Sales organizations that coach well see it show up directly in results. SBI research finds that sales managers who devote three or more hours a month to coaching each of their teams reach 107% of team quota, compared with 82% for teams that receive no coaching at all. That gap is the return on a manager's most limited resource: time.

A good rule of thumb for allocating your coaching time is to spend:

• 60% of your coaching time with your salespeople with medium skill levels,
• 15% of your coaching time with your salespeople with low skill levels, and
• 25% of your coaching time with your salespeople with high skill levels.

The idea here is that you should spend most of your time coaching salespeople with medium skills. These salespeople will provide the highest return on your time investment as you develop average performers into high performers. Low-skilled reps may require too much time commitment to help, while high performers have some room for improvement, but don’t need lots of coaching.

But what do you do if you are extremely limited in your time available for coaching?

If that’s the case, then in addition to considering the skill level of your salespeople when allocating your coaching time, you should also consider their relative coachability. Are they receptive to your ideas? Do they want to improve? Are they enthusiastic about their work? A coachable rep has an internal motivation to improve and do better.

The Coachability Signal Checklist 

Here are the four signal categories to check when assessing how coachable a salesperson is, and the specific behaviors within each one.

Category 1: Openness to feedback

This salesperson:

• Asks for feedback rather than waiting for it.
• Listens to the opinions of others without dismissing them.
• Asks how you would handle a situation, rather than assuming they already know.
• Doesn't get defensive when given tough feedback.
• Demonstrates self-awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses.
• Learns from mistakes rather than repeating them.
• Has the ability to act on feedback, not just acknowledge it.
• Shows motivation for improvement without being prompted.
• Discusses business problems with peers, rather than working in isolation.
• Experiments with new approaches instead of defaulting to habit.
• Grasps an idea the first time they hear it.
• Follows instructions well.
• Is flexible when plans or priorities change.
• Is cooperative and participative at group meetings.
• Adapts well to new situations and change.

Category 2: Self-awareness and follow-through

This salesperson:

• Demonstrates self-awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses.
• Learns from mistakes rather than repeating them.
• Has the ability to act on feedback, not just acknowledge it.
  
  

Category 3: Motivation to improve

This salesperson:

• Shows motivation for improvement without being prompted.
• Discusses business problems with peers, rather than working in isolation.
• Experiments with new approaches instead of defaulting to habit.

Category 4: Adaptability and collaboration

This salesperson:

• Grasps an idea the first time they hear it.
• Follows instructions well.
• Is flexible when plans or priorities change.
• Is cooperative and participative at group meetings.
• Adapts well to new situations and change.
  
  

A salesperson who shows most of these behaviors across all four categories is highly coachable: invest the time and expect it to convert into changed behavior. A salesperson who shows few of them is a low-return investment no matter how many hours a manager puts in. If that's the case, the more useful question shifts from how to coach this person to whether coaching is the right management action at all, or whether performance counseling is the better fit.

Use the checklist to better allocate your coaching time, particularly among two equally skilled salespeople. For example, two medium-skill salespeople don't automatically deserve equal coaching time within the 60% target described above. One who shows strong signals across all four categories will convert coaching hours into real skill gains; one who consistently resists feedback won't, even with the same number of hours invested. Coachability is the adjustment layer on top of the skill-based split, not a replacement for it.

FAQ

What does it mean for a salesperson to be coachable?

A coachable salesperson actively seeks feedback, doesn't get defensive when it's critical, and demonstrably changes behavior afterward. Coachability is a pattern of specific, observable actions, not a general attitude or personality trait.

Is coachability the same as skill level?

No. Skill level measures how good a salesperson currently is at a given selling skill; coachability measures how likely they are to improve when given feedback. A highly skilled salesperson can be low on coachability, and a developing salesperson can be highly coachable.

What should a manager do if a salesperson isn't coachable?

Coaching a salesperson who consistently shows low receptivity is a poor use of limited management time. Investigate the root cause first, since it may be a motivation or expectations issue rather than a skill issue, and consider whether performance counseling is the more appropriate management action.

How should coachability affect how I allocate coaching time?

Skill level determines the general split of coaching time (typically weighted toward medium performers), but coachability should adjust that allocation within each group. A medium-skill salesperson who is highly coachable deserves more time than one who consistently resists feedback.

Can a salesperson become more coachable over time?

Yes, though it usually requires addressing the underlying cause of the resistance directly rather than simply continuing to coach through it. A change in approach, expectations, or trust between manager and salesperson can shift receptivity over time.

Want to make sure your coaching time goes to the salespeople who will actually act on it?

SBI's Sales Coaching™ program gives frontline sales managers a repeatable model for assessing skill and receptivity together, so coaching time consistently converts into changed behavior. Schedule a consultation to learn how we can help your team direct coaching time where it will pay off.