By mid-2003, when I published my first sales coaching system, I had already completed nine separate top performer analyses for various employers and clients. I continued after that through early 2015. The analyses included the best practices for B2B salespeople and frontline sales managers who were in the top 20% of their sales force (and often the top 4%). This gave me an opportunity to see consistent patterns emerge across vertical industries, company sizes and solution sets.  

Focusing today on the sales manager’s skillsets and specifically sales coaching, the analyses allowed me to construct a sales coaching system with a framework, process and models that represented what the very best sales managers were doing to get superior results from their teams.  

Sales Coaching Excellence 

My first course in 2003 was called Partnership Coaching and over time, it evolved into its current form, Sales Coaching Excellence. We won’t dive into the entire system now, but here’s a visual: 

Today, we’ll focus on the models for leading individual coaching sessions, conducting field training, sales coaching and counseling, and a fourth model for delivering feedback effectively (not shown here).  

Here are some resources if you’d like to explore the entire system: 

• Watch video: Overview – Sales Coaching Framework & Models (6 minutes) 
• Read more: Mastering Sales Coaching: How to Train Sales Managers for Lasting Impact 
• Read more: Your Sales Managers Think They’re Coaching, But They’re Probably Not 

1. How to SLED Through a Coaching Session 

The first model is SLED, which is for leading individual coaching sessions. This model should be used each time you meet with your sales rep throughout the sales coaching process. “SLED” stands for: 

• Set the Stage: Establish the purpose, objectives and plan for today, as well as the session’s value to the rep. Then, check for understanding/alignment. 
• Lead the Performance Analysis Discussion: Show how the data points to an area to improve. 
• Explore Solution Options and Agree on the Best One: Determine the type of solution, such as training, coaching, counseling, feedback or something else, plus content or best practices to improve performance. 
• Develop and Implement an Action Plan for how training, coaching, counseling, and/or feedback will be delivered appropriately and how the rep will apply what was learned with clients.

You may get through all four steps of SLED in a single meeting, or you may need to split it across two or more meetings, depending on the circumstances. For example, you may find you need to break between L (step 2) and E (step 3) to observe the rep in action, confirm your hypothesis and make a final root-cause diagnosis.  

• For more detail on SLED, read: How to SLED Through a Coaching Session 

2. The Field Training Model 

Training is the best solution when someone doesn’t know what, why or how to do something, or when they don’t know how to do it the way you want it done, because you know that will get the best results.  

Training is directive — you tell and show the employee what to do and have them summarize and role-play the skill back to you. The model I teach is Tell, Show, Do and Review, with Understanding Checks at each step.  

• Tell: Tell the employee what you expect them to do or do differently. Describe it in detail. Teach them why and how to do it. If it’s relevant, include when and where to do it.  
• Understanding Check: Have the employee recap and summarize their understanding. Do not leave this step until they can accurately summarize it to your satisfaction.  
• Show: Now, demonstrate how you want them to do it. You can use video if you have one or send the employee out to observe a top performer, but I highly recommend role-playing it with them in the moment. 
• Understanding Check: Have them role-play it back to you. Don’t let them just tell you what they’ll do; that’s the previous step. Have them step into the sales role as if they are speaking with the customer. Do not leave the step until they can demonstrate it to your satisfaction.  
• Do: Have them develop and implement an action plan. Now, they must use their newly honed skill with their prospects or customers.  
• Understanding Check: Listen to call recordings or ride along with them to observe and validate how they’re doing.  
• Review: Get back together after some time to review their progress and evaluate their results. Check in with them on the activities they’re performing, the quality of the activities or methodology and the outcomes they’re achieving. From here you’ll either move on to coaching or go back to the beginning of the coaching process to diagnose another skill to improve.  
• Understanding Check: The review session itself is the Understanding Check.  

Training done this way is highly effective because it sets very clear expectations and ensures that the employee can do it the way you want them to (because you know it will get results).  

3. The Sales Coaching (and Counseling) Model 

Sales Coaching 

We tend to use “coaching” as an overarching term for helping our employees improve. I do it, too, with the terms “Sales Coaching System,” “Sales Coaching Framework” and “Sales Coaching Process,” even though the appropriate solution might be training, coaching, counseling, feedback or something else entirely, such as managing consequences or addressing constraints. Sales coaching is something very specific. It’s appropriate when the employee knows what to do, how to do it and why, but needs to do it more effectively to get a better result. They need to hone or master the skill. So, coaching is more facilitative than directive. 

I think of it this way: Training is like pouring water into an empty glass, and coaching is like siphoning the water back out and filtering it to make it purer. You engage the employee when coaching and give them an opportunity to practice to further hone the skill you’ve focused on. As you see in the image, the model I teach is Engage, Practice, Do and Review, with Understanding Checks at each step. 

• Engage: In training, you taught them what to do. In this case they know what, why and how to do something, but they just need to get better at it. This is when you can facilitate and engage them by asking questions, getting them to assess their skill compared to best practices and drawing things out of them. If they need to get better, it’s possible they may not have the nuances inside, but it’s important to try. Then you can provide insights to close gaps as needed. By the end of this step, clearly identify what they need to do differently or better.  
• Understanding Check: As before, have the employee recap and summarize their understanding. Do not leave this step until they can summarize it accurately to your satisfaction.  
• Practice: Have them practice the skill as you’ve agreed. It’s not likely that you’ll need to demonstrate it, but that’s a judgment call. Usually, it’s better to have them try it first and then shape, guide and provide feedback to nudge them in the right direction.  
• Understanding Check: Before moving on, ensure they can demonstrate the skill to the higher level you discussed.  
• Do: Have them develop and implement an action plan. Now, they must use their newly honed skill with their prospects or customers.  
• Understanding Check: Listen to call recordings or ride along to observe and validate how they are doing.  
• Review: Get back together after some time to review their progress and evaluate their results. Check in with them on the activities they’re performing, the quality of the activities or methodology and the outcomes they’re achieving. From here you’ll either move on to coaching or go back to the beginning of the coaching process to diagnose another skill to improve. 
• Understanding Check: The review session itself is the Understanding Check in this step. 

