Sales coaching helps a representative examine a specific piece of work, consider options and choose a next step to practise. Start with a situation the salesperson wants help with. Agree what to review and keep the discussion separate from formal performance decisions where possible.
Choose one situation and one goal
Use a recent customer conversation, follow-up or opportunity review. Ask the representative what they wanted to happen and what felt difficult. Agree on one practical goal for the session, such as clarifying a requirement before presenting an option.
Make the goal observable and within the person’s control. A target to “win more deals” depends on factors beyond one seller. A goal to ask a follow-up question when a requirement is unclear gives both people something concrete to review.
Examine the evidence together
Review the relevant email, meeting notes or call excerpt with the representative. Ask what happened and what the customer said before offering an interpretation. Separate facts from assumptions about the customer’s motives.
Call-analysis tools can help locate a section for review, but their measures need context. A talk-time ratio does not prove that the representative failed to listen. Check whether the customer had enough room to explain and whether the seller understood the answer.
Do not repeat a specific statistic unless it comes from an actual recording and has been checked. Follow recording and access rules, and use only the material needed for the coaching conversation.
Ask questions before giving advice
Invite the representative to assess their work. Questions such as “What would you keep?” or “What information was missing?” can surface a useful next step. Listen to their answer before offering your own view.
Some people benefit from a clear demonstration or direction, especially when they are learning a new task. Others may be ready to explore options themselves. Check what support would help in that situation instead of assigning a coaching style based on a fixed label or ranking.
Offer specific, respectful feedback
Describe the behaviour and its effect. “You moved to the product explanation before checking who would use the report” points to an observable moment. “You are not consultative” labels the person without showing what to change.
Ask whether the feedback matches the representative’s experience. The customer may have supplied information that changes your interpretation. Revise your view when the evidence supports it.
Practise an alternative response
Role-play a short part of the conversation. Try one change, such as asking which part of the reporting process causes the delay. Then discuss whether the answer became clearer and what the representative would do next.
Keep the exercise close to the actual work. Avoid rehearsing a script that makes claims the product or delivery team cannot support. The active-listening guide includes questions and examples that can be adapted for practice.
Agree on one action and a review point
Let the representative choose a reasonable action to try, unless a required process or customer commitment leaves no choice. Agree when you will review it. A brief check of one later example may be more useful than adding another standing meeting.
Record the action and any support the manager owes. If the next attempt is affected by a different customer situation, discuss that context before judging the result.
Make coaching safe and consistent
Explain how coaching notes will be used and who can see them. Do not promise confidentiality beyond the organisation’s actual rules. If a concern is part of formal performance management, be clear about that process.
Keep regular time for coaching, while adjusting frequency to the person’s needs and workload. A weekly session is not automatically better for every team. Follow through on commitments made during the session.
Review patterns without turning them into verdicts
Managers may notice a recurring issue across several conversations. Check multiple examples and ask the people involved before deciding what it means. The cause may be unclear guidance, a product limitation or an external constraint rather than an individual skill gap.
Agree a suitable response, such as clarifying a process or arranging targeted practice. Review what changes in the work. A shift in sales results alone does not prove that coaching caused it; customer mix, timing and other changes can also matter.
