Sales coaching raises rep performance by 19% on average…but only if you have clear coaching plans at both the individual and team level.

It’s not just about working harder; it’s about working smarter. 

Here is an essential coaching tip. We are all individuals. You have to recognize each team member’s distinct strengths and weaknesses in managing their deals and pipelines. 

Here’s another essential coaching tip. You will only harness the full potential of your team with a monthly and quarterly plan for continuous skill development. 

Enter sales playbooks. They are the cornerstone of this process. They provide a set of best practices for managing different phases of buyer conversations. 

Sales playbooks are not rigid scripts but rather flexible frameworks that guide conversations towards showcasing the value you bring to the table. 

What makes them truly valuable is that they are shared resources, allowing you to target specific skills for coaching, ensuring everyone is on the same page.

We suggest starting with the “Core Four Skills” or “101 Skills”: 

• Meeting Prep
• Discovery on individual buyer value
• Personalizing to that value
• Securing next committed actions

Once your team has mastered those, it’s time to move on to the 201 and 301 Skills, including: Mastery of personas and segments, personalizing to personas and segments, decision group management, solution visioning, engaging buyers in thought leadership, and executive buyer management.

Sales acceleration is a journey, not a destination. And that journey is driven by shared playbooks, peer-based learning, and a clear skills coaching plan–as well as the time set aside for regular skills practice.

Every team member should have at least an hour each week of individual skills practice, ideally with an additional hour of team-based practice. This ongoing commitment to improvement will undoubtedly lead to increased sales, improved performance, and a thriving sales team.