CROs and other heads of sales – question for you:
How do you *really* know if your sales managers are coaching?
If your answer is, “They say they are,” then you’ve got a problem.
Many sales managers mistake coaching for:
✅ Sitting in on a few calls
✅ Running through dashboards
✅ Telling reps what to fix
That’s not coaching. That’s supervising.
Real coaching sounds and feels different:
🎯 Questions that make reps think and not just nod their head
🎯 Guidance that exposes blind spots
🎯 Building skills and confidence—not dependency
Here’s your gut-check:
➡️ Can every rep on your team name the one skill they’re working on this month and how their manager is helping them?
If not, you don’t have coaching. You have box-checking.
And that’s why:
❗ Reps stall out.
❗ Deals stall.
❗ Revenue stalls out.
VP Sales, CROs, and sales leaders, this is on you.
Don’t take “we’re coaching” at face value. Watch a session. Ask a rep. Audit what’s really happening.
👉 Curious how to spot real coaching—and turn it into a growth engine?
Want to know 3 AI sales coaching tools to check out?
Lori Richardson is Founder & CEO of Score More Sales, a top B2B sales strategy firm helping mid-sized companies grow revenues by solving key sales issues - like recruiting, retention, building an inclusive sales team, process, pipeline, and leadership. Lori is also the President of Women Sales Pros - a community created to increase the number of women in sales, as well as in AI-powered and sales leadership roles. She speaks to CEOs on topics such as sales growth, the power of mindset, and the importance and value of a strong sales culture. Clients include companies in the technology, telecom, manufacturing, distribution, and professional services industries. Salesforce named Lori a Top Sales Influencer in 2021 -2025. Lori has been named a top sales influencer over the years by LinkedIn, as well as many other companies and organizations. Her book, She Sells is on hiring more women for B2B sales roles. Subscribe to the award-winning blog, follow her on Instagram, X, and LinkedIn – plus elsewhere here.
email lori@scoremoresales.com |My LinkedIn Profile