If you ask any Sales Leader, HR Head, or L&D Head whether coaching is important, the answer is usually yes. It feels correct, and it sounds professional. But here is a question many Leaders rarely pause to consider:
Sales can survive without coaching.
Coaching cannot survive without sales.
This statement may feel uncomfortable, especially in fast-growing Asian organisations, but it comes from data, not opinion.
Sales Can Function Without Coaching
Sales existed long before coaching became a structured practice. People sold products in markets, shops, and boardrooms without formal coaching. Deals still closed. Revenue still came in. The business kept moving.
But surviving is very different from growing. When sales teams operate with no coaching support, the weaknesses become clear.
CSO Insights found that companies with weak coaching structures take 40% to 60% longer to get new Salespeople performing at a basic level.
The Sales Management Association reported that teams with poor coaching achieve 48% lower target achievement compared to teams with strong coaching systems.
Gallup showed that lack of development is a major reason employees leave. Replacing a Salesperson costs one and a half to two times the annual salary.
Even experienced Salespeople improve when they receive coaching. According to publicly cited summaries of CEB (now Gartner) research, a good coaching increases performance by up to 19%.
Sales can still operate without coaching, but the team moves slower, results become less consistent, and Leaders spend more energy firefighting than building capability.
Coaching Cannot Continue Without Sales
This is the part many Coaches find difficult to acknowledge. Not because it is wrong, but because it touches the core of how the coaching profession operates.
Coaching depends on business growth. It depends on revenue. It depends on companies being financially healthy enough to invest in people development. Without sales, none of that can continue.
According to the 2023 ICF Global Coaching Study, the coaching profession generated an estimated USD 4.564 billion in annual revenue, showing strong worldwide demand for coaching services. But this growth happens only when businesses have the resources to invest in coaching.
When business slows down, coaching is often one of the first areas put on hold. A 2020 survey by Training Industry found that 58 percent of organisations reported their training budgets were affected during the early months of COVID-19, leading many companies to delay or reduce coaching programmes or activities.
Coaching follows the rhythm of business performance. When sales increase, coaching demand rises. When sales decline, coaching programmes pause or disappear. Without revenue, coaching cannot sustain itself.
The Asymmetrical Relationship Between Sales and Coaching
Sales generates income that allows coaching to exist.
Coaching strengthens performance that helps Sales Teams grow.
Both roles benefit each other, but they do not depend on each other in the same way.
If you are a Sales Leader, your team can continue operating without coaching, but the performance gaps will show. If you are in HR or L&D, you already know that coaching budgets rise and fall with the company’s revenue. If you are a Coach, the growth of your profession is tied directly to whether companies are selling and generating income.
Why This Debate Matters in Asia
Many Asian leaders still treat coaching as something nice to have. Some Coaches position coaching as the centre of business success. Many Sales Leaders underestimate how much they lose each year simply because their Managers do not coach.
This discussion is not about taking sides. It is about clarity. When Leaders understand the real relationship between sales and coaching, they make better decisions on capability building, performance improvement, and resource allocation.
Conclusion
Coaching depends on a healthy business environment that comes from strong sales performance. Sales can survive without coaching, although with more effort and slower progress. Coaching cannot survive without sales because coaching requires investment, and investment requires revenue.
Here is a simple thought to close this discussion.
When your products look similar to your competitors', coaching may be the factor that helps your sales team stand out and perform better.
It is a clear and practical idea that many Leaders in Asia may want to explore as they strengthen their teams for the future.