Why Coachability Matters More Than Talent When It Comes to Closing Deals and Scaling Revenue

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I’ve worked with hundreds of salespeople and business owners over the years, and I can spot the difference between someone who’s going to win and someone who’s going to keep making excuses within about five minutes.

It’s not about talent. It’s not about experience. It’s not even about work ethic, though that matters too.

The difference is coachability. How someone responds when you give them feedback tells you everything about whether they’re actually going to improve or if they’re just going to keep doing the same thing and hoping for different results.

I’ve seen incredibly talented people plateau at mediocre results because they couldn’t take coaching. And I’ve seen average performers become absolute killers because they were obsessively coachable.

The talkers are the ones who always have an explanation for why something didn’t work. Why that strategy won’t work for their situation. Why they’re different. Why the advice doesn’t apply to them.

The winners are the ones who say “okay, let me try that” and then actually go do it. They implement. They test. They report back on what happened. And then they adjust based on what they learned.

That’s the difference. And if you want to know why you or your team aren’t hitting the numbers you should be hitting, coachability is probably the answer.

Let me show you exactly what coachability looks like, why it matters so much, and how to develop it in yourself and your team.

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What Coachability Really Means and Why It Is Not Just Nodding and Smiling at Feedback

Most people think coachability just means being nice when someone gives you feedback. Smiling and nodding. Saying “thanks for the input.”

That’s not coachability. That’s just politeness.

Real coachability is what you do after the conversation ends. Do you actually implement what was suggested? 

Research from the Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management reveals that vulnerability strengthens key coachability subdimensions, including relationship with the coach, feedback coping, and openness to learning, which in turn improve sales performance.

Do you test it fairly? Do you come back with results and ask for the next level of coaching?

Or do you go back to doing exactly what you were doing before and then wonder why nothing changes?

I work with a lot of insurance agency owners. And the pattern is clear. The ones who are crushing it are obsessively coachable. When I suggest a change to their sales process, they implement it that week. When I point out a blind spot, they acknowledge it immediately and ask how to fix it.

The ones who are struggling? They’ve got a reason why every suggestion won’t work. “My market is different.” “My clients wouldn’t respond to that.” “I tried something similar before and it didn’t work.”

They’re not looking for coaching. They’re looking for validation that what they’re already doing is fine and it’s just bad luck or bad timing that’s holding them back.

Here’s what real coachability looks like in practice. You’re on a call with a coach or mentor. They point out that your discovery process is weak and you’re not uncovering enough pain before pitching your solution.

The uncoachable response is to defend your current process. “Well, I ask about their challenges. I definitely dig into pain points. I don’t think that’s the issue.”

The coachable response is to get curious. “You’re right, I probably am rushing to the pitch. What specifically should I be asking that I’m not asking now? Can you give me an example of how you’d handle that part of the conversation?”

See the difference? One person is protecting their ego. The other is trying to get better.

Coachability is the willingness to admit you don’t have it all figured out and then actually do something about it. It’s being more interested in results than in being right.

And the data backs this up. Research from the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science confirms that sales performance is highest when salespeople are highly coachable, highly competitive, and under transformational leadership, with coachability serving as the mechanism through which leadership influences sales performance.

But here’s what most people miss. Coachability isn’t a personality trait you’re born with. It’s a skill you can develop. And if you’re leading a team, it’s something you can actively build in your people.

The question is whether you’re willing to be honest about where you are right now and then put in the work to improve.

Why Successful People Struggle to Be Coachable and How Ego Gets in the Way of Growth

Let me tell you something that might sting a little. The more successful you’ve been in the past, the harder it is to be coachable.

I see this constantly with experienced salespeople who had a great run a few years ago. They made good money. They were at the top of the leaderboard. They’ve got credibility and experience.

And now they’re stuck. The tactics that worked in 2020 aren’t working in 2025. The market has changed. Buyer behavior has evolved. But they can’t adapt because they’re too attached to what worked before.

When you give them coaching on new approaches, they resist. Not because they’re bad people. But because accepting that coaching means admitting that their old way isn’t good enough anymore. And that feels like admitting they’re not as good as they thought they were.

That’s ego getting in the way of growth. And it kills more careers than lack of talent ever will.

The same thing happens with business owners. You built a successful agency doing things a certain way. That approach got you to six figures or seven figures. You’re proud of what you built.

