuring I’ve selected the right “teachable moments” to help my team improve their conversion and empathy. 

Alignment

I join a daily huddle with my fellow unit managers. We sync on floor trends and share insights, ensuring my unit’s focus is perfectly aligned with our department’s broader goals. 

Execution

I spend the rest of my day on the floor. I’m executing my coaching sessions, conducting side-by-sides and providing real-time feedback to keep the team motivated and on track for our enrollment targets.

 

 

How Unit Managers Collaborate Across Teams at Achieve

Collaboration is essential to my leadership and I focus my energy on two main areas. 

First, I lean heavily into my fellow unit managers. We operate as a collective brain, sharing insights on coaching strategies and pressure-testing new ideas. If a peer has found a more effective way to handle a specific performance gap or a new way to approach a difficult conversation, I want to learn from that and adapt it for my own team. This peer-to-peer learning keeps my perspective fresh and ensures I’m never leading in a silo. 

Secondly, I’m increasingly leaning into our AI tool development teams. Because I’m on the front lines, I can provide the “boots on the ground” feedback they need to refine the tools we use every day. I’m a big believer that the best technology is built when the people using it have a voice in the process. Ultimately, my approach is simple: I will collaborate with any role or function if it helps me build on my team’s success. Whether it’s tech, training, or my own colleagues, I’m focused on whatever moves the needle for our enrollment goals.

 

What Tools and Technology Unit Managers Use at Achieve

In today’s high-velocity sales environment, my most indispensable tool is an integrated AI ecosystem, but I view it as a powerful co-pilot, not a replacement for leadership. In 2026, leading effectively means using technology to move as fast as the sales floor, while ensuring the “human touch” remains the heart of the operation. With the volume of leads we handle, I lean into tools like Eval AI and automated reporting to manage the heavy lifting of data synthesis and routine outreach. This allows me to “touch” more agents daily with personalized, data-backed insights. However, the true value of this efficiency is that it buys me back the time needed for what matters most — face-to-face connection.

I don’t let AI do the coaching for me; I use it to tell me where to coach so I can show up more effectively in person. It’s that one-on-one, human-to-human interaction where breakthroughs happen where I can read an agent’s body language, build trust and provide the emotional encouragement that a screen simply can’t. 

For me, AI is the engine that handles the scale, but I am the one who drives the culture and the individual growth of my team.

 

 

What the Most Rewarding Part of the Role Looks Like at Achieve

Having joined Achieve in September, the most rewarding part of my week is witnessing the “click” — that specific moment when the coaching we’ve worked on together translates into a tangible win for an agent. Being relatively new to this team, I’ve been heavily focused on building authentic connections and earning my agents’ trust. The highlight of my week is when an agent comes back to me after a call, excited to share that they implemented a specific strategy from our session and it directly led to a new enrollment. 

“The highlight of my week is when an agent comes back to me after a call, excited to share that they implemented a specific strategy from our session and it directly led to a new enrollment.”

It’s incredibly fulfilling to receive that feedback because it validates two things: that the coaching is effective and that the relationship I’m building with my team is deepening. Seeing their confidence grow and watching their progress from Monday to Friday is the ultimate reward. It reinforces that my role isn’t just about hitting floor targets, it's about the individual success and empowerment of the people I lead.

 

Which KPI Matters Most for a Unit Manager at Achieve

I take full ownership of our unit’s KPIs. Whether it’s conversion rates or enrollment volume, I’m constantly diving into the data to identify any gaps.

Every metric matters in its own way, but if I’m picking the one that really defines success for me, it’s our close rate. To me, that’s where the real talent shows up. It’s the best indicator of how my agents are actually performing on the floor. It proves they aren’t just going through the motions; they’re building real rapport, handling tough objections and actually helping people make those big financial moves. When I’m driving that number, I’m really driving the growth of my people. A strong close rate tells me my coaching is sticking, that the work we do on empathy and product knowledge is turning into real results. At the end of the day, it’s the metric that shows I’ve built a team that’s not just busy, but genuinely skilled and effective. That’s the win I’m always chasing.

 

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