Sales coach competencies framework: an exploratory approach

In today’s competitive landscape, businesses require robust and effective sales strategies to achieve sustainable growth. Sales coaches play a crucial role in enhancing salespeople's performance through targeted coaching programs. This research aims to establish a competencies framework for sales coaches. To gather insights, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with experienced sales coaching experts. Data analysis was performed using thematic analysis techniques and MAXQDA software. The findings reveal four key dimensions of competence for sales coaches, producing the ‘LIST’ framework: Leadership and management competencies; Individual characteristics; Specific coaching competencies; Technical competence. Each dimension includes relevant subsets tailored to the competencies required for effective sales coaching.