But now growth has stalled. You’re working harder than ever and revenue is flat. Someone suggests you need to change your sales process, upgrade your systems, delegate differently.

And instead of jumping on that advice, you defend what you’re currently doing. Because changing feels like admitting you were wrong. And after all this success, how could you be wrong?

Here’s the truth though. What got you here won’t get you to the next level. The skills and strategies that create initial success are rarely the same ones that create scaling success.

Being coachable means being okay with that. It means being willing to say “what I’m doing isn’t working as well anymore, teach me a better way.”

The irony is that the most successful people I know are also the most coachable. They’ve achieved a lot, but they’re still hungry to learn. They’re still asking questions. They’re still implementing new strategies.

They’re not defensive about feedback because they see coaching as acceleration, not criticism. Every piece of good coaching is a shortcut to better results. Why would you resist that?

But it requires humility. You have to be comfortable being a beginner again in certain areas. You have to be okay with someone knowing more than you about something and learning from them.

A lot of people can’t do that. Their ego won’t allow it. And that’s why they plateau while more coachable people blow past them.

If you find yourself getting defensive when someone gives you feedback, that’s a sign. If you’re quick to explain why advice won’t work for you, that’s a sign. If you haven’t substantially changed your approach in the last year, that’s a sign.

You might have a coachability problem. And that’s okay. Just acknowledging it is the first step toward fixing it.

The Five Traits of Highly Coachable People Who Actually Implement Feedback and Get Results

Let me break down exactly what separates highly coachable people from everyone else. Because once you understand these traits, you can actively develop them.

The first trait is active listening without defensiveness. When someone gives you feedback, you’re fully present and actually hearing what they’re saying instead of mentally preparing your rebuttal.

I can tell within seconds whether someone is really listening or just waiting for their turn to explain why I’m wrong. The coachable ones take notes. They ask clarifying questions. They repeat back what they heard to make sure they understood correctly.

The uncoachable ones interrupt. They start listing exceptions. They bring up edge cases. They’re so busy defending themselves that they miss the actual insight being offered.

Here’s how you develop this trait. The next time someone gives you feedback, force yourself to wait five full seconds before responding. In that pause, ask yourself “is there truth in this feedback even if I don’t like how it feels?”

Usually there is. And if you can get past your initial defensive reaction, you can actually extract value from the coaching.

The second trait is self-awareness about blind spots. Coachable people know they have areas where they’re weak or where they can’t see clearly. 

Carol Dweck’s research found that students who believed their intelligence could be developed (a growth mindset) outperformed those who believed their intelligence was fixed (a fixed mindset).

They actively seek outside perspective because they know their own view is limited.

I know I’m not great at delegating. I tend to hold onto tasks too long instead of training someone else to handle them. That’s a blind spot. So I specifically ask my coaches and mentors to call me out when they see me doing it.

That’s self-awareness leading to coachability. I’m creating opportunities for feedback in areas where I know I need it.

Uncoachable people think they can see everything clearly. They don’t believe they have blind spots, or at least they don’t want to admit it. So when someone points one out, it feels like an attack instead of helpful insight.

Work on identifying your own blind spots. Ask people you trust “what am I missing that’s obvious to everyone else?” And then actually listen to the answer without getting defensive.

The third trait is a beginner’s mindset. Coachable people approach new information with curiosity instead of skepticism. 

Research on growth mindset shows that those with this orientation see feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow, welcoming constructive criticism rather than becoming defensive or threatened.

They’re genuinely interested in learning, even about topics where they have experience.

I’ve been in sales for years. I’ve coached thousands of sales conversations. But I still consume content about sales. I still hire coaches. I still read books and take courses.

Because there’s always something new to learn. Some angle I haven’t considered. Some tweak that could improve my results by 5%.

That beginner’s mindset keeps me coachable. I’m not approaching new information thinking “I already know this.” I’m approaching it thinking “what can I learn from this that I don’t already know?”

That mindset shift changes everything. Instead of filtering information through what you already believe, you’re genuinely open to being shown a better way.

The fourth trait is flexibility and adaptability. Coachable people can pivot quickly when something isn’t working. They’re not married to a specific approach. They’re married to results.

If I suggest changing how they handle objections and it improves their close rate, they adopt it permanently. They don’t go back to the old way just because it’s familiar.

Uncoachable people resist change even when it clearly works. They’ll test a new approach, see it work, and then revert to their old habit because it feels more comfortable.

