Our research team recently ranked the top executive sales coaches of 2024. We define an executive sales coach as any individual or organization that provides services meant to improve the performance of a client’s sales team.
Our list was developed from an initial sample size of ~50 candidates, which we graded based on a proprietary algorithm to evaluate overall quality. While our definition allows for a variety of executive sales coaching program types (e.g. group training, online tutorials) our list prioritizes coaches who provide intensive 1-on-1 coaching targeted to the company’s C-suite. Our algorithm consists of the following criteria:
- Average Review Score (50%): Given how subjective a ranking list of executive sales coaches can be, averaging reviews and ratings across a variety of platforms got us as close as possible to objectivity.
- Awards & Honors (25%): A direct reflection of the individual’s success in the field, as recognized by organizations dedicated to sales, entrepreneurship, or executive coaching.
- # of Years Consulting (25%): Coaches with a long tenure have not only established a pattern of success amongst their clients, but have also had to adapt their program to meet the standards of a changing sales environment over time, suggesting a strong knowledge of core sales techniques.
Our top 8 executive sales coaches are presented in the table below. In addition to their results for the criteria above, we also included their past positions, their ideal client fit, and their availablility for hire.
| Name | Program Structure | # of Years Consulting | Average Review Score | Awards & Honors | Past Positions | Ideal Client Fit | Available for Hire? |
| Cary Chessick | 1-on-1 executive coaching | 12 | 4.9 | Entrepreneur of the Year (Ernst & Young) Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame(University of Illinois) | CEO of Restaurant.com | Mid-market companies looking to increase their pipeline velocity through faster sales | Yes |
| Art Sobczak | 1-on-1 coachingPodcasting Author | 41 | 4.7 | Lifetime Achievement Award (American Association of Inside Sales Professionals) | CEO and founder of Business By Phone | Companies seeking direct training for their sales teams. | Yes |
| Dr. Robert Cialdini | Video Training, in-person workshops, public speaking | 25 | 4.5 | Book of the Year (Society of Personality and Social Psychology) | CEO of Influence at Work | Startups and budget-oriented companies seeking to improve their teams performance | No |
| Jeffrey Gitomer | Consulting, Seminar Speaking | 26 | 4.5 | CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame(National Speakers Association) | CEO & Founder at King of Sales | Small companies seeking all-purpose sales training to improve team performance | Yes |
| Amy Franko | Consulting, Online training | 17 | 4.5 | 2022 Top 15 Women Sales Influencers to Follow (SalesMate.io) 2021, Finalist, Top Individual Sales Bog (Top Sales World) | CEO and founder of Amy Franko Associates | Enterprises seeking to streamline their sales pipeline | Yes |
| Jill Konrath | Public Speaking, Video training | 22 | 4.4 | Top Selling Book: Agile Sales (Top Sales World) 25 Influential Leaders in Sales (InsideView) | CEO of What’s Really Possible | Companies interested in a primarily in-house solution seeking DIY sales training | No |
| Hsiang-Yi Lin | 1-on-1 executive coaching, Consulting | 12 | 4.5 | N/A | CEO & founder at MKMB Consulting | Companies in the midst of scaling seeking executive training | Yes |
The following sections detail each of the entries on the list above in further detail, providing a professional background of each coach as well as a brief analysis of how they scored on our algorithm.
Cary Chessick
Cary Chessick is an executive sales coach who focuses on the speed of sales, helping teams bring leads to conversion more quickly. Whereas many executive sales coaches tend to offer consulting services, Chessick’s program is an intensive weekly check-in modeled off of agile sprint methodology. During these meetings, he works directly with a company’s c-suite, sales managers, and individual contributors to address obstacles in the sales process, improve the elevator pitch, and move the sales process towards a conversion.
Chessick has more than a decade experience in executive sales coaching and is the recipient of several entrepreneurial awards as a result of his work with many executive level clients. This, in addition to his programs 1-on-1 approach to executive sales coaching places him squarely at the top of our list.
- Program Structure: 1-on-1 executive coaching
- Average Review Score: 4.9
- # Years Consulting: 2012
- Awards & Honors: Entrepreneur of the Year (Ernst & Young), Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame (University of Illinois)
- Contact: Cary Chessick Website
| Client Testimonial Summary |
| Clients consider Chessick an “invaluable sales coach and mentor” who “recognizes high-impact projects and develops coaching and training strategies,” leading to “higher engagement, more trust, and stronger relationships with clients.” |
Art Sobczak
Art Sobczak is an executive sales coach providing direct training opportunities to a sales team directly rather than working through a company’s c-suite. In particular, Sobzcak excels at phone training for companies, which is the focus of “Business by Phone.” This makes him the perfect solution for smaller companies with a more involved sales team and a c-suite that is often forced to wear many hats while the company grows.
Sobczak has a long history of working directly with sales teams in-person, however we should note that his training appears to be primarily for the teams themselves rather than for the executive suite.
- Program Structure:1-on-1 coaching, Podcasting
- Average Review Score: 4.7
- # Years Consulting: 1983
- Awards & Honors: Lifetime Achievement Award (American Association of Inside Sales Professionals)
- Contact: Art Sobczak Website
| Client Testimonial Summary |
| Art Sobczak provides “an -depth guide to cold calling” that “focuses on gathering more information before going into a sales call,” however several clients note that “the techniques and theory extend well beyond calling.” |
Dr. Robert Cialdini
Dr. Robert Cialdini is a best-selling author and academic who provides sales coaching services geared towards a widespread audience, providing a range of options for companies seeking sales training. Clients in need of a personal touch have the option of in-person workshops, which range from a weekend to a week, while more DIY clients have the option of video training and public speaking events to provide the basis upon which internal teams can continue to build.
Cialdini’s range of services, as well as his extensive tenure, makes him one of the candidates on this list with the widest mass appeal; as a result, his services include executive training as one of many fields he speaks on.. While his books have not been recognized by explicitly sales organizations, the fact that psychological institutions have taken note of his work speak to the depth of his knowledge of the subject.
- Program Structure: Video Training, in-person workshops, public speaking
- Average Review Score: 4.5
- # Years Consulting: 1999
- Awards & Honors:Book of the Year (Society of Personality and Social Psychology)
- Contact: Robert Cialdini Website
| Client Testimonial Summary |
| Dr. Robert Cialdini is “the leading voice in the fields of persuasion, compliance, and negotiation,” providing training that “will boost your overall ability as a leader 10-fold.” His work is “invaluable for directing [the clients] marketing efforts and focus.” |
Jeffrey Gitomer
Jeffrey Gitomer is known within the industry as the “king of sales,” a title which he has earned by authoring 17 books on sales and various public speaking events in which he teaches mass audiences the fundamentals of sales. Interested parties can also take advantage of his “sales master certification” program, a year long program during which clients are able to take advantage of regular check-ins to monitor progress.
Gitomer has arguably one of the most storied careers of the individuals on this list, earning awards and honors from various speaker’s associations. Although the lion’s share of his work appears to be public speaking, his consulting work makes him an excellent choice for high-level clients seeking more personal attention.
- Program Structure: Consulting, Seminar Speaking
- Average Review Score: 4.5
- # Years Consulting: 1998
- Awards & Honors:CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame (National Speakers Association)
- Contact: Jeffrey Gitomer Website
| Client Testimonial Summary |
| Jeffrey Gitomer is a “compelling speaker” who provides audiences with “expert advice” that “provides lasting results” for sales teams and executives alike. |
Amy Franko
Amy Franko is an executive sales coach who works with larger clients to improve their sales team’s performance on high-pressure, high value sales. Her work primarily focuses on consulting work, consisting of setting unique and tailored improvement plans based on an initial analysis of the client’s weak points with regular check-ins to track progress. In addition, she provides online courses for clients seeking standardized approaches to improving the sales team.
Franko’s program has been around for a little more than 15 years, earning her several notable accolades from sales organizations. Her program is slightly less intensive than a traditional 1-on-1 coaching program, however it is geared towards enterprise executives.
- Program Structure: Consulting, Online training
- Average Review Score: 4.5
- # Years Consulting: 2007
- Awards & Honors:2022 Top 15 Women Sales Influencers to Follow (SalesMate.io), 2021, Finalist, Top Individual Sales Bog (Top Sales World)
- Contact: Amy Franko Website
| Client Testimonial Summary |
| Amy Franko “helps guide sales professionals to success” with “actionable insights and practical strategies,” teaching the “mindset, skills, and agility sales professionals need to succeed and thrive in this fast-evolving selling environment.” |
Jill Konrath
Jill Konrath is a sales trainer who divides her services between public speaking and video training services. In addition, she is a best-selling author of “More Sales, Less Time” which takes a holistic approach to sales, examining the context surrounding a cold-call or an elevator pitch to make the sales team more efficient in their approach.
Konrath has been providing sales training services for more than two decades, and her books have won some prestige from sales organizations. Her approach to sales is more self-directed and focused on the team than the executives themselves, however the quality of her work suggests a long pattern of improving the performance of a company’s sales team.
- Program Structure: Public Speaking, Video training
- Average Review Score: 4.4
- # Years Consulting: 2002
- Awards & Honors: Top Selling Book: Agile Sales (Top Sales World), 25 Influential Leaders in Sales (InsideView)
- Contact: Jill Konrath Website
| Client Testimonial Summary |
| Jill Konrath is a “top notch sales trainer” who “debunks many of the sales myths” of the modern sales environment. Her work “cannot be praised enough” and achieves “great results in a short period of time.” |
Hsiang-Yi Lin
Hsiang-Yi Lin is the founder and CEO of MKMB Consulting, which provides executive training for leadership to handle management changes, personal transitions, and organizational transformations to improve the internal performance of the company. Because this work includes executive sales coaching as a part of a broader spectrum of executive coaching services, Lin is an ideal choice for companies seeking services to transform their c-suite in total.
Lin’s work as an executive coach makes her an ideal candidate for this list, however, she notably does not specialize in sales, instead offering it as one of her advertised services. That being said, she has been providing executive coaching services for more than a decade to some highly recognizable clients, suggesting a pattern of success indicating a deep knowledge of sales.
- Program Structure:1-on-1 executive coaching, Consulting
- Average Review Score: 4.5
- # Years Consulting: 2012
- Awards & Honors: N/A
- Contact: Hsiang-Yi Lin Website
| Client Testimonial Summary |
| Hsiang-Yi Lin provides clients with “sound, thoughtful, robust and lasting strategic planning” that speaks to their needs, “driv[ing] more cross-functional collaboration throughout the organization” and “effective communication” for clients. |
