By
Simon Hazeldine
It’s the hidden epidemic in sales organisations: underperformance that stems not from lack of effort, tools, or talent, but from inadequate coaching. While companies spend millions on sales training, technology, and incentive schemes, many fail to tap into one of the most potent drivers of performance: consistent, high-quality sales coaching.
And the cost? Millions in missed revenue.
The Real Impact of Poor Coaching
Research by the Sales Executive Council shows that no other productivity investment comes close to coaching in improving sales reps’ performance. Sales reps who receive effective coaching can outperform their peers by up to 19%. Yet, less than 15% of sales managers say they spend enough time coaching.
The disconnect is staggering. Salespeople want development. Managers say they’re too busy. The result? A team stuck in mediocrity, lacking the clarity, feedback, and skill refinement to consistently close high-quality business.
What Great Coaching Actually Looks Like
High-performance sales coaching isn’t about fixing problems after the fact. It’s about proactively developing capability, sharpening thinking, and improving execution.
Here’s what elite-level coaching includes:
- Regular, scheduled one-to-ones: Not ad hoc check-ins, but structured sessions focused on skill development, mindset, and deal strategy.
- Observation and feedback: Real-time feedback on actual calls and meetings, not just deal reviews.
- Joint problem-solving: Helping reps think through challenges, rather than handing them solutions.
- Goal alignment: Coaching to personal and business goals, with clear actions and accountability.
- Data-informed insights: Using metrics to focus coaching conversations on behaviours that drive results.
Why Most Sales Organisations Get It Wrong
There are three core reasons:
- Lack of training for managers: Most sales leaders are promoted from within based on performance, not coaching skill. They know how to sell, not how to coach.
- Misaligned metrics: When leaders are measured on short-term results, coaching gets pushed aside for quick fixes and fire-fighting.
- Cultural disconnect: Coaching isn’t embedded in the rhythm of the business. It’s seen as a luxury, not a necessity.
Building a Coaching Culture That Drives Performance
Here’s how to change that:
1. Train Your Coaches
Stop assuming managers know how to coach. Invest in training that develops practical coaching skills: active listening, questioning techniques, feedback delivery, and behaviour change models.
2. Set Coaching KPIs
Make coaching visible. Track and report coaching activity. Hold managers accountable for time spent coaching and the results it delivers.
3. Make It Routine
Build coaching into weekly cadences. Make it a non-negotiable part of your operating rhythm, not something that happens only when time permits.
4. Recognise and Reward
Celebrate managers who develop their people. Make coaching a marker of leadership excellence.
5. Align with Enablement
Sales enablement and coaching must be integrated. Enablement provides the playbook, coaching ensures it’s executed effectively.
Real-World Example: From Lagging to Leading
A global building supplies company was struggling with flat sales and high rep turnover. Leadership suspected the issue was product knowledge. But a deeper review revealed that managers weren’t coaching. Reps were left to sink or swim.
The company implemented a simple coaching framework:
- Weekly coaching sessions with every rep
- Monthly field visits with structured observation tools
- Manager coaching skills training
Within 6 months:
- Win rates increased by 12%
- Rep turnover dropped by 30%
- Forecast accuracy improved by 18%
The Bottom Line
Sales coaching isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a business-critical performance lever. When done well, it creates a flywheel effect, better performance, stronger retention, higher revenue.
So ask yourself:
- Are my managers really coaching, or just managing?
- Do my reps feel supported or just inspected?
- Am I building capability or just chasing numbers?
If you want more sales, more often, with more margin, fix the silent killer first.
Start coaching like it matters.
Simon Hazeldine helps sales leaders transform performance through practical, provocative insight and action. Discover more at www.simonhazeldine.com.
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About the author
Simon Hazeldine works internationally as a revenue growth and sales performance speaker, consultant, and coach. He empowers his clients to get more sales, more often with more margin.
He has spoken in over thirty countries and his client list includes some of the world’s largest and most successful companies.
Simon has a master’s degree in psychology, is the bestselling author of ten books that have been endorsed by a host of business leaders including multi-billionaire business legend Michael Dell and is co-founder of leading sales podcast “The Sales Chat Show”.
He is the creator of the neuroscience based “Brain Friendly Selling”® methodology.
Simon Hazeldine’s books:
- Neuro-Sell: How Neuroscience Can Power Your Sales Success
- Bare Knuckle Selling
- Bare Knuckle Negotiating
- Bare Knuckle Customer Service
- The Inner Winner
- How To Lead Your Sales Team – Virtually and in Person
- Virtual Selling Success
- How To Manage Your People’s Performance
- How To Create Effective Employee Development Plans
- Virtual Negotiation Success
