Short answer: Open and close every coaching conversation with specific positive feedback. Start with a positive characteristic, like a recent improvement or a part of the sales motion the rep does well. End with confidence in your joint ability to fix the issue, your commitment to help, and one more positive. This is the praise sandwich, and it works in sales coaching when the praise is specific, true, and tied to the rep's own numbers or calls. It is steps 2 and 8 of the 9-step sales coaching conversation.
Why open a coaching conversation with positivity?
The opening sets the tone for everything after it. A rep who hears a specific, earned positive in the first minute knows the manager is paying attention to their work, and that earns the attention you need for the harder part of the conversation. A rep who opens to criticism spends the rest of the meeting defending.
Opening with positivity also reinforces the behavior you want more of. When you name what a rep did well, they are more likely to do it again.
What makes positive feedback work in sales coaching?
Three things.
- Specific. "Great week" tells the rep nothing. "You got a VP on the phone at an account we have been chasing for a quarter" tells them exactly what to repeat.
- True. Reps can tell when praise is filler. If it is not real, it costs you credibility for the rest of the conversation.
- Connected to the work. The best positives come from the same place as the coaching: a call you listened to, a metric that moved, a deal that advanced.
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| "Nice job this week." | "Your connect rate is up since you moved your call block to the morning." |
| "Your calls sound good." | "Your opener on Tuesday's call got the prospect talking in the first 20 seconds." |
| "Keep it up." | "That follow-up meeting you booked before the first one ended is exactly what moves deals." |
How should you close a coaching conversation?
Close with positivity and confidence in your joint ability to resolve the issue. Reiterate your commitment to solving the problem together. Comment on another behavior that is positive.
The close is what the rep walks out with. If the last thing they hear is the issue, they leave thinking about the issue. If the last thing they hear is that you believe they will fix it and you will help, they leave thinking about the plan.
Carry the same tone into the follow-up email in step 9: the issue, the plan, your commitment, and one more positive.
Want your managers coaching with more confidence?
I help frontline leaders run coaching conversations that reps look forward to, from the opening line to the follow-up email.
Does the praise sandwich still work?
It works when the praise is real. The praise sandwich gets a bad reputation when managers use generic compliments to soften criticism, and reps learn to tune out the first and last minute of every conversation. The fix is the three rules above. When the opening and closing are specific and true, they carry as much information as the middle.
Frequently asked questions
What is the praise sandwich in sales coaching?
The praise sandwich is a coaching structure that opens with specific positive feedback, addresses the issue in the middle, and closes with positivity and confidence in the rep's ability to improve.
What should you say at the start of a coaching conversation?
Name a specific, recent positive: an improvement in a metric, a strong call, or a part of the sales motion the rep does well. Then remind the rep that the goal of coaching is their success.
How do you end a sales coaching conversation?
Express confidence in your joint ability to resolve the issue, restate your commitment to help, and name one more positive behavior. Then send a follow-up email that does the same.
Why does generic praise fail?
Generic praise gives the rep nothing to repeat and signals that the manager has not looked closely at their work. Specific praise reinforces a behavior and earns attention for the rest of the conversation.
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