Selling and Sales Management in Action: The Constructs of Sales Coaching: Supervisory Feedback, Role Modeling and Trust

Abstract

Sales coaching has long been cited by sales professionals as a critically important means used by sales managers to enhance the performance of their salespeople. A review of a number of popular press articles and books indicates that practitioners typically discuss sales coaching as a multidimensional activity consisting of three core constructs: supervisory feedback, role modeling, and salesperson trust in manager. This article defines and examines the three sales coaching constructs in detail, reviewing the most recent academic theory and research in order to more precisely understand how and why sales coaching is effective.