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How to Become a Certified & Successful Sales Coach

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Want to create a fun, lucrative business teaching others what you know about sales?

You’re in the right place!

Today, I’ll share the step-by-step process on how to become a sales coach… 

… Helping you go from frustrated corporate employee to thriving, financially-free sales entrepreneur.

Ready to take control of your sales career?

Let’s dive in. 

Get the Ultimate Guide

for building a
6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!

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Biggest takeaways:

  • A sales coach provides strategy and support to help clients achieve their sales goals 
  • Your sales coach niche should include your target audience, experience, and offer
  • Providing a three-month sales coaching package at $1,500 is a great start  
  • Find your first client by posting regularly on LinkedIn, attending networking events, and tapping into your network

What is a sales coach? 

A sales coach helps businesses improve their sales processes and funnels. Sales coaches work with big corporate companies to optimize sales flow, or help solopreneurs to become more confident sellers. 

And they can have a big impact; sales coaching can help improve win rates for forecasted deals with 27.9%

For example, my former student Sanae turned her extensive experience in sales into a thriving sales coaching business.

Screenshot of Sanae Floyd website

As did Susan, who has 18 years of sales experience.

I’ve helped thousands of new entrepreneurs create successful businesses, and from my experience, selling is one of the biggest hang-ups

That’s why, no matter who you help, the results of sales coaching can be game-changing. 

Now, you might be wondering: 

Is sales coaching just training sales teams?

We’ll look at that next.

What is the difference between a sales trainer and a sales coach? 

It’s easy to get a sales trainer and a sales coach mixed up, so let’s take a closer look at the two roles: 

A sales trainer educates a sales team on a company’s processes, whereas a sales coach helps individuals reach their sales goals or improves sales team performance through a structured sales coaching process. 

Difference between sales trainer and sales coach

The key differences are: 

  • Formal training vs. personalized coaching: Sales trainers are hired to deliver formal sales training to a team. Think presentations, workshops, and so on. With personalized coaching, you deliver targeted guidance depending on the client’s needs.
  • One-to-many vs. one-to-one: As a sales coach, you could work with a small group or one-to-one with individual business owners or organizations. However, sales trainers typically work with established salesforces. 
  • Predefined curriculum vs. tailored coaching: In sales coaching, your objective is to create a tailored sales coaching program to help your client achieve their goals. Sales trainers tend to have a set curriculum to follow, so there’s less flexibility.
  • In-house vs. self-employed: Some sales trainers are independent, but not all. On the other hand, it’s rare to see a sales coach that’s traditionally employed. Ultimately, entrepreneurship gives you much more freedom and flexibility.

In this video, I talk more about how coaching works: 

Next up: The duties of a sales coach. 

What does a sales coach do? 

Your ultimate goal as a sales coach is to help your clients make more sales through mentoring and tailored advice

How you do that involves a combination of tasks, including:

Tasks of a sales coach
  • Goal setting: Helping your clients make clear, achievable, and realistic goals.
  • Analyzing sales processes and funnels: Identifying and addressing the challenges a business or entrepreneur is facing. As a coach, you look at your client’s sales data to figure out what can be improved.
  • Tracking results: As you work with your client, you’ll track and report on their progress.
  • Mentoring team members: If you’re working for a business with a sales team, offering individual coaching sessions for team members will help empower them with new techniques. 
  • Providing personalized feedback: Because you’re not a trainer, you have no script or curriculum. That means you can give personalized feedback every step of the way.
  • Create a strategy for boosting sales: Use your sales expertise to build a customized sales strategy for your clients. 

Coaches mostly deliver their services via video call, but you could meet sales teams in person as well. This way, you’ll have more freedom and flexibility over when and where you work.  

LZ at her desk
As a coach, I was able to build a flexible schedule that works for me.

Ready to learn how to become a sales coach? We’ll discuss that next.

How do you become a great sales coach in 6 steps? 

Building your own business can be daunting at first. 

When I built my first coaching business, I was still juggling a 9–5 and feeling unfulfilled. 

The good news? Becoming a sales coach is simpler than you think. 

The six steps are:

  1. Find your niche
  2. Improve your skills
  3. Get certified
  4. Create a coaching package
  5. Get your first clients
  6. Deliver your coaching
How to become a sales coach in 6 steps

It’s not easy, but if you follow the steps and adopt an entrepreneurial mindset, you’re more likely to succeed. 

