Becoming a world-class sales coach is easier said than done

This post was originally published by AJ Morris on lessonly.com.

There are various types of coaches in our society, and all of them have varying roles and levels of responsibility. Some reach far and require more robust skillsets than others. To illustrate what I'm saying here, let's look at three examples:

• The swing coach of a golfer is responsible for ensuring the mechanics of the golfer's swing are sound while in practice. But that's about it; They're not out on the course with the golfer in the middle of a tournament, nor are they responsible for coaching the golfer on how to develop a healthy psychology on the course (among other facets of the golfer's game).
• The head coach, or "manager," of a soccer team is responsible for developing the right formation and strategies in training, making tactical tweaks and adjustments from game to game, and making the right substitutions during a game. However, ultimately, once the clock starts running, the players are on the pitch and the manager has little control.
• The head coach of a football team is responsible for designing a cunning playbook in the offseason that fits the roster's skillset, choosing approximately 100 of those plays to have available for the next game, calling approximately 65 plays per game, choosing when and when not to take timeouts in-game, choosing when and when not to throw their "challenge" flag, etc. They have SO much say in what happens before, during, and after the game.

As you can see, the breadth of coaching a golfer's swing coach is involved in is neither as large as a soccer manager, nor the head coach of a football team.

Switching gears from professional sports to the (much more realistic for 99% of us who aren't nearly that athletic) world of sales, what do sales coaches do? How far-reaching are their responsibilities and roles? What kind of skill set is a sales coach required to have?