Sales Training Consultancy

The shortcut: Win the sales managers, not the reps. Training that doesn't include weekly call coaching and manager enablement washes off in 30 days — and your client will quietly blame you for it.

Industry: Consulting & Coaching | Investment level: Small — $3,000-$10,000 | Time to launch: 6-10 weeks (proprietary framework draft + first paid diagnostic gate the launch) Best for: Former quota-carrying B2B sellers, sales managers, or VPs of Sales with 5+ years closing real deals at a recognizable company. What you'll likely make: $2,000-$5,000 month 3, $8,000-$15,000 month 6, $15,000-$30,000 month 12. Math is in Section 4.

Market Opportunity

A Sandler franchise rollout costs $40,000-$80,000 to license, plus 5-15% royalty on revenue. A Challenger facilitator certification runs another $3,000-$5,000. Richardson and Rain Group quote $75,000-$200,000 with a three-month design phase before a single rep sees a slide. And 74% of companies report no lasting behavior change from those one-time events anyway. The CRO who approved that budget is now in a board meeting explaining why quota attainment didn't move — and that is exactly the conversation you're built to replace.

74% of companies report no lasting behavior change from one-time training events, per Pavilion's 2024 sales survey Pavilion. That's the opening. If most training fails to stick, the trainer who builds reinforcement into every engagement (weekly call coaching, ride-alongs, manager office hours) is doing something the franchise programs structurally don't. The broader corporate sales training market sits around $4.6 billion globally, growing ~8% per year Sales Performance International.

The buyer math is easy. A fully-loaded B2B sales rep costs $200,000-$350,000/year Salesforce. A $30,000 engagement that cuts ramp time 30% pays back inside year one on a single rep. Sell that math, not your slide deck.

You're not competing with Richardson or Rain Group. They quote $75,000-$200,000 with a 3-month design phase. Your wedge is the senior practitioner who shows up in week one with a Gong-driven gap analysis, runs the first workshop in week three, and embeds for two quarters at a price a Series A or B SaaS company can actually approve.

Launch With AI

Pro tip: Diagnostic-driven engagements + Gong/Chorus call-coaching + manager-enablement = the trifecta that beats Sandler/Challenger franchises. AI handles the per-engagement diagnostic-call analysis from Gong clips, the 2-party-consent state law compliance for call recordings (CA + FL + IL + MD + NY have specific 'eavesdropping' laws), the proprietary methodology drafting that doesn't accidentally infringe Sandler/Challenger trademarks, and the per-rep coaching scorecard that proves measurable behavior change.

Upfront honesty: AI cannot watch a Series A SaaS team's actual sales calls + know that the discovery script needs to land 30 seconds earlier or the deal dies in the demo. The pattern recognition + the in-the-moment coaching is your craft, and it's the entire reason CROs pay $30K-$200K for embedded engagements. What AI does is everything around the coaching: per-engagement Gong clip analysis (10x faster than manual review), 2-party-consent state law compliance for call recording (CA Penal Code §632 + FL §934.03 + IL ECDA + MD ECPA + NY Penal Law §250.05 require ALL parties consent — train manager + reps to disclose recording + get explicit verbal consent at start of every call), proprietary methodology drafting that respects Sandler + Challenger trademarks (you can borrow concepts but can't use their trademarks in marketing without licensing), per-rep coaching scorecards, and the Klaviyo flow that converts diagnostic clients into multi-quarter embedded engagements.

AI Tools You'll Use

Tool	What it does for you	Cost
ChatGPT (Plus)	Per-engagement diagnostic analysis, methodology framework, scorecard generation	$20/mo
Claude (Free)	Reading 2-party-consent state laws + Sandler/Challenger trademark scope	Free
Gong + Chorus client integrations	Call recording analysis (client provides access; I view)	Client-funded
HelloSign + Stripe	Diagnostic SOWs + retainer billing + ACH for $3,500/mo VP coaching	$15/mo + 0.8% ACH
Klaviyo (Free → paid)	Diagnostic → custom program → embedded engagement conversion flow	Free → $20/mo

The Workflow

Step 1: Generate per-engagement diagnostic-call analysis from 15-25 Gong clips. Most consultants spend 20+ hrs hand-reviewing client calls. AI analyzes Gong clips in 2-3 hrs.

