The following article covers:
Are you looking to become a sales coach and start your scalable sales coaching business? In this guide we have gathered the main steps and best practices for landing your first clients and establishing your sales coaching business.
According to statistics, a sales training boosts a sales rep’s performance by almost 20%. Lots of companies now realize that. This is why companies are consistently seeking a great sales coach to guide their sales teams.
And how can you become that one sales coach who can make a huge difference? In this article, you are about to find out:
- Who are sales coaches, and what are their main responsibilities?
- What do you need to become a sales coach?
- What should you take into consideration to be a successful sales coach?
- The potential amount of money you can earn, and more!
What is a sales coach?
First of all, what do we mean by saying a sales coach?
A sales coach is someone who provides guidance, training, and support to sales professionals or teams to help them improve their sales techniques, processes, and performance.
“A sales coach is a dedicated professional who specializes in assisting salespeople in enhancing their performance, refining their skills, and cultivating a positive mindset.”
Profile Optimization Specialist, Content Strategist
Sales coaches have extensive experience in sales themselves and possess a deep understanding of effective selling strategies, communication skills, negotiation techniques, and customer relationship management.
As a sales coach, you can work with both individuals or teams to identify areas for improvement, develop personalized action plans, provide constructive feedback, and offer motivation to help them achieve their sales goals. And how is the role of a sales coach different from that of a sales manager?
A sales manager is more like the captain of the sales team who sets targets, manages resources, and ensures everyone is working towards common goals. On the other hand, a sales coach helps the team to reach their full potential. Now you know the difference between a sales coach and a sales manager. And what would you be responsible for as a sales coach?
What do sales coaches do?
As a sales coach, your job is to help salespeople and sales reps get better at what they do. You work closely with them to figure out what they're good at and what they need to improve. This involves analyzing their current skills and performance, identifying areas for improvement, and developing action plans to address those areas. Then, you give them tips and tricks to help them do their job better. Usually, your shared goal is to help the sales representatives win more deals. If we are to sum up your responsibilities as a sales coach, they would include the following:
- Analyzing sales techniques and performance.
- Setting goals and action plans for improvement.
- Providing personalized guidance and training.
- Offering constructive feedback.
- Sharing best practices and strategies.
- Motivating sales professionals.
- Tracking progress and adjusting strategies as needed.
What you should note is that you are not there to tell the sales representatives what exactly they should do. You are only there to work with them toward the end goal.
Is sales coaching in demand?
Yes, sales coaching is totally in demand!
A survey conducted by ValueSelling Associates has shown that 42% of companies had been investing in ongoing sales coaching for more than five years. Nowadays, companies pay a lot more attention to providing their sales reps with the best sales coaching and consistent training.
Search statistics are yet another indicator of how popular sales coaching is nowadays. If we take a look at the main keywords, such as online sales coach and sales coach, we can see that they enjoy a pretty high monthly search volume.
How to become a sales coach?
There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to becoming a sales coach. However, there are certain things you should take into consideration before you start your career as a sales coach. First, you will need to practice your coaching skills. Then decide on what makes you different from other sales coaches, establish your working framework, market your services as a sales coach, and finally grow your practice.
No one said that would be easy. Yet, you can avoid certain pitfalls if you take the following steps into consideration.
Get a certification, or NOT
Practice makes perfect, they say. When asked what a beginner coach should do when starting their journey, almost every professional coach responds - “FInd ways to practice”.
You can be the best sales expert now about the best sales strategies, tricks, and everything. But does that make you the best sales coach as well? Certainly not. So, what we mean by practicing is practicing your skills as a sales coach, not as a sales expert. The best and most recommended way to do this is by taking a particular sales coaching program.
And here comes the most commonly asked question: “Do I need a degree or certification to be a sales coach?”. No, you do not necessarily need to get an official certification. Let’s discuss the cases when you do not need a sales coaching certification.
Ajit Nawalkha, who is the CEO at Evercoach, mentions:
You don’t need a certification if you have proven your skill. If you have helped your own teams you have a tracked record. You don’t need a certification if you are already getting results, if you are already in the game, if you are already making progress for yourself and your clients. In this case, you do not need to prove anything with a coaching certification.
Ajit Nawalkha,
CEO at Evercoach
Yet, if you are a beginner sales coach with almost no experience, taking up a certain program will only come to your benefit. It will allow you to:
- Developing your coaching skills, including communication skills, listening and motivational techniques,
- Staying aware of the latest practices and trends in sales coaching
- Being exposed to different perspectives and new approaches
- Rediscovering yourself as a professional
- And, most importantly, broadening your network and connecting with your peers
Create the sales coaching program
As you take up a training program, you will get a better idea of what your sales coaching training program shall be like.
First of all, you should understand how sales reps are performing in their market and assess their performance. This way you will be able to find out what the areas of weaknesses are and how you can set goals to improve them.
Afterwards, you will need to analyze the market and industry your potential clients are working in. The insights will help you to align your strategies with clients expectations.
Finally, it will be time to create training materials, such as eBooks, audio materials & others. You can gather and display third-party resources & tools that will help the sales team boost their knowledge in certain aspects of the industry and ease up the process through automation.
For instance, part of your program can be dedicated to helping clients on how to use a CRM or Sales Tools, e.g., SalesForce.
Set your working and services model
The question you want to ask here is: “How do I want to stand out with my sales coaching services?”. Does your program include 5-9 coaching sessions where you guide the client toward creating an action plan to achieve the goal?
Or is there anything else you want to offer to make your sales coaching services different from the rest? After you find what makes you unique, there are also several questions you should ask yourself.
- How long should one coaching session last?
