Sales coaching and sales training are not the same thing.
If you're treating them like synonyms, your team is probably plateauing.
Sales training builds skills. Sales coaching builds behavior.
Let’s break down the difference—and why it matters more than ever in 2025.
What Is Sales Training?
Sales training teaches new skills, frameworks, and processes.
It’s what you need when:
Your team is new or onboarding
You’re introducing new tools or language (like Up-Front Contracts or the Sandler Flywheel)
You want everyone aligned around a common playbook
But here’s the catch: Training is what happens in the room, but success is built in the field. That’s where coaching comes in.
What Is Sales Coaching?
Coaching is about:
Accountability ("Did you implement what we learned?")
Reinforcement ("Let’s practice that objection handling again.")
Personalization ("Here’s where you are getting stuck.")
Sandler coaching focuses on:
Behavior: Are reps doing the right things daily?
Attitude: Are they confident, coachable, resilient?
Technique: Are they using the framework well—or just checking boxes?
Coaching is where theory becomes second nature.
Why You Need Both (Especially in 2025)
Modern sales isn’t just competitive—it’s unpredictable.
Your reps need more than a good playbook. They need feedback, reinforcement, and a space to fail safely.
Training alone can’t provide that. Coaching does.
Here’s what we see in teams that invest in both:
Reps ramp 30–50% faster
Attrition drops because reps feel supported
More consistent forecasting from behavior tracking
What We Recommend
For sales teams:
Start with Essentials Fast Track to build foundational skills
Then layer in 1-on-1 or group coaching for behavior change and culture shift
Performance Edge combines both into one high-impact program for founder-led companies ready to scale without the chaos.
