Your managers know the offer, the customers and the numbers. Their team members often have more resources than they show: ideas, drive, and the ability to find their own solutions.
Since 2009, in stores and in B2B sales teams alike, we have seen the same thing: with manager coach skills, a manager unlocks their team members’ potential by giving them responsibility and initiative over their own actions. That is what being a manager coach is about.
Manager coach: what are we talking about?
A manager coach (also called a leader-coach) is a manager who develops their team through questions, listening and feedback, in service of sales performance. It is not about becoming a professional coach, or having a third party coach your managers: we train managers to coach their own team, day to day.
| What a manager coach is | What a manager coach is not |
|---|---|
| A manager who asks questions so the salesperson finds their own solution | An external professional coach |
| A short, regular ritual built into the life of the store or team | A personal development session disconnected from the numbers |
| One-to-ones focused on the salesperson’s KPIs and commitments | Coaching that is purely individual and away from the field |
| A multiplier: every trained manager helps their whole team grow | A manager who decides and acts in place of their team |
The one-to-ones a manager coach runs do not replace team work: they go hand in hand with briefings, team meetings and retail games or sales games.
What coaching their team changes for a manager
Taking a coaching stance with the team does not only benefit salespeople: the manager gains too. The managers we work with often describe the same benefits.
1. Leaving the initiative to the team
At SFR, a store manager sums up her journey like this:
“Stepping back from a team member’s behaviour. Letting go and being patient. Moving from rescuer mode to manager-coach mode.”
By stepping back, the manager lets the team member look for, and own, their own solutions. They support the analysis without deciding for them.
2. Feedback changes hands
A Louis Vuitton manager in North America notes:
“My CAs are no longer making changes based on my feedback. Instead, they are giving themselves that feedback.”
It is the clearest sign that a team has become more autonomous: salespeople can assess their own sale.
3. A team that runs without you
At Yellow Korner, a gallery manager felt the benefit very concretely: going on holiday with peace of mind, knowing her team would run the gallery without her.
That is the heart of the manager coach stance: team members who take initiative and responsibility for their actions.
3 habits to start coaching tomorrow
You do not need to wait for a training programme to try the manager coach stance. In your next one-to-one, check these three points.
1. Who talks the most? Aim for 30/70
In a coaching conversation, the manager talks about 30% of the time and the team member 70%. If you do most of the talking, you hand out solutions instead of letting them find their own.
Start with open questions: “How did your week go?”, “What worked well?”, “What would you do differently?”. Then let the silence do its work.
2. Is the setting right?
A coaching conversation does not happen between two customers, in the middle of the shop floor. Before you start, check for:
- a closed room, where the team member can speak freely;
- phones put away, yours included;
- dedicated time, announced in advance.
This setting tells the team member that the moment matters, and makes them want to engage.
3. Who presents the KPIs?
If you announce the team member’s numbers, the conversation becomes a review. If they present and analyse them, they take ownership of their progress.
Ask them to prepare: their indicators, what has improved, what is holding them back, and the commitment they want to make.
Want to go further?
These habits are quick to learn, but they only last if they are practised and anchored in team rituals. That is the purpose of the CapKelenn method, accredited by the ICF: a programme that combines group sessions, practice in the field and certification. At Porcelanosa, sales grew by 250% after managers were certified in Sales Coaching. See how we apply it in stores with Retail Coaching, and with sales teams through Sales Coaching.
Frequently asked questions
Do my managers need to become professional coaches? No. They remain managers. They learn to use coaching tools to develop their team and its sales results.
Does coaching replace managing by KPIs? No, it strengthens it. Coaching conversations start from the salesperson’s indicators and lead to commitments they choose themselves.
Does the programme work remotely? Yes. Group sessions can be held in person or online, and the practice happens in the field.
Who is it for? Store managers, area managers, sales managers, regional directors: all front-line managers of a sales team.
Unlock your teams’ potential
Your managers already have the sales expertise. Manager coach skills let them pass it on differently: by giving their team members responsibility and initiative over their own actions. Let’s talk about your teams: book a meeting with us.
