Sales coaching just got a major upgrade. ValueSelling Associates just dropped Val, an AI avatar sales coach that’s changing the game for how sales teams actually get better at their jobs.
Forget boring training modules and awkward role-plays, this is conversational coaching that feels surprisingly human.
Why sales coaching has been broken (and everyone knows it)
Here’s the thing about sales coaching: it’s basically non-existent in most companies, and the numbers are pretty brutal. According to Replicate Labs:
- 73% of sales professionals receive no consistent coaching
- 76% of sellers report needing additional coaching support
- 55% of sales managers lack the skills necessary for effective coaching
It’s not that managers don’t care, they’re just drowning. Most sales managers are juggling 7-10 direct reports while trying to hit their own numbers and close deals. Coaching gets pushed to the bottom of the priority list, and everyone suffers for it.
This isn’t your average sales bot
Val isn’t just another AI tool trying to sound smart. It’s built on the ValueSelling Framework- a methodology that’s been around since 1991 and actually works. We’re talking about 260+ proprietary training modules packed into an AI that can have real conversations with your sales team.
The tech behind it is pretty impressive: agentic AI, conversational intelligence, voice recognition, and natural dialogue that doesn’t feel like you’re talking to a robot. Powered by Replicate Labs, Val has realistic expressions and personality quirks that make conversations feel genuine.
Here’s what makes Val different:
- It Knows Your Business: Val gets your go-to-market strategy, understands your buyers, and knows your sales process inside out.
- Personal Touch: No cookie-cutter advice here. Val creates custom learning paths based on each rep’s actual needs and goals.
- Smart Integration: It plugs into your CRM, sales tools, and conversation platforms to understand what’s really happening with your deals.
- Always Learning: Val adapts its coaching based on real results, not just theory.
How it actually works
Picture this: you hop on a call with Val and she starts by asking about your recent challenges. Maybe you mention that a hot prospect suddenly went radio silent. Instead of generic advice, Val digs deeper through conversation.
She might discover that you never created urgency around the prospect’s problem or failed to quantify what not fixing it would cost them. Val connects this back to the ValueSelling Framework, helping you understand why deals stall when urgency is missing.
Within seconds of your conversation, Val generates a SMART goal, builds a custom coaching plan visible on your dashboard, books your next session, and adds personalized learning to your calendar. No waiting, no back-and-forth scheduling – it all happens in real-time.
The best part? Val can stay connected through Slack, so you can ping her between sessions when you’re stuck on a call or need quick advice before a big meeting.
Julie Thomas, CEO of ValueSelling Associates, puts it perfectly: “Val is not an AI tool: Val is a virtual ValueSelling Associates coach trained to think, ask and respond like an elite human sales coach. With Val, organizations can democratize high-quality coaching at scale and empower reps to improve in the moment and continually iterate on those improvements.”
That’s the key – democratizing coaching. Not everyone can afford to have elite sales coaches working with every rep, but now they can get pretty close.
Why this actually matters for your bottom line
Here’s what really happens when your sales team gets consistent, quality coaching: they get better at articulating value, ask smarter questions, and actually advance deals instead of letting them sit in limbo. It’s value-based selling reinforced right when reps need it most.
For sales leaders, Val is like having a coaching assistant that never gets tired, never has a bad day, and can work with your entire team simultaneously. You get measurable performance improvements without burning out your managers.
This is where sales technology is heading – less robotic automation, more human-like intelligence that actually understands context and nuance. Val represents what happens when you combine proven sales methodology with AI that can hold real conversations.
For business leaders wondering if AI coaching is worth the investment, consider this: your sales team wants coaching (76% say they need more), your managers don’t have time to provide it, and inconsistent coaching is costing you deals. Val solves all three problems.
ValueSelling Associates has been perfecting sales methodology since 1991, working with Fortune 1000 companies down to startups across 17+ languages. They’ve helped hundreds of thousands of sales professionals hit numbers they never thought possible. Now they’re bringing that expertise to AI – and it’s pretty remarkable what happens when technology actually enhances human performance instead of trying to replace it.
Val is available now as part of ValueSelling Associates’ ValueCoach AI suite. It plays nice with your existing tools and workflows, plus it connects through Slack for those quick between-session questions.
Reach out to info@valueselling.com for a demo.
Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
