In a recent interview, John Golden spoke with Alan Versteeg, a sales expert and co-founder of Growth Matters. Alan has helped over 2,000 sales managers in 45 countries. He shared his best tips on how to be a great sales coach. This article explains what they talked about and how you can use it to improve your sales team.
What Is Sales Coaching?
Sales coaching means helping your team get better at selling. It is not the same as checking their work. Some managers act like they are doing an audit. They ask too many questions and make people nervous. Alan says coaching should feel like a helpful talk—not an interrogation.
Good coaching helps your team:
- Find out where they’re stuck
- Set clear, realistic goals
- Get better step by step
Why Coaching Helps Everyone
When both the manager and the sales rep enjoy the coaching session, great things happen. They build trust. They talk openly. This makes the whole team stronger and more successful.
How to Build a Coaching Culture
Alan says coaching should be part of your company’s daily life—not something extra.
Here’s how:
- Make time for coaching. Put it on the calendar and stick to it.
- Take it seriously. Show your team it matters.
Train Your Managers
Some companies promote top salespeople to be managers. But that doesn’t mean they know how to lead. Alan warns that this can turn a great seller into a bad manager.
He suggests:
- Give new managers real training
- Keep helping them learn over time
Ask the Right Questions
Good coaching is about guiding, not telling. Alan teaches managers to ask smart questions that help reps find their answers.
- Ask about what’s hard for them.
- Help them think about ways to fix it
- Let them find their plan
This builds self-awareness. It helps reps feel confident and capable.
Focus on Strengths
Alan says it’s better to build on what someone is good at than to focus only on their weaknesses.
When you do this:
- People feel proud of their work
- They try harder and perform better
Use a Simple Coaching Plan
Alan uses a coaching model by David Rock. It has four steps:
- Find the gap: What’s not working yet?
- Find the cause: Why is this happening?
- Pick actions: What can we do about it?
- Set goals: What’s the next step and when?
This helps reps take charge. They leave the session with a clear plan they believe in.
Final Thoughts
Sales coaching isn’t about pressure. It’s about support. Alan Versteeg shows that with the right mindset and tools, managers can help their teams grow. Coaching works best when:
- It feels like teamwork
- It builds on what people do well
- It’s done regularly and with care
Want to Learn More?
Alan Versteeg is the co-founder of Growth Matters. He brings deep knowledge and experience to sales coaching. Watch the video below to hear the full interview.
Key Points Recap
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- Coaching is not auditing: Help reps grow, don’t grill them.
- Build a coaching culture: Make it a regular habit.
- Train your managers: Don’t assume they already know how.
- Ask smart questions: Let reps find their own answers.
- Focus on strengths: Boost confidence and energy.
- Use a coaching plan: Follow a clear 4-step process.
Our Host
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
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