Creating a high-performance sales culture starts with great coaching. But what happens when you don’t have the time, headcount, or enablement support to coach every AE to their full potential?

In this post, we’ll explore how to build scalable coaching systems, give better feedback that changes behaviour, and free up your time as a sales leader, without sacrificing team performance.

1. Create Consistent Coaching Standards

One of the most common reasons coaching breaks down is inconsistency. When one manager trains reps one way and another uses a different framework, reps are left confused. This inconsistency shows up in deal reviews, forecast calls, and ultimately in the sales numbers.

To fix this, start by creating a simple set of operating principles and expectations. Think of it like your team’s "sales constitution":

• What does a great discovery call look like?
• What behaviours do you expect reps to model?
• How do you want managers to run 1:1s or call coaching sessions?

Document it. Socialise it. Then hold yourself and others accountable to it.

Your coaching playbook should be:

• Repeatable: Easy for new managers to pick up and apply
• Measurable: Tied to clear outcomes (pipeline growth, deal velocity, etc.)
• Actionable: Focused on observable behaviours, not generic advice

This also removes subjectivity from feedback. Instead of saying "I just didn’t like the way you ran that call," managers can point to the standard: "This call lacked mutual action planning, which we expect in every deal beyond Stage 2."

2. Give Feedback That Actually Changes Behaviour

Too many managers give feedback that either goes ignored or creates defensiveness. To change behaviour, feedback needs to be:

• Specific: Point to the moment and the impact
• Actionable: Provide a clear next step
• Safe: Reps should feel supported, not judged

For example, instead of saying, “You need to be more confident,” try:

“In that call, when the prospect asked about pricing, you hesitated and said 'we might be able to offer a discount.' That moment weakened your positioning. Let’s practice how to handle pricing with more certainty.”

This feedback describes the behaviour, explains the impact, and offers a path forward.

Also, make it a two-way street. Ask reps what kind of feedback is most useful to them. Empower them to rate their own calls before you do, and ask what they’d change if they could run it again.

Over time, this builds self-awareness and coachability, two of the most critical traits in high-performing sellers.

3. Scale Yourself with Systems and Tools

If you’re a stretched sales leader, time is your most valuable resource. Coaching every rep in real-time isn’t scalable. That’s why you need systems.

Here are a few time-saving ideas that still drive impact:

Set up coaching libraries

• Build a Notion or Google Drive folder with internal call recordings, objection handling examples, demo frameworks, etc.
• Tag each asset by skill (discovery, negotiation, storytelling, etc.)
• Let reps self-serve content relevant to their development plans

Use AI to reinforce coaching

• Tools like AI Sales Assistants or JamesGPT can give instant feedback
• Reps can ask AI for help on objections, deal strategy, or improving specific parts of their process

Standardise 1:1 agendas

• Create a weekly template that covers deals, skill development, metrics, and mindset
• This makes coaching predictable and efficient, not reactive and repetitive

Leverage peer-to-peer coaching

• Pair up reps to review each other’s calls before manager review
• Encourage feedback based on your team’s operating standards

You don’t need to be everywhere. You just need to design a coaching environment where feedback, learning, and improvement are always happening, with or without you.

Coaching is a Culture, Not a Task

Great sales coaching isn’t a one-off activity. It’s a system. A culture. A set of habits that get stronger over time.

When managers coach consistently, give feedback that drives behaviour change, and use systems to scale their time, sales performance goes up, pipeline quality improves, and reps stay longer.

If you’re feeling short on time, don’t try to do more. Focus on building systems that make coaching inevitable.

The results will follow.

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