Luisa Zhou quote on mindset

Let’s look at each of the steps in detail. 

1. Find your niche

As a sales coach, your niche is sales, right? 

Yes… But your niche can go a little deeper than that. 

To figure out a more defined niche that lets you stand out from the crowd, answer these three questions:

  • Who do I want to help? (Your target audience)
  • What is my background and expertise? (Your skills)
  • What specific sales problems do I want to solve? (Your solution)

Here are some other examples of sales coaching niches:

  • Sales coaching for sales leaders
  • Startup team sales coaching
  • Remote sales team coaching
  • In-store sales support and mentoring
  • Sales coaching for female entrepreneurs

Still not sure? This video can help: 

2. Improve your skills 

If you’re interested in becoming a sales coach, I’ll assume you already have some experience in sales. 

And that’s the great thing about coaching: You can monetize your existing skills. 

In fact, that’s why I chose it as a business model.

But there’s more to sales coaching than just selling. 

To help your clients achieve their sales goals, you’ll need a combination of these skills

  • Coaching
  • Relationship building
  • Data analysis 
  • Communication
  • Active listening 

In this video, I share more about the skills you’ll need to become a great entrepreneur: 

 💡 Tip: Don’t worry if you’re missing certain skills right now.

There are SO many books, podcasts, and speakers out there that can help you learn any soft skill you need.

Just don’t overwhelm yourself. 

Focus on one or two skills to improve at first and build from there. A lot of your skills will naturally improve over time. 

Get the Ultimate Guide

for building a
6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!

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3. Get certified 

Here’s the thing:

You don’t need a certification to become a sales coach.

If you have years of sales experience with concrete results, you’re ready to dive into building your sales coaching business. For example, sales reps and sales managers can make excellent sales coaches. 

Why? Well, your results count for way more than any education you have. 

Your clients just want to know that you can deliver. 

However, it can be useful to get a sales coach certification to boost your credibility — especially if you want to work with corporate clients. 

Luckily, there are many great sales coaching programs on the market. We’ll talk about that a little more later. 

For now, let’s focus on building your first package. 

4. Create a coaching package 

When you’re ready to start working with clients, you’ll face one big question: 

How much should you charge? 

My advice? Don’t overthink it. 

Here’s a simple coaching package I recommend: 

A 3-month coaching package with two calls a month for $1,500

Using this structure has helped my students achieve results like these:

3 new clients

Remember, your first coaching package is just a starting point. You can increase your rates as you work with more clients and gain testimonials. 

When you’ve got your package sorted, you’re ready to find and book your first clients.

5. Get your first clients

As an aspiring sales coach, you’re probably a pro at closing a deal. 

But you might be wondering how to find clients. And not just any clients — people who really value your background and expertise. 

Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. 

Firstly, decide on your niche (refer to step one). Once you’ve figured out your audience, think about where they like to hang out. 

For example, MySalesCoach is a remote sales coaching service aimed at supporting corporate sales teams. 

They’re active on LinkedIn daily to attract and engage with potential clients.

MySalesCoach LinkedIn page
Posting high-quality content on LinkedIn helps sales coach businesses generate corporate leads. 

Some other ways to find clients include: 

  • Guest hosting on industry podcasts
  • Attending networking events
  • Reaching out to your network
  • Creating content on social media
  • Partnering with relevant businesses to promote each other’s services

I recommend choosing one or two methods and being consistent. As your business grows, you can always try new marketing strategies.

6. Deliver your coaching

So what makes a good sales coach? 

It’s all about the transformation

In other words, it’s about how you help your clients get from A to B to achieve those big sales goals. 

To be an effective coach, you need to: 

  • Have an overall goal: This is what your ideal clients are aiming for. 
  • Define milestones: What steps does your client need to take to achieve their goal? 
  • Break milestones into subgoals: Create a roadmap of small steps to deliver that transformation. 

Each coaching session should cover a subgoal on your client’s personalized roadmap. 

💡 Here are some tips for holding a great individual coaching session:

  • Ask open-ended questions about the client’s struggles
  • Practice active listening to tailor your response
  • Follow up with an email of what you discussed and the focus for the next session

So that’s how to become a sales coach. Now, let’s talk about certifications. 

What are the best sales coaching certifications? 

If you’ve worked in corporate sales and achieved great results, you don’t need a certification to build a sales coaching business. 

However, getting one can benefit you. 

With that in mind, let’s look at what you need to know about certifications.

How to choose a certification

To choose the right sales certification for you, consider the following points: 

  • Accreditation
  • Length
  • Price
  • Reputation
  • Delivery

Accreditation is especially important. You want to make sure that the certification aligns with your goals. 

For example, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) has multiple levels to their coaching qualifications: 

  • Associate Certified Coach (ACC) 
  • Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
  • Master Certified Coach (MCC)

Getting the highest level of certification will take longer, but it may help you stand out from others in your field.

With that said, here are four great sales certification programs to look into. 

Sales Coach Certification

Transformation Academy 

Screenshot
Transformation Academy page

The Transformation Academy Sales Coach Certification focuses on giving you motivational techniques and practical sales coaching tools to help your clients achieve their goals.

Delivery: Online

Duration: Self-paced

Accreditation: CPD-accredited

Price: $197

Certified Master Sales Trainer (CMST)

National Association of Sales Professional  

Screenshot
NASP page

The NASP program is primarily for sales trainers, but it can provide some excellent knowledge if you’re new to sales. 

Delivery: Online

Duration: 14 months

Accreditation: NASP-accredited

Price: $3,395

NLP Sales Training 

iNLP 

Screenshot
iNLP

The iNLP Sales Certification program helps you deepen your sales knowledge with the latest NLP techniques. This is a skill that will make you stand out to clients.

Delivery: Online

Duration: Self-paced + live training sessions

Accreditation: iNLP-accredited

Price: $399

Certified Sales Coaching Training 

Harvest Global  

Screenshot
Harvest Global page

Based on the ICF core competencies, the Harvest Global Sales Coaching Certification program focuses on helping you become a sales leader and an excellent coach.

Delivery: Online

Duration: Self-paced

Accreditation: ICF-accredited

Price: Available on request

Next, let’s check out the benefits your clients can get from working with you.

What are the benefits of a sales coach?

As a sales coach, you can help transform clients’ businesses.

That means you:

  • Enhance sales performance: Help teams streamline their sales process and increase revenue.
  • Boost motivation: Increase productivity by empowering individuals. 
  • Provide support and accountability: Provide invaluable support to help clients achieve their sales goals.
  • Help overcome challenges: Guide clients through challenges with their sales funnels.  

The research backs up these benefits. 

In fact, studies show sales coaching helps grow revenue by 8% and boosts productivity by 88% compared to sales training alone. 

Sales coaching statistic

Because of how effective sales coaching is, this can be a highly lucrative and fulfilling career path for any sales professional.

Frequently asked questions about sales coaching What credentials do you need to be a sales coach?

Though some corporate clients might prefer you to have a sales certification, you don’t need one. What matters most is your results and expertise

How much does a sales coach earn? 

The average sales coach makes around $67,187, according to Glassdoor. However the average sales coaching salary varies depending on experience, expertise, certification, and employment

If you create your own coaching business, you can make much more than that. In fact, many of my clients have gone on to build six-figure coaching businesses.  

How long does it take to become a certified sales coach? 

You can start a sales coaching business in a few days if you have the necessary experience. But if you want to get a certification, factor in an extra six months to a year to become a certified sales coach.

Get the Ultimate Guide

for building a
6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!

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Next steps 

So there you go — now you know how to become a successful sales coach.

Starting a sales coaching business can be fulfilling and freeing, especially if you’re used to a 9–5 life. 

I’ve worked with thousands of aspiring coaches to help them create successful businesses that enable them to quit their day jobs. 

If that’s your goal too, my free blueprint for building a six-figure coaching business will help. 

Download it here.

Read more: 

What is Coaching?

How to Become a Coach

The Best Coaching Styles

Secrets to Selling Coaching Services in 2024

The Best Coaching Questions You Need to Ask Your Clients

About Luisa Zhou

Luisa Zhou has helped thousands of students build and scale their own profitable online Freedom Business. Fun Fact: She used to work as an engineer for the Space Station and holds a B.S.E. from Princeton. Click here to learn more about Luisa.

Hope you enjoy this blog post.

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