Sales training or sales coaching: what do you need and when?

Sales training or sales coaching: two words, two different things

In my 30 years as a sales trainer I hear them used interchangeably. Sales training. Sales coaching. As if they are the same. They are not. And the difference is bigger than you think. Because whoever makes the wrong choice pays twice. First for the wrong programme. And then again for the right one.

In this article I explain what the difference is, when to choose which and why the combination of both gives the strongest result.

What is sales training?

A sales training is a structured learning programme in which you or your team learn a system of sales techniques. In one day, or spread across multiple sessions, the fundamentals of professional selling are covered. Concrete, practical and immediately applicable.

At Graham Hulsebos Sales Training that system consists of 12 sales techniques and 11 scientific insights. From the ORDER model and SPIN Selling to DISC behavioural analysis, the Blackbook technique and closing techniques. Everything based on science, not on gut feeling.

Sales training is suitable for:

• Starters who want to learn the profession from the ground up
• Experienced salespeople who want to sharpen their approach
• Teams that want a common language and method
• Organisations that want to invest structurally in commercial capability

What is sales coaching?

Sales coaching is personal guidance tailored to you. No group setting, no fixed agenda, but a programme built entirely around your specific situation, your DISC profile, your challenges and your products.

A sales coach looks at what is personally at play for you. Why are you losing certain deals? Where is your blind spot? Which technique fits your style and your market? Sales coaching goes deeper than training and lasts longer. It is not a one-off event but an ongoing process of adjusting, practising and improving.

Sales coaching is suitable for:

• Experienced salespeople who are stuck at a certain level
• Sales managers who want to guide their team
• Entrepreneurs who want to grow quickly with personal attention
• Professionals who want to embed what they learned after a training

The concrete difference

The simplest way to explain it:

Sales training teaches you the system. Sales coaching helps you apply the system in your own practice.

Sales training is theory combined with practice. Sales coaching is practice combined with feedback.

Sales training gives you the 12 sales techniques. Online sales coaching helps you determine which technique delivers the most results for you in which situation.

In short: sales training builds the foundation. Sales coaching builds the house on top of it.

When do you choose sales training?

Choose a classroom sales training, in-company sales training or virtual online sales training when:

• You or your team want to learn a complete system of sales techniques
• You want to create a common approach for your sales team
• You want to quickly lay a solid foundation in one day or two sessions
• You want to train multiple people simultaneously for maximum return

When do you choose sales coaching?

Choose individual sales coaching when:

• You have already followed a sales training but cannot get certain techniques off the ground
• You are stuck on a specific problem: too few appointments, too high an objection ratio or too low a conversion rate
• You want maximum personal attention without the dynamics of a group
• You want to understand your own DISC profile and align your communication style accordingly
• You want to follow remote online sales coaching from your own office

Why the combination gives the strongest result

The best salespeople I know combine both. They start with a sales training to learn the system. They then follow sales coaching to embed the system in their daily practice.

Because that is the problem with only a sales training: after a week, a month, a quarter the old behaviour returns. The old patterns come back. Gut feeling takes over from the system. Not because the training was poor, but because behaviour change takes time and needs maintenance.

And that is the problem with only sales coaching without a solid foundation: the coach builds on loose sand when the system is missing. The best online sales coaching in the world solves nothing if the fundamental sales techniques are not in place.

The ideal sequence is therefore: sales training as foundation, sales coaching as reinforcement and deepening. At Graham Hulsebos Sales Training we offer both, separately or combined, tailored to your situation.

Remote sales coaching: does it work?

Yes. Remote sales coaching is just as effective as on-site coaching, provided it is live and interactive. At Graham Hulsebos, online sales coaching is available via Teams or Zoom. The sessions are personal, focused and directly applicable to your own practical cases.

Remote sales coaching also has a practical advantage: no travel time, no location planning and immediately available at the moment you need it.

What does sales coaching or sales training cost?

• Classroom sales training: 695 euros per person including venue and lunch
• In-company sales training: 3,750 euros all-in for up to 12 participants
• Virtual online sales training: 495 euros per person
• Individual sales coaching: 995 euros per day
• AI Sales e-learning as reinforcement module: 147 euros per person

The first step

Not sure yet what you need, sales training or sales coaching? First take the free commercial sales intake. It gives you a concrete picture of your current sales level and the approach that will deliver the most for you. Or plan a free consultation directly.

Selling is asking, not telling. That also applies to the choice between sales training and sales coaching. Ask yourself the right question and the answer will follow naturally.