That’s insane. But it happens all the time. People would rather be comfortable than successful.

Start catching yourself when you default to the old way of doing something even though you know a better approach. That’s a coachability failure. Force yourself to stick with the new approach until it becomes the new default.

The fifth trait is proactive feedback seeking. The most coachable people don’t wait for coaching to come to them. They actively ask for it.

After every important call or meeting, they’re asking “what could I have done better there?” They’re requesting feedback regularly instead of avoiding it.

That’s because they see coaching as valuable instead of threatening. Every piece of feedback is potential improvement. Why would you not want as much of that as possible?

If you’re not regularly asking for feedback from people who can help you improve, you’re leaving growth on the table. Start asking. “How did I handle that?” “What would you have done differently?” “Where did you see me struggle?”

The answers will sometimes be uncomfortable. Good. That discomfort is where growth lives.

How to Build a Coachable Sales Team That Actually Implements Feedback and Improves Performance

If you’re leading a team, coachability might be the single most important trait to develop in your people. Because a team of coachable average performers will outwork a team of talented but uncoachable people every single time.

Here’s how you build it. First, you model it yourself. If you’re defensive when your team gives you feedback, they’ll be defensive when you give them feedback. If you never admit mistakes or ask for input, neither will they.

I make it a point to ask my team for feedback regularly. “What could I have done better in that meeting?” “Where am I creating bottlenecks?” “What do you need from me that you’re not getting?”

And when they give me honest feedback, I thank them and implement it. I don’t defend. I don’t explain. I just take the feedback seriously and make changes.

That creates psychological safety. My team knows they can give me direct feedback without me getting defensive. So when I give them feedback, they’re more likely to receive it the same way.

The second thing you do is hire for coachability. When I’m interviewing candidates, I specifically ask about times they received difficult feedback and what they did with it.

The uncoachable ones will either say they rarely get negative feedback because they’re so good, or they’ll tell a story where the feedback was wrong and they ignored it.

The coachable ones will tell you about feedback that stung, but they implemented it anyway and it improved their results. They’ll talk about coaches or managers who pushed them and how grateful they are for that push.

That tells you everything about whether this person will grow in your organization or plateau.

You can also test coachability in the interview. Give them some feedback on the spot. Point out something they could improve in how they’re presenting themselves or answering questions.

Watch how they respond. Do they get defensive? Do they make excuses? Or do they absorb it, ask clarifying questions, and adjust?

That real-time response is incredibly predictive of how they’ll handle coaching once they’re on your team.

The third thing is you create a coaching culture where feedback is normal and expected. We do role-play practice in my company at least weekly. We record calls and review them together. We give each other direct feedback constantly.

That normalization of coaching makes it less threatening. It’s not a big deal to get feedback because everyone’s getting feedback all the time. It’s just how we operate.

If feedback only happens during formal reviews or when someone really messes up, it feels punitive. People get defensive because they think they’re in trouble.

But when feedback is constant and focused on improvement rather than punishment, coachability naturally increases. People start to see it as helpful instead of threatening.

The last piece is you focus your coaching on behaviors, not just outcomes. When someone’s numbers are down, don’t just say “you need to close more deals.” That’s not coaching. That’s just restating the obvious.

Instead, dig into the behaviors that drive outcomes. “I noticed you’re not asking enough discovery questions before pitching. Let’s work on that.” “Your follow-up cadence is inconsistent. Here’s a system to fix it.”

Behavioral coaching is actionable. Your team can immediately implement it and see whether it improves results. Outcome coaching just creates pressure without giving people tools to actually improve.

Build these four elements into your team culture and you’ll see coachability increase across the board. And with it, performance will increase too.

Because a team that’s constantly getting better is a team that wins consistently.

How to Actually Implement Coaching So It Improves Your Results Instead of Just Collecting Advice

Here’s the part nobody talks about. You can be incredibly coachable and still not get results if you’re getting bad coaching or implementing advice incorrectly.

Coachability is necessary but not sufficient. You also need good coaches and you need to implement their guidance effectively.

Let me give you some practical advice on how to actually use coaching to improve instead of just collecting advice you never act on.

First, be selective about who you take coaching from. Not all feedback is created equal. Someone who’s never built what you’re trying to build probably can’t give you useful advice on how to do it.

I see this all the time. Someone’s struggling with high-ticket sales and they’re taking advice from a friend who’s only ever sold low-ticket offers. The tactics are completely different. The coaching might be well-intentioned but it’s not relevant.