- How many sessions should I include in my sales coaching program?
- Will the sessions be offline or online? Perhaps you want to offer a mix of both.
- Are you offering only individual sales coaching sessions, or do you want to include them in a package?
- Do you need to rent space, if the sessions are offline?
- How do you price your sales coaching program?
- How many sessions can you run on a daily basis?
As you put down the answers to all these questions you will have your working model ready.
Build your authority as a sales coach
One of the factors contributing to the success of your sales coaching business is building your authority. Yes, you should think about establishing your online and offline presence as a sales coach from the very first days.
At the initial stage you will need to raise awareness about yourself and become visible. How can you achieve it?
- Create your sales coaching website. Your website is the first thing potential clients are going to check to see if you are legit. This is why you should ensure it looks professional and presents your coaching services in the best light.
- Network and collaborate. Connect with other professionals, influencers, and organizations in your niche through networking events, online communities, and social media. Collaborating with others can help you expand your reach, access new audiences, and establish credibility through association.
- Build an online presence. Establish a strong presence on relevant online platforms where your target audience spends their time. This could include social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram. Engage with your audience by answering questions, participating in discussions, and sharing valuable insights.
As you start getting the first clients, do not forget to collect testimonials. Using case studies, client success stories will surely enhance your credibility.
Be the sales person of your own business
You already possess one of the greatest skills necessary to establish and grow your sales coaching business. Yes! We are speaking about being able to present and sell you coaching services the right way. And before you can sell it, you obviously need to market your coaching business.
Let’s break down what one usually imagines when it comes to marketing a sales coaching business. And you do not want to do these for the short-term strategy.
- Posting content. Yes, you get the engagement you need to build authority as a coach. But it’s hard to convert those followers into paying coaching clients. It only works for the long-term strategy.
- Running webinars. The problem? You either need a big following list for them to sign up, or you need to spend a considerable amount of money to run ads. And if you don’t have either, then webinars are a waste of time.
- Relying too much on your network. Earlier in this article, we have mentioned that networking with your peers is important, remember? Having said that, your network should not be the only way you market your coaching business.
What should you do then to become the salesperson of your own business? Here is what Cindy Makita-Dodd, a great coach and marketing expert, recommends:
“The only way you need to market your coaching business and get paid clients through the door is through outbound marketing. The reason this works so well is that your ideal prospects have a need. And if you can position your coaching offer as a way to help them solve that need, they will buy.”Cindy Dodd
Coach, Outbound marketing expert
What outbound marketing implies is that you need to reach out to your ideal client through LinkedIn or through cold emails. All you need is a great pitch message solving a frustration or a pain point. Then you can move to schedule the coaching call, and there you have it!
FAQ about sales coaching
Finally, it is time to review and answer the most common questions about sales coaching and how you can become one.
What is the difference between sales coaching and sales training?
Oftentimes, people confuse sales coaching and sales training. Yet, there are key differences between these two.
Sales training’s main focus is to provide the knowledge & skills that salespeople need to succeed. It is good for beginners, mid-level professionals, and even experienced salespeople. Training provides trainees with tools for further implementation and success in general.
Meanwhile, sales coaching is a continuation of sales training. For instance, you mostly work with established sales professionals and help them to implement the knowledge & skills they have learned from training in their specific cases.
How much can I earn with selling sales coaching?
Your earning potential strictly depends on you and your professionalism.
Sales coaches can earn around $100 per hour. Yet, if you are a professional and on-demand coach the hourly rate can be up to a few thousand dollars.
On a monthly or program basis, sales coaching program prices vary between $500-$1000 (beginners) and $1000-$3000 (intermediate-advanced coaches). If you offer 1:1 sessions or customizable training plans as a sales coach, you can offer prices from $3000-5000/mo.
For group sales coaching, remember that the price is usually 30% less per individual than for 1:1.
How can I be a better sales coach?
To become a better sales coach, focus on developing strong communication skills to effectively convey sales techniques and strategies. Continue working on your sales coaching skills consistently. Ensure to also consistently track progress and celebrate successes to maintain motivation and momentum within your sales team.
On your way to become a better sales coach, connect with other professionals in the field and learn from them.
How do you coach a sales team?
Coaching a sales team involves a variety of responsibilities. As a sales coach, you should provide support, guidance, and feedback aimed at improving the sales reps’ skills and performance.
To achieve this, start by understanding each team member's strengths and weaknesses. Then align your coaching approach accordingly. Provide clear objectives and actionable advice, focusing on areas like communication, product knowledge, and objection handling. Also, you should foster a positive and collaborative environment where team members are accountable for the results.
Do not forget to regularly assess progress and adjust your coaching strategies to ensure ongoing growth and success.
What are sales coaching challenges?
Sales coaching is not an easy task. It’s a demanding process where you help sales reps improve their performance, grow and achieve their goals.
And like in any other field, sales coaching comes with a set of challenges you might possibly face, the common ones being:
- Providing constructive and to-the-point feedback to sales reps.
- Adapting your sales coaching strategies to various business needs
- Building the working model that is efficient for you and your clients
- Helping to set individual and team goals
Monetize Your Skills Online
Take your first step toward success with Uteach!
Imagine getting your professional website done faster than light travels from the Sun to the Earth. With Uteach, you can automate many processes.
As a result, you will be able to dedicate MORE time to creating & selling whatever you want: coaching sessions, training, and webinars. Triple your income with bundles and memberships.
You can access special features such as fully-automated coaching with calendar and booking system, integrations, and even your local payment gateway.
Many online learners are waiting for you to light their way. Book your free demo with our expert now and see how you can become a better and more efficient business coach with the help of Uteach.