In a market where competition is tough and margins are tighter than ever, sales coaching has come up as a game-changer for businesses that want to stay one step ahead. According to Gartner’s 2025 Sales Performance Study, companies that choose a structured way to get to coaching get an 8% boost in their overall performance. Do you want to know something that is even better? Coached teams are closing 28% more deals and are 88% more productive as compared to those who are just depending on training alone.
But, apart from these numbers, there are a lot of leaders who find it difficult to turn coaching into something consistent and impactful. So, to make it all a little bit easier on you, we have pulled together 10 practical, research-backed sales coaching tips to help you bring out the best in your team this year.
What is Sales Coaching?
Sales coaching is the practice of guiding reps through real-time feedback, structured goal-setting, and skill development to improve sales performance.
1. Start with Mental Health
Before getting all up into sales tactics and performance talks, take a breather by checking in on your team’s well-being. Sales is a high-pressure game, and in 2025, burnout is showing up in 90% of salespeople, according to McKinsey’s Workplace Health Report. Plus, it is not only them, it comes up even in your ideas, and later in numbers. If you’re not talking about stress, balance, or boundaries in your coaching sessions, you’re missing the base layer.
Ask how they’re doing. Really doing. Make space for honest conversations around workload and mental health. Encourage proper breaks. Reinforce that “offline” actually means offline. These aren’t just nice-to-haves, they are non-negotiables. Because the truth is, when people feel supported, they show up stronger, stay motivated longer, and perform better.
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2. Build Trust Through Authentic Leadership
Trust is the heart of effective sales coaching. So, take a step forward and shed that “boss” aura by opening up about your own struggles at work. You can also share details about a deal you lost or a tough lesson you learned in the process. This way, you are not just giving them directions, but also sharing your own experiences. Sometimes, even the smallest story can resonate with your teammates.
This way, you are creating a safe space for your team to be honest and take risks. It’s no surprise that 74% of top-performing companies bend towards coaching that is built on genuine relationships, as researched by Harvard Business Review’s Leadership Study. Teams who feel this kind of connection usually listen more closely and openly welcome feedback rather than shutting it down.
3. Develop Your Managers as Coaches
Just because someone is good at selling doesn’t mean they’re automatically great at sales coaching. That’s why it’s important to give your sales managers real training on how to coach. Be on the lookout for workshops that will cover asking the right questions, giving useful feedback, and setting clear goals that the team can actually reach. When the managers get the right coaching, they can help their teams grow and make sure everyone is on the same page with the company’s goals.
4. Create a Coaching Structure That Actually Sticks
Winging it is neither working nor cutting it anymore. Teams that follow a structured coaching routine hit 91% of their quotas as compared to just 85% of teams that do it on the fly. So, it’s important to build a coaching system that’s consistent and easy to follow. Set up weekly or bi-weekly one-on-ones with a clear agenda. With this, check in on performance numbers, review calls, and talk through goals for improvement. A good, solid structure keeps the sessions focused, helps reps grow steadily, and makes sure nothing important slips through the cracks.
5. Let Data Guide Your Coaching Goals
Guesswork doesn’t belong in sales coaching. Sit down with each rep and set clear, realistic targets based on what the numbers say. Think about conversion rates, average deal size, or how long it’s taking to close. Your CRM is your best friend here. Use it to spot patterns, track progress, and flag areas that need attention.
To keep these chats focused, also try to use the GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Way forward). It gives your coaching sessions direction and helps reps walk away with actual steps, and not just vague advice. When goals are rooted in data, reps know exactly what they’re working toward, and it becomes easier to measure what’s working (and what’s not).
6. Personalise Coaching Based on Each Rep’s Needs
No two sales reps are exactly the same, so your coaching shouldn’t be either. Take time to review individual performance data before each session. It could be that one rep might be great at opening calls but needs help handling objections. Meanwhile, the other might be able to close well but struggles in negotiation.
So, rather than providing the same sales coaching across the team and board, tailor your feedback and take steps according to each teammate’s strengths and gaps. This will help the reps improve where they need to and engage more because the coaching would actually be relevant to them.
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7. Use Real Moments to Build Real Skills
Sales advice doesn’t land unless it feels real. Instead of only talking in theories and hypothetical situations, bring in actual sales, emails, and deal moments. The truth is, most reps won’t remember a theory. But they’ll remember what happened in that messy price objection call. Walk your team through what worked and what missed the mark. It will help them understand better and make the learning stick.
Also, make space for practice. Role-play scenarios your reps actually face, like a price objection, a slow-moving lead, and a negotiation that could have gone in your favour. When they rehearse for what’s real, they will show up stronger in the moment that matters.
8. Get Your Team to Coach Themselves (and Each Other)
Growth hits differently when it comes from within. After a sales call or deal closes, ask your reps to pause and reflect. Think about what worked, what didn’t, and what they’d try to do differently in the next call. This kind of self-check-in builds awareness and makes sales coaching stick.
You don’t have to do it all solo either. Set up moments where top performers share how they handle tough objections, close faster, or manage follow-ups. Pair people up. Let them learn from each other. It builds skills, yes, but also trust, teamwork, and a stronger sales culture.
9. Bring in AI to Back You Up
Sales coaching in 2025 isn’t just about people; make it smarter with smart tools. AI-powered platforms are easily able to break down sales calls in real time. This will show reps how much they talked, how well they answered the questions, and even how the customer was feeling throughout the call.
This kind of technology gives reps targeted feedback without waiting for a manager to jump in. No wonder 66% of top-performing teams are already using it. When you pair that data with a human touch, you get sharper coaching, quicker wins, and stronger results.
10. Keep an Eye on the Results, and Stay Flexible
A sales coaching program shouldn’t stay frozen in time. As your team grows, so should the way you coach. Take a step back every now and then to look at what’s actually improving. Are more deals closing? Are reps hitting quota faster? Is onboarding smoother?
If the numbers show progress, highlight it. Let your team see how far they’ve come! If something isn’t moving the needle, tweak it. The best sales coaching programs aren’t perfect, they just keep evolving.
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Conclusion: Make Coaching Part of How Your Team Wins
Sales coaching isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore; it’s how top teams stay ahead. Don’t wait to build a perfect system. Pick one thing to focus on this week. Maybe it’s setting up regular one-on-ones or giving peer coaching a try. Start where it makes sense for your team.
As coaching becomes part of your day-to-day, you’ll see the shifts like more consistency, better conversations, and reps who feel more confident walking into any deal. The best sales leaders don’t coach once in a while, they coach as a habit. That’s what sets great teams apart.
Keep it real, stay flexible, and build from what’s working. That’s how coaching actually sticks, and how your team grows.
Are you ready to turn potential into performance? Let’s make coaching your unfair advantage. At Patty Bender Advisors, we don’t do cookie-cutter sessions, we build custom sales coaching strategies that actually move the needle! Get in touch with us and let’s talk about real results.
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