Like the field training model above, this approach to coaching is far more effective than what most managers do. Both models are the ultimate excuse removers, with behavioral practice and the built-in Understanding Checks. If they can summarize it and demonstrate it, you can hold them accountable for doing it.  

To read more about coaching in general, see:  

• The Mysteries of Sales Coaching Revealed!  
• Why the GROW Model is Not Sufficient for Sales Coaching & Driving Growth 

Sales Counseling 

Counseling is very similar to coaching and follows the same four-step Engage, Practice, Do, Review model with Understanding Checks. But rather than being focused on skills, it is applied to the mindsets and the underlying beliefs that support or limit success (and encourage or prevent the employee from using the skills you want them to use).  

In Engage, you will spend more time on the “Why” and draw out the employee’s perspectives to understand what’s holding them back (often, they think their way is better or your way won’t work).  

Addressing this may involve a fair amount of ethical influence and persuasion on your part, perhaps having the employee speak with others who do things the way you want and are getting far better results. You will need to gain agreement before the Practice step; otherwise, the practice will be half-hearted or disingenuous and the employee will likely not apply your advice in the real world.  

So, unlike coaching, counseling may span multiple meetings in the Engage step before moving forward or getting through the remaining steps. In some cases, you may need to adjust and manage consequences to ultimately change behavior.  

When managing consequences, I’ve always found this chart helpful for remembering the types of reinforcement and which increase or decrease behavior:  

It’s a surprising and counterintuitive lesson, but emotion follows action, not the other way around. Sometimes, you need to get the employee to do things your way, even if begrudgingly. When they see it works, it will start to positively influence their emotions, beliefs and mindsets. This is much more effective than a manager playing amateur psychologist and trying to change their employee’s mindsets and beliefs first.  

• To read more about Sales Counseling, see: Sales Counseling as a Performance Improvement Tool 

4. The SOIL Model for Delivering Feedback 

My model is for delivering feedback is called “SOIL.” (I know, I know — so much joke potential). SOIL stands for Situation, Observe, Impact and Learn. I also include Understanding Checks, as I do for my other models in Sales Coaching Excellence. 

First, two general guidelines:  

• Seek Permission First: Always ask permission to provide your feedback. This isn’t included in the model acronym, but it’s still important. 
• Be Specific: In the words of my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Dietz, “To be terrific, be specific.” Vague feedback, or feedback that is couched to avoid saying anything negative, is not helpful. Be kind, be compassionate, be empathetic — but be honest, clear and specific, too. 

With those foundations established, here’s the model: 

• Situation: This is the situation or circumstance in which you observed your seller. It could include the location, other people involved, the setting, seating arrangements or whatever else is relevant. 
• Understanding Check: Confirm that you’re aligned on how you described the situation. 
• Observe: This is what you observed your seller doing (“observed behavior”). It can include anything about their behavior — words used, tone of voice, rate of speech, pitch variations, facial expressions and body language, as well as the skills or sales methodology used. Basically, all verbal and non-verbal communication. 
• Understanding Check: Confirm that you’re aligned on what you observed and how you’ve described it. 
• Impact: This is the result of the behavior you observed. It includes the reactions of others, the responses received and the overall impact and outcome, especially compared to the desired outcome. 
• Understanding Check: Confirm that you’re aligned on the impact and outcomes. 
• Learn: This is what you recommend the seller do differently or consider, based on the situation, the behavior you observed and the impact of the behavior. In other words, your feedback and advice.  
• Understanding Check: Confirm the seller’s understanding and your alignment. Engage and discuss further as needed. If the employee is not accepting the feedback, you may need to move to Sales Counseling if it’s important feedback. As needed (based on the extent or importance of the feedback), have them document an Action Plan and implement it. 

Following this simple model, and remembering the foundational guidelines, will radically improve not only your effectiveness in providing feedback, but the likelihood that it will be heard, understood and adopted. 

• For more on the SOIL Model, read: Get Grounded with SOIL to Deliver Better Feedback 

Closing Thoughts 

Mastering these four models can transform how effectively sales managers develop their teams: 

1. SLED for leading coaching sessions 
2. Tell, Show, Do, Review for Field Training 
3. Engage, Practice, Do, Review for both Sales Coaching and Sales Counseling 
4. SOIL for delivering feedback 

Remember, these models aren’t theoretical constructs. I documented them by observing what the best managers did differently than others. They are practical, field-tested methods grounded in the best practices of top-performing sales managers across industries. By using them consistently and thoughtfully, sales managers can diagnose performance issues accurately, develop tailored improvement plans, deliver precise training, hone skills through guided practice, address limiting beliefs when necessary and provide feedback that truly resonates.  

Ultimately, the goal is to foster continuous improvement and mastery, ensuring your team performs at its best and achieves superior results. When applied as part of a comprehensive coaching system like Sales Coaching Excellence, these models can drive powerful and sustained performance improvement.  

If you decide to develop your sales managers in this way and transform your sales results, I applaud your decision and wish you the very best of success in your journey. If you need support, you know where to find me.