Assess a sales leader’s coaching by observing how they help another person improve a specific behavior. Advice, encouragement, and criticism can all appear in coaching, but none alone demonstrates that learning will occur.
Use a fictional call excerpt rather than a real employee’s performance record.
Prepare the exercise
Give the candidate a short synthetic sales conversation. The fictional seller talks at length about features and leaves without understanding the buyer’s decision process.
Ask the candidate to lead a coaching conversation with an interviewer playing the seller. Share the format and time boundary in advance.
Look for a useful sequence
| Step | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Understand | Asks how the seller interpreted the conversation |
| Observe | Identifies specific behavior from the excerpt |
| Explain | Connects that behavior to the missed learning |
| Focus | Chooses a manageable improvement |
| Practice | Gives the seller a chance to try a better approach |
| Follow up | Defines what to observe in a later conversation |
The leader should not overwhelm the seller with every possible correction.
Add resistance
Have the fictional seller say that the buyer seemed enthusiastic, so the call must have gone well.
Look for a response that distinguishes enthusiasm from evidence of a buying process. The candidate should help the seller inspect the conversation rather than simply assert authority.
Assess adaptation
A coaching approach that works for one person may not fit another. Ask how the candidate would change their support for a new seller versus an experienced seller repeating the same issue.
Avoid interpreting friendliness or intensity as coaching quality. Focus on whether the feedback is understandable, actionable, and grounded in observed work.
Discuss real experience carefully
Ask for a generalized example of coaching that changed behavior. The candidate can explain their contribution without naming an employee or sharing private performance details.
A strong answer also explains what did not work and how the leader adjusted.
Use the founding seller leadership path and sales discovery exercise. Discuss a sales leadership search with Refery.