Find coaches and mentors who have actually achieved what you’re trying to achieve. Who have been where you are and gotten to where you want to be. That’s who you listen to.

And be honest with yourself about whether you’re taking coaching from people just because it’s free or easy, or because they actually have expertise in the area you need help with.

Second, implement one thing at a time. This is huge. A lot of coachable people fail because they try to implement every piece of advice they get simultaneously and end up doing nothing well.

You get coached on your discovery process, your follow-up system, your close technique, and your time management all in one session. If you try to overhaul everything at once, you’ll be overwhelmed and you won’t know what’s actually working.

Pick the one change that will have the biggest impact. Implement it fully. Give it two to three weeks. Measure the results. Then move to the next thing.

That sequential implementation actually produces results instead of just creating chaos.

Third, track your results after implementing coaching. You need to know whether the change actually worked. Don’t just implement something and assume it’s better because a coach told you to do it.

When I work with clients, I always ask them to report back on what happened after they implemented a strategy. Did your close rate improve? Did your show rate increase? Did you close deals faster?

If it worked, great, keep doing it and let’s build on it. If it didn’t work, let’s figure out why. Maybe the implementation was off. Maybe the strategy needs adjustment for your specific situation. Maybe it just wasn’t the right fit.

But you only know that if you’re actually measuring. Otherwise you’re just hoping things are getting better without any evidence.

Fourth, communicate with your coach about what’s working and what’s not. This is where a lot of coachable people struggle. They implement everything they’re told even when it clearly isn’t working because they don’t want to seem like they’re making excuses.

That’s not coachability. That’s blind obedience. And it doesn’t serve you.

If you’ve genuinely implemented something and it’s not producing results, that’s important information. A good coach wants to know that so they can adjust their guidance.

I’d much rather have someone tell me “I tried that approach for three weeks, here’s exactly what I did, and here are the results I got” than have them just keep doing something that isn’t working because they don’t want to disappoint me.

That feedback loop is how coaching actually improves your results instead of just checking a box.

The last thing is to be patient with the process. Real improvement takes time. You’re not going to implement one new strategy and double your revenue next week.

Coachability is a long game. You’re making incremental improvements that compound over time. You’re building better habits and skills that pay off over months and years, not days.

The uncoachable people give up after a week because they don’t see immediate results. The coachable ones trust the process, keep implementing, keep measuring, keep adjusting, and watch their performance steadily climb over time.

That’s the difference. Stay committed to the process of getting better and the results will follow.

Why Being More Coachable Than Your Competition Is Your Biggest Unfair Advantage in Sales

Let me bring this home with something you need to understand. In any competitive environment, coachability is your unfair advantage.

There are people smarter than you. More experienced than you. Better connected than you. More talented than you. That’s just reality.

But if you’re more coachable than they are, you’ll eventually surpass them. Because you’re improving faster. You’re adapting quicker. You’re implementing better strategies while they’re still doing what they’ve always done.

I’ve watched this play out hundreds of times. The person who wins isn’t the most gifted. It’s the person who’s most committed to getting better.

And that commitment shows up in how you respond to coaching. Are you defending your current approach or are you looking for ways to improve it? Are you explaining why something won’t work or are you testing it to see if it could work? Are you protecting your ego or are you chasing better results?

Those questions determine everything. Your trajectory. Your income. Your impact. All of it comes down to whether you’re coachable enough to keep improving or whether you’ve decided you already know enough.

The market doesn’t care about your ego. Your clients don’t care that you’ve been doing it the same way for ten years. They care about results. And results come from constant improvement.

So here’s what I want you to do. Take an honest look at how you’ve responded to feedback in the last month. When someone suggested you change something, did you implement it or defend against it? When you got coaching, did you act on it or file it away?

If the answer makes you uncomfortable, good. That discomfort is the beginning of growth.

Start practicing coachability today. Ask someone you trust for honest feedback on where you could improve. And then actually implement what they suggest. Don’t debate it. Don’t explain why it won’t work. Just try it and see what happens.

Do that consistently for 90 days and you’ll be shocked at how much you improve. Not because the feedback is magical. But because you’re finally getting out of your own way and allowing yourself to get better.

That’s the difference between talkers and winners. Talkers explain why they can’t improve. Winners just keep improving.

Which one are you going to be?

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