Unlock Sales Performance with Better Coaching
Sales coaching isn’t a one-time event—it’s a strategic process that empowers your sales team to improve, adapt, and win. Yet many managers treat coaching like a reactive task instead of a proactive growth opportunity. If you want to lead a high-performing sales team, these ten best practices will help you create a coaching culture that drives results.
1. Treat Coaching as a Consistent Process, Not an Event
Effective sales coaching happens on a regular schedule—ideally every two weeks. This cadence allows for measurable growth over time. It’s not a box to check but a strategic initiative focused on developing skills and preventing performance plateaus.
2. Integrate Coaching Into Your Sales Culture
For coaching to be truly effective, it must be part of your company culture. That means embedding it into your leadership style and your team’s behavior plan. Great coaching environments are safe, goal-focused, and supportive—not judgmental.
3. Promote Personal Accountability
Salespeople who take ownership of their development thrive with coaching. Help your team understand that growth is their responsibility, and coaching is a resource to support—not replace—that commitment.
4. Eliminate the “Principal’s Office” Mentality
Coaching shouldn’t feel punitive. Shift the mindset from “gotcha” to “growth.” When coaching is framed as a positive, personalized development tool, your salespeople will be far more open and engaged.
5. Start with a Full Sales Assessment
Before diving into coaching, assess both the salesperson’s skills and the business context. A complete picture enables you to provide relevant, actionable support based on actual needs—not assumptions.
6. Resist Fixing Surface-Level Problems
Don’t rush to fix symptoms. Great coaches dig deep to understand root causes. That might mean resisting the urge to offer quick fixes and instead guiding reps through the full problem-solving process.
7. Avoid “Winging It”—Prepare for Every Session
Improvising might work in a sales call, but not in a coaching session. Follow a proven sales coaching methodology like Sandler’s. Structure, consistency, and preparation lead to better outcomes.
8. Support Both Internal and External Challenges
Sales challenges aren’t always external. Great coaches also address internal barriers like self-doubt or lack of confidence. The Sandler concept of self-worth plays a key role in developing strong sales identities.
9. Create a Self-Coaching System
Give reps tools to coach themselves between sessions. Reinforcing each session with reflective homework or self-assessments keeps momentum going and prevents rollercoaster performance.
10. Base Coaching on Facts, Not Assumptions
Effective coaching relies on reality, not guesswork. Use questioning to uncover facts and explore the salesperson’s point of view. The goal is to coach based on observed behaviors and outcomes—not interpretations.
Coaching Is a Partnership, Not a Performance Review
By adopting these ten sales coaching best practices, you’ll move from being a reactive manager to a proactive growth partner. When coaching is a structured, consistent, and empowering process, it becomes a powerful tool for building a winning sales team.
Ready to boost your coaching impact?
Dive deeper into Sandler’s proven framework with the “5 Ways to Improve Revenue with Sandler’s Coaching Model” whitepaper—packed with KPI-focused insights and a revenue‑driven coaching blueprint.
