Training & Coaching Skill: The Two Superpowers Every Sales Professional Must Master

When people ask me, “Vikas, what’s the real secret behind your growth in sales?”
I always say:

Your career grows only when your skills grow and the two most important skills are Training and Coaching.

Over the last two decades, I have seen people transform their confidence, performance, income, and mindset simply because someone trained them well or coached them right.

And truth be told, this belief is exactly why I started writing this blog two years ago.

I wanted to share what I had learnt, unlearnt, practiced and refined over the years.
And when the blog started reaching hundreds of readers, one thought kept returning:

“If I can share so much through articles, why not compile the core learnings into a book?”

That is how The Sales Sanskar was born. A book built on the same foundation of practical Training and meaningful Coaching that shaped my own career.

Now let’s explore these two superpowers clearly, separately, and deeply.

What Is Training?

Training means teaching WHAT to do and HOW to do it.

It is structured, step-by-step, practical knowledge transfer.

In sales, training includes:

• How to pitch
• How to prospect
• How to convert
• How to handle objections
• How to use CRM
• How to present solutions
• How to follow a sales process

Training improves clarity, competence, and confidence.

Real-Life Story: How Training Transformed a Fresher

Years back, when I was working for a small-scale computer institute, marketing budgets were tight, and we had to think about innovative, low-cost, or rather no-cost, lead generation ideas. Kiran was one of my youngest sales executives. Great energy but confused in direction, hence was struggling to perform.

After a single session on referral generation, she applied the exact framework and generated 30 referrals in 7 days and thereafter remained the highest performer for six straight months.

Nothing magical; this was an example of the right training at the right time.

Training builds performance instantly.

Training Helps You Move From Executive to Manager

Because companies promote people who can:

• Train juniors
• Conduct sessions
• Explain processes
• Structure presentations
• Transfer knowledge effectively

If you want faster promotions in sales, start training people around you, even informally.

How to Build Training Skills

1. Learn deeper than you teach: Master your subject.
2. Simplify concepts: A good trainer makes complex things simple
3. Build your own playbooks: Write your personal training kit like scripts, processes, checklists, etc.
4. Use story-based teaching: Stories make learning unforgettable.
5. Practice teaching one person: You don’t need a classroom to become a trainer.
6. Record yourself: Clarity improves dramatically.

What Is Coaching?

Coaching means helping someone think better, decide better, behave better, and perform better.

It focuses on:

• Mindset
• Motivation
• Emotions
• Clarity
• Ownership
• Behaviour

Training teaches skills.
Coaching shapes people.

Real-Life Story: How Coaching Turned Karan Into a Star Presenter

Back in my Sharekhan Education days, during COVID-19, we shifted our entire sales strategy from workshops to webinars.
This meant that every regional head had to speak confidently at the end of the webinar, answer questions, and convert attendees into paying students.

Now, my colleague and close friend Karan had a big challenge:
He was brilliant at his job, but he had a fear of public speaking.

He would quietly avoid the closing segment.
And being friends, I often covered for him.
But I knew avoiding the stage today could cost him success tomorrow.

So I decided to coach him.

I asked him:

• “What’s stopping you from speaking for even two minutes?”
• “What if you start small, just introduce yourself today?”
• “How would you speak if you were already confident?”

Then I worked with him step by step:

• I shared my exact webinar scripts.
• Gave him practical hacks to manage stage fear.
• I included him for 2–3 minutes in my sessions so he could get comfortable.
• I attended and reviewed his live webinars and suggested tiny improvements.

Slowly, something magical happened.

Karan found his voice.
Then he found his rhythm.
Then he found mastery.

Within months, he was not just speaking confidently, but he also became the top closer in our organisation.

At one point, people in the company rated him above me when it came to sales closings during webinars and honestly, I felt proud.

Because that’s what real coaching does.

It doesn’t just teach skills.
It awakens hidden potential.
It turns reluctant speakers into confident leaders.
And it transforms colleagues into champions.

Coaching Helps You Move From Manager to Leader

Because leaders:

• Ask questions
• Listen deeply
• Inspire action
• Support emotions
• Develop people

A manager improves performance.
A leader improves people.

How to Build Coaching Skills

1. Ask more questions than you answer: This is the golden rule.
2. Listen without interrupting: People think better when heard better.
3. Hold weekly one-on-ones: No targets; just growth.
4. Give behavioural feedback: Focus on habits, not just numbers.
5. Build trust: People open up only to those they trust.
6. Celebrate small wins: Micro-wins create macro-confidence.

TRAINING vs COACHING

Corporate Examples:

Tata Group: Coaching Culture for Leadership

Tata’s “Leader as Coach” philosophy nurtured generations of long-term leaders.

HDFC Bank: Training for scale

Their structured sales and service training built thousands of young executives into branch managers.

Infosys: Global Training Benchmark

The Mysore campus revolutionised corporate training with blended learning and behavioural modules.

Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd

Promotes a strong culture of training and coaching, evaluates employees on learning score, and is currently developing a world-class training university near Panvel for internal capability building.

Why Every Sales Professional Must Master BOTH Skills

1. Training helps you rise.
2. Coaching helps you stay ahead.
3. Training gives you skills.
4. Coaching gives you influence.
5. Training creates performers.
6. Coaching creates leaders.

If you ever ask me, “Vikas, what’s the best investment a sales professional can make?”
My answer will always be:

Invest in learning.
Invest in training.
Invest in coaching.
That’s how you build not just a career, but a legacy.

For more insights on sales, marketing, and professional growth, visit AsPerVikas.com

Sales Coach | Author of “The Sales Sanskar” | Creator of VUSM

Hi, I’m Vikas Taware. After years of hands-on experience in sales and marketing, I felt a strong pull to share the strategies I’ve mastered, the setbacks I’ve overcome, and the wins that shaped my journey. That led to AsPerVikas—a blog where I cut through the noise and share real, field-tested insights to help you sell smarter, market better, and grow faster.