In the past, sales coaching was largely seen as something that only larger and more sophisticated sales organizations took advantage of, but in more recent years, it has moved into organizations of various levels, industries, and experience. In this eBook, we will walk you through the keys to achieving sales coaching success and taking not just your sales team and strategy to the next level, but your organization as a whole.

2. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
Introduction
In the past, sales coaching was largely seen
as something that only larger and more
sophisticated sales organizations took
advantage of, but in more recent years, it
has moved into organizations of various
levels, industries, and experience. This is a
reflection of the criticality of having a sales
coaching program. This emerging trend
among some of the most successful
organizations that exist today is catching on
quickly at different levels …
In this eBook, we will walk you through the
keys to achieving sales coaching success and
taking not just your sales team and strategy
to the next level, but your business as a
whole. The key learnings and tips we share
in this eBook will help your organization
develop a sales program or develop your
existing one.
The average sales manager
only devotes 20% of
their time to coaching.
BrainShark.com

3. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
Table of Contents
1 W h a t a r e t h e T y p e s o f C o a c h i n g P r o g r a m s ?
H o w d o y o u D e f i n e a C o a c h i n g P r o g r a m ?
H o w d o y o u C r e a t e a S u c c e s s f u l
C o a c h i n g P r o g r a m ?
W h a t a r e t h e K e y C o m p o n e n t s o f a
S u c c e s s f u l C o a c h i n g P r o g r a m ?
W h a t M a k e s a G o o d C o a c h ?
2
3
4
5

4. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
“I absolutely believe
that people, unless
coached, never reach
their maximum
capabilities.”
B O B N A R D E L L I
C E O o f H o m e D e p o t
1
What are the Types of
Coaching Programs?
There are two types of sales coaching
we recognize at Ledgeview Partners. The
first program takes an Internal Focus
with Metrics & Goals-Based
Coaching.
Internal Focuses put the spotlight on your internal sales
organization, and what you want to accomplish year-to-
year. As a sales leader, you want to coach and set
achievable goals for growth. You want to reach your
“finish line”, AKA your desired year-end result.
Internally, the year-end goal is centered around year-to-
date sales vs. prior year-to-date sales or year-to-date units
vs. prior year-to-date units. It’s also common for
organizations to measure by margins, volume, or units
sold.
When you know what marks your finish line, you can
better define how you will get there. Consider what makes
a good strategy for an actual marathon to compare. Is it
endurance? Is it running full speed ahead without ever
slowing down to break? Is it weeks of preparation? What
makes a person finish first place vs. last place? How about
what makes a winning running team?
With that analogy in mind, look at the current month or week to determine how your day-to-day will lead
you to this finish line and a fruitful sales future. Prepare and nourish your reps with the strategies they need
to thrive. Measure your progress week by week. Measurements, otherwise known as KPIs (Key
Performance Indicators), as an example, may include sales activities per week, new accounts opened, and
new points of distribution. Look at those sales activities, and, as a leader, coach your reps according to the
numbers you want to achieve within certain timeframes or intervals.
Do not let these measurements slip away. If you wait 9 months, for example, or until the end of the year, to
review KPIs, you are extremely unlikely to reach your goals. Review KPIs regularly with your sales reps.
Evaluate closed and open opportunities. Make an effort to understand why you win or lose opportunities in
order to grow and do better in the future.
Understand what factors lead to winning or losing a sale and then adjust your internal coaching
methodology according to what leads to closing deals and your sales organization’s success.

5. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
The second type of program takes an External Focus on Customer
Interaction Coaching.
This type of coaching is focused on your sales reps and how they interact with your customers. Measuring
the success of this program may be based on sales calls, but may also include other forms of
communication such as chat or email. Those activities and interactions with customers will help you be
assured about whether or not your reps are properly engaging with your customers.
This type of coaching program will also give you the opportunity to identify strength and growth
opportunities for your reps, improving your overall strategy. When you measure interactions, you can
determine where certain reps are going right or wrong when they interact with customers.
Another important aspect of external coaching is to make it a continual process, so when you are done with
a coaching session, you should have steps laid out to easily proceed to the next session. It should be a
never-ending process.
Frequency of coaching under this style should be determined by a rep’s individual performance. You may
start coaching everyone at the same frequency, but as your program grows, different individuals may
require more or less coaching. Use your judgment to determine the appropriate amount, but make it
regular and repeatable, whatever your method. Coaching requirements and outcomes should be clear to
reps, and as a sales leader, you should be able to clearly measure its success.
1
What are the Types of
Coaching Programs?

6. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
2
How do you Define a
Coaching Program?
• Real coaching sessions do not happen
• Management has no time to implement a coaching program
• Roles and responsibilities are not defined
• Goals are not defined
• There is no analyzation of the current state or desired future state
1 | R A N D O M C O A C H I N G
• Informal “parking lot” coaching sessions happen
• Management has made an effort to implement a program, but it is not
developed and no one is held accountable
• Roles and responsibilities may be defined, but are not properly upheld
• Goals are overly simplified or unrealistic
• Action is taken at first, then never addressed again
2 | I N F O R M A L C O A C H I N G
• Formal coaching sessions are scheduled and regularly occur
• Management is held responsible and holds reps responsible
• Roles and responsibilities are defined among the team
• Goals are defined and worked on
• Action is taken daily
3 | F O R M A L C O A C H I N G
• Formal coaching sessions are scheduled and regularly occur
• Management is held responsible and holds reps responsible
• Roles and responsibilities are defined among the team
• Goals are defined and worked on
• Action is taken daily
4 | D Y N A M I C C O A C H I N G
• Strategy is taken out of a
textbook, does not evolve,
is not defined and remains
unused
• Customers are still not
considered
• There is no strategy
• No action is taken
• Customers are not
considered
• A strategy has been developed,
evolves over time, and is
practiced by all team members
• Customers are still not
considered
• A strategy has been developed,
evolves over time, and is
practiced by all team members
• Customers are considered as
part of the improvement,
development, and evaluation
processes
The easiest way to define your coaching program is by type. Here are
four commonly recognized sales coaching types used across industries:

7. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
2
How do you Define a
Coaching Program?
R A N D O M C O A C H I N G
I N F O R M A L C O A C H I N G
Or, how do you know what type of program you’re
practicing internally? These scenarios will help you
identify your current processes, and how you can evolve
them:
Jim comes to work every day, calls roughly 40 customers on average, and tries to get new
orders. The only feedback he receives is from customers and the monthly sales report he
obtains from his CRM system. He thinks he’s doing well, but since there is no formal
feedback process, he’s actually a low performer and is bad at his job.
Steve, the manager of the sales team, walks into the break room and overhears Jim, and
his co-worker, Julia, describing the features of a product they sell incorrectly. Steve stops
to correct them, writes down the correct features of the product, then carries on with his
day. That is the only coaching Jim and Julia receive on the product.
F O R M A L C O A C H I N G
Steve meets with his sales rep, Julia, and tells her, her numbers are on target, and that
she’s about to reach her year-end goal. What Steve does not know is that Julia has been
offering her customers discounts on outdated products that will be very hard to resell,
and, therefore, he does not know what’s really going on with the customers.
D Y N A M I C C O A C H I N G
Steve coaches Julia to take more time explaining the benefits of a product. The reason he
is coaching her is because there have been a number of Julia’s customers calling Customer
Service requesting more information on the product to help them out. Now the customer
is being considered and given the attention they need to help Julia drive sales to them and
create a better customer experience.

8. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
“In 2017, 34.7% of sales
organizations employed
a random approach to
coaching.”
C S O I N S I G H T S

9. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
3
How do you Create a Successful
Coaching Program?
To create a coaching program, you need to first assess where you
are as a sales organization. Be honest with yourselves about what is
and isn’t working. If you aren’t realistic about your current state,
you won’t be able to successfully get to your desired future state.
Gather feedback from all stakeholders to evaluate your current
state, including the sales team.
You will also want to get feedback from your key customers about
what they think does and doesn’t work. This will not only help you
create a more effective process, but create higher customer
retention and let them be assured they are valued. Ask them
powerful questions to get powerful feedback you can use to leverage
success. Listen to them and learn from them about what does and
does not work for your sales organization. Be open-minded to
constructive criticism.
This way you can develop a program that leverages your team’s
strengths while simultaneously addressing areas for development
and improvement. As you create your process, you should always
keep the customer and their buying journey in mind. If you fail to
think from the mind of your customer, you fail to address their
needs.
Know your goals and desired outcome of a coaching program, then
design a program around those. Create a program that will lead to
your success by considering all of these key factors and people.
Gathering and using their input will be your greatest tool.
1. Honestly Assess Your
Current State
2. Get Feedback from Key
Stakeholders (Including
Customers)
3. Ask Powerful Questions to
Get Powerful Feedback
4. Shape Your Program for
Continuous Development &
Improvement
5. Establish Goals to Pave
Your Path to Success
6. Educate, Motivate,
Mentor, and Empower to
Increase Potential and Drive
Results

10. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
3
How do you Create a Successful
Coaching Program?
You will want to create a coaching
program that is simple and flexible.
Different seasons may call for
different processes or sales cycles
to happen. As a sales leader, you
will want to create tools that can
enhance and adopt your coaching
practices as you go.
Coaching forms, call checklists,
product cheat sheets, and other
resources like eBooks or tip sheets
will be extremely valuable to you
and your reps as you become
accustomed to the coaching
program you create.
Before you get your reps involved,
you will want to train your
managers to see how it works, get
their feedback, then do the same
with the sales team. It should be a
collaborative process that works for
sales leaders and reps.
Once you tie everything together, you will want to set up your program to reward successes. Tie incentives
or create contests based on your coaching processes. When goals or KPIs are hit, as a sales leader, you
may congratulate the rep with a company-wide email or give them a gift card to a local coffee shop.
Incentives do not have to be monetary. The best thing you can do to show your employees appreciation is
to do something they would appreciate.
Do not be afraid to make changes to your program as you go. The program should evolve with your sales
organization. You don’t want to implement a program at year-end or during a major sales push. Read
your processes. You know when a good time to change things up and get things moving forward is.
After you create your program and implement it, get continuous feedback from your team. A good time to
get their feedback is during regularly scheduled coaching sessions. Remember, feedback is incredibly
important when it comes to shaping your program. It’s important to inherit and adopt it as you go and
evolve as a sales organization.
As you grow, you will create new goals that will force you to adjust, but the change will be positive as long
as you follow the guidelines to creating a successful coaching program.

11. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
4
What are the Key Components of
a Successful Coaching Program?
Ledgeview identifies the following key components as elements that will help
you create and implement a successful coaching program:
Depending on the stage a rep is in within their careers, you will probably coach them differently.
Therefore, the frequencies in which you coach them may be dependent upon their experience.
Frequency can be experience-based or need-based. Account for this when new employees enter
the coaching program, for example. You will want to adjust your coaching among reps
accordingly.
1 | D E F I N E D F R E Q U E N C Y
The sales process should always be supported by the coaching program you have in place, which
will also ensure you’re following your sales process. This will lead to your ultimate success with a
sales coaching program and process. Align your processes to move forward fruitfully.
2 | S U P P O R T T H E S A L E S P R O C E S S
As was discussed earlier in this eBook, you need to measure KPIs in order to have a successful
coaching program. You want to be sure your KPIs are supporting your sales process. They
should also be identified in your sales process. The interconnections between your sales process
and coaching program are crucial to your success as a sales organization and business overall.
3 | M U S T M E A S U R E K P I s
When your coaching program is formalized, to make sure you have good adoption or buy-in,
make it a pass or fail program. If a rep is doing well, they will pass, but if they are failing to align
with the program and adhere to the standards your organization has set, it will be a fail. This will
help you identify, as a sales leader, where your areas of development should be. The pass or fail
model can be used to gauge the performances of individuals and the performance of your
organization as a team.
4 | M U S T B E A P A S S O R F A I L
Account Manager and Lead Generation Call Quality Evaluation Forms
are great ways to gauge performance!
Download Sample Forms at LedgeviewPartners.com/Sales-Consulting/

12. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
4
What are the Key Components of
a Successful Coaching Program?
A successful coaching program should account for all channels of communication such as calls,
chat, email, and in-person visits. As channels evolve, you must consider them all as part of your
sales reps’ evaluation process. Make sure the checklist your reps use in their channels of
communication are checklists you are using to coach them with.
5 | A C C O U N T I N G F O R A L L C H A N N E L S
Managers must be held accountable for their responsibilities in order to have a successful
coaching program. Coaching sessions should be regularly hosted by managers and attended by
reps. Without the accountability of managers, reps are unlikely to feel accountable for their role
in the program.
6 | M A N A G E R S M U S T B E H E L D A C C O U N T A B L E
Similarly, reps must be held accountable. They should be engaged and show the right buy-in. If
they are not invested in the coaching program, it is set up for failure.
7 | R E P S M U S T B E H E L D A C C O U N T A B L E
A successful sales coaching program will bridge coaching session to coaching session. There will
be tie-ins moving from session to session for reps. Everything will move along in a calculated
and sensible way that responds to the needs of the rep and organization.
8 | M U S T B R I D G E T H E G A P
If your coaching program is part of annual evaluations, sales reps will feel the formalization and
are likely to be held more accountable for their responsibilities in achieving their end-year goals.
Make your coaching program a part of the on-boarding process. Start your reps off strong!
9 | M U S T B E F O R M A L

13. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
“Managers who fail to
coach must hold
themselves responsible
for lost sales.”
R E C I T E . C O M

14. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
5 What Makes a Good Coach?
Now that you know what it takes
to create a successful coaching
program, it’s time to become
familiar with what makes a good
coach to lead and manage the
program. In smaller
organizations, this person might
be the sales manager, but in larger
organizations, you may see the
sales manager coaching internally
and a quality coach, coaching
externally.
Regardless of what you decide to
do, a good coach should have a
thorough knowledge of your
products and processes. Typically,
they are a senior person within
your organization with
ample experience in sales and within your industry. They are confident, experienced, and educated.
Odds are, if they’ve been at your organization a while, they’re probably a top performer. This is a good way
to identify a potential good coach and gauge whether or not they will be a good leader for your sales
organization. A good coach will be able to identify strengths and learning opportunities among reps. Strong
verbal communication such as the ability to offer constructive criticism and actionable practices will be
highly beneficial.
Look for a person with long tenure with the company. This person should be respected by other team
members and be able to adapt to and offer feedback on improvements for an existing program or during
the development process. A good coach holds the potential to become a strong future leader within your
sales organization and company as a whole.
Whoever your organization chooses to be their sales program coach, be sure you have spent the time
carefully evaluating candidates. This will help you ensure they meet the qualifications to help your
organization create, implement, and continuously develop a strong sales coaching program for years to
come.
“Who exactly seeks out a coach? Winners.”
C H I C A G O T R I B U N E

15. l e d g e v i e w p a r t n e r s . c o m
Learn More …
After learning about what it takes to build a successful coaching program, find out what it takes to create
a successful sales process and build a successful inside sales outsourcing program with Ledgeview. Our
many eBooks will walk you through these processes with expert tips, insight, and best practices to help
you pave your path to success …
Download Your Copies at LedgeviewPartners.com/Resources/eBooks-White-Papers/