Prompt: "For my client's diagnostic engagement, generate the per-call analysis from Gong/Chorus call clips. Per-call analysis: (1) DEAL STAGE — what's the rep's claimed stage in the CRM (discovery / demo / proposal / negotiation / close)? Does the actual call match the claimed stage? (2) DISCOVERY QUALITY — did the rep ask MEDDIC/MEDDPICC questions (Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain, Champion, Competition, Paper process)? Score 0-7 per call. (3) NEXT-STEP CLARITY — did the call end with a specific next step (date + time + agenda + attendees) OR was it 'I'll send you something next week' (the deal-killer)? (4) BUYER RESPONSE — what % of the call was rep talking vs buyer talking? Healthy: 35-45% rep / 55-65% buyer. Concerning: rep >60%. (5) OBJECTION HANDLING — when buyer raised an objection (price, timing, competitor, fit), did the rep address with reframe + evidence + next step OR did the rep panic-discount or change topic? (6) MULTI-THREADING — did the rep mention/reference other stakeholders besides the buyer on the call (CFO sign-off, security review, etc.)? Score 0-3 per call. (7) RECOMMENDED COACHING ACTIONS — based on patterns across 15-25 calls, what 3-5 highest-impact behavior changes would lift close rate? (8) PER-MANAGER PATTERN — which managers' reps show the same gap (= manager isn't coaching that skill) vs which managers' reps don't (= manager IS coaching it). Output: a per-call scorecard + the team-wide pattern report + the 3-5 prioritized coaching themes that become my 4-month custom program. Tone: data-driven + non-judgmental + actionable. CRITICAL: I am viewing client's Gong with their explicit permission + my MSA covers confidential handling — clips never leave my secure workspace."

Step 2: Generate 2-party-consent state law compliance for call recording (the criminal-liability protection). California Penal Code §632 + Florida Statutes §934.03 + Illinois ECDA + Maryland ECPA + New York Penal Law §250.05 require ALL parties consent to call recording. Recording without = misdemeanor or felony per state. AI generates the per-state compliance.

Prompt: "Generate the 2-party-consent state law compliance briefing for my sales training engagements where I review client call recordings via Gong/Chorus. (1) STATE-BY-STATE RULES — 12 states require 2-party (all-party) consent: California (Penal Code §632 — felony, up to 1 yr prison + $2,500 fine per violation), Connecticut (Civil Code §52-570d), Florida (§934.03 — 3rd-degree felony, up to 5 yrs + $5K), Hawaii (§711-1111), Illinois (Eavesdropping ECDA — Class 4 felony), Maryland (Wiretap Act ECPA), Massachusetts (Ch. 272 §99 — felony), Montana (§45-8-213), Nevada (NRS 200.620), New Hampshire (§570-A:2), Pennsylvania (Wiretap Act 18 PA §5703 — 3rd-degree felony), Washington (§9.73.030). All other 38 states + DC = 1-party consent (only the recording party needs to consent). (2) HOW THIS APPLIES TO SALES CALLS — when client's reps record sales calls via Gong/Chorus + the buyer is in a 2-party-consent state, the BUYER must consent to recording. Standard practice: rep says at start of call 'Hi [name], this call is being recorded for training + quality purposes — is that OK?' Get explicit verbal consent BEFORE the call begins. (3) THE COMPLIANCE WORKFLOW for my engagements — at engagement start, train ALL of my client's reps + managers on the 2-party-consent script + verify Gong/Chorus is configured to play the recording-disclosure jingle at call connect; for any call I review where the recording-disclosure was NOT played, exclude that call from my analysis (don't compound the violation by analyzing illegally-recorded data); for any client whose reps refuse to use the disclosure, escalate to the CRO/VP Sales + refuse to continue the engagement until fixed. (4) MY MSA CLAUSE — include in every MSA: 'Client warrants all call recordings provided to me for analysis comply with all applicable state + federal call-recording laws including 2-party-consent rules in [list 12 states]. Client indemnifies me against any claim arising from non-compliant recordings.' (5) MY DATA-HANDLING SOP — call recordings reviewed in client's Gong/Chorus tenant only (NEVER downloaded to my system); analysis notes redacted of buyer PII (name + company name → 'Buyer A' + 'Account 1'); analysis notes destroyed at engagement end + 90-day retention period. Output: per-state compliance briefing + the MSA clause + the rep-training recording-disclosure script + my data-handling SOP. CRITICAL: this is criminal-liability for me + my client. Get this right BEFORE the engagement starts."

Step 3: Generate proprietary methodology framework that respects Sandler + Challenger + MEDDIC trademarks. Most consultants accidentally infringe trademarks by naming their methodology too close to Sandler/Challenger/MEDDIC. AI generates a clean proprietary methodology.

Prompt: "Generate a proprietary sales training methodology framework I can use as my brand-name + IP. (1) AVOIDING TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT — Sandler Selling System, Challenger Sale, MEDDIC, MEDDPICC, SPIN Selling, BANT — all are protected trademarks. I can REFERENCE them in my marketing ('I trained with Sandler, draw from Challenger principles, incorporate MEDDIC qualifying') but I cannot CALL my methodology by their names or use their trademarked language without licensing. (2) MY METHODOLOGY NAME + ACRONYM — generate 5 alternative methodology names that capture my approach (e.g., 'OUTCOMES Framework' for Outreach + Understand + Trust + Comparison + Objection-handling + Mutual-action-plan + Execution + Sustained-relationship; or 'COMPASS' for Connect + Observe + Map + Pain + Action + Speed + Systematize). Each name 7-10 letters, easy-to-remember acronym, captures my 5-7 key concepts. (3) MY CONCEPTS — each named with my own language: 'Discovery Mapping' (NOT 'Pain Discovery' which is Sandler), 'Champion Multiplication' (NOT 'Champion-Building' which is MEDDIC), 'Pre-Mortem Negotiation' (NOT 'Negotiation Mastery' which is too generic), 'Embedded Coaching' (NOT 'Coaching Reinforcement' which is competitive lingo). (4) MY VISUAL FRAMEWORK — a simple 5-step circular diagram I own + use across all training materials, decks, leave-behinds. Generate the visual concept brief for a designer. (5) MY 'CONCEPT REGISTRY' — a 1-page reference card summarizing my methodology that I file as a copyright registration with the US Copyright Office (Form TX for text or Form VA for combined visual+text) at $45-$65. This is my IP firewall — anyone who copies my methodology in their training is infringing my registered copyright. (6) MY CITATIONS — when referencing other frameworks, always credit ('this draws from Challenger's notion of "Teach-Tailor-Take Control"' is fine; 'I teach the Challenger Methodology' is trademark infringement). Output: 5 methodology name + acronym options + the visual framework brief + the copyright registration plan + the per-concept naming convention."

Step 4: Generate per-rep coaching scorecard + manager certification framework. The 'training that doesn't stick' problem is solved by per-rep scorecard + manager-level coaching. AI generates the framework.

Prompt: "Generate a per-rep coaching scorecard + manager certification framework for my custom training programs. (1) THE PER-REP SCORECARD — 8-10 measurable behaviors per skill area: Discovery (asks 5+ MEDDPICC questions in first 15 min), Demo (anchors features to 3+ buyer-specific pains discovered earlier), Negotiation (uses pre-mortem framing 'what concerns might come up after we sign?'), Close (proposes specific next step with date + time + attendees). Each behavior scored 0-3 per call (0=absent, 1=attempted, 2=executed, 3=mastery). Weekly score per rep + monthly trend per skill. (2) THE MANAGER CERTIFICATION TRACK — managers go through a parallel program: Week 1-2 they observe my coaching + take notes; Week 3-4 they co-coach with me using my scorecard; Week 5-8 they coach independently with my weekly observation; Week 9-12 they coach + I observe quarterly + recertify. By month 12, the client's managers ARE the coaches + I'm advisory only. (3) THE SHOWCASE — at month 6 + month 12, I deliver an outcome report to the CRO showing: % of reps with positive scorecard trend, manager certification status, % close-rate change vs baseline, ramp-time change for new hires. This is the data that locks the year-2 retainer. (4) THE MOM-MEDDPICC INTEGRATION — for any client using MEDDPICC, my scorecard maps to it directly without infringing the trademark — I'd say 'qualifying-criteria coverage' instead of 'MEDDPICC scoring.' (5) THE MULTI-MANAGER ROLLOUT — once 2-3 managers are certified, the client can scale the program to a 50-100 rep team without me being on every call — my role becomes monthly strategy + quarterly recertification at $5K-$15K/mo. Output: the per-rep scorecard template + the manager certification track + the showcase reporting framework."

Step 5: Klaviyo diagnostic → custom program → embedded engagement conversion flow. A successful $10K diagnostic should become a $50K custom program in 60 days + a $200K embedded engagement in 12 months. AI writes the conversion flow.

Prompt: "Write a 4-email Klaviyo flow triggered after I deliver a successful sales diagnostic + gap report. Email 1 (1 day after delivery): warm thank-you + the gap report PDF + a 1-line note that the report is the foundation; the next step is implementation. Email 2 (14 days): the custom program pitch — 'The diagnostic identified [X] gaps. The 4-month custom training program ($25K-$75K depending on rep count) addresses each: 4-8 live workshops, weekly 90-min call coaching, manager certification track in parallel, recorded curriculum hosted on your Mindtickle/Lessonly. The program pays back in 3-6 months on a single closed deal that wouldn't have closed without it.' + 1-paragraph case study of similar Series A-B SaaS that ran the program + their close-rate improvement. Email 3 (45 days): the embedded engagement pitch — 'After the 4-month program proves out, most clients move to a 6-12 month embedded engagement at $150K-$300K. The compounding effect: by month 12, your managers ARE the coaches, your new hires ramp 30% faster, your top-deal close rate is structurally higher.' Email 4 (90 days): the renewal-decision check-in + offer of a $3,500/mo VP coaching retainer 'as a bridge while you scope year-2 program scope.' Subject lines under 40 chars. Tone: senior practitioner peer-to-CRO/VP, never sales-y. Sign every email from my first name + my last enterprise sales title + my LinkedIn."

Time Saved Per Week

Per-engagement Gong clip analysis: ~15 hrs saved per diagnostic (vs 20-30 hrs manual review)
2-party-consent state law compliance (one-time): ~6 hrs saved + criminal-liability protection
Proprietary methodology + copyright registration (one-time): ~12 hrs saved + IP-firewall protection
Per-engagement scorecard + manager certification (one-time): ~10 hrs saved, then runs forever per engagement
Klaviyo conversion flow (one-time): ~6 hrs saved, then runs forever
Total: 8-12 hrs/wk back during engagements — enough to take 1 more diagnostic per quarter without burning out.

Total AI Stack Cost

Budget tier: ChatGPT Free + Claude Free + HelloSign ($15) + Klaviyo Free = $15/mo
Full tier: ChatGPT Plus ($20) + LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($79-$135) + HelloSign ($15) + Klaviyo ($20) = $134-$190/mo
Compare: A senior sales-training BDR + research analyst = $4K-$8K/mo. AI handles 80% for $134-$190.

Your First Win (30-min action)

Pick the closest 5 Series A-B SaaS companies you have a personal connection to (LinkedIn, your YC alumni list, your old company's portfolio). Find the CRO or VP of Sales for each. Use Step 5's email template structure but for the FIRST cold reach: write the diagnostic-pitch cold InMail.

Prompt to write your senior-practitioner LinkedIn outreach: "Write a 4-line cold InMail / email I send to [CRO / VP of Sales] at [Series A-B SaaS company in my vertical, 20-100 reps]. Hook: 'Most teams I worked with at [recognizable companies in my background] hit the same wall at 30-50 reps where the discovery + close skills that worked at 5-10 reps don't scale.' Bridge: 'Sandler + Challenger franchises charge $40K-$80K + take 3-month design phases. Richardson + Rain Group quote $75K-$200K. Both leave you with a smile-sheet engagement score + no measurable behavior change because there's no embedded coaching.' Pitch: 'I run a $5K-$15K diagnostic — 2-3 weeks, Gong-clip review of 15-25 calls, written report with the 3-5 biggest gaps + recommended program scope. No retainer commitment, no upsell pressure. The diagnostic alone often saves you the cost on 1-2 misallocated training decisions.' Sign with name + cell + my LinkedIn (with 2-3 anchor case studies pinned showing my prior enterprise-sales background). Tone: senior practitioner peer-to-CRO, never sales-y. Avoid 'I'd love to help' — use 'I think I can help with' followed by a specific operational pattern."

That single 5-CRO/VP InMail batch typically lands 1-2 diagnostic calls within 21 days. From those, ~50% convert to a $5K-$15K paid diagnostic within 60 days. That's the entire 'first $2K-$5K month by month 3' path.

Product / Service Offering

You sell one continuous arc — diagnose, train, reinforce — packaged three ways:

Sales diagnostic + gap report. 2-3 weeks. CRM hygiene review, pipeline analysis, 15-25 recorded call reviews via Gong or Chorus, 5-8 manager and rep interviews, written report with the 3-5 biggest gaps and a recommended program. $5,000-$15,000. Your wedge — fast, low-risk for the buyer, almost always converts to a training engagement.
Custom training program (3-6 months). 4-8 live workshops with the rep team (groups of 10-25), weekly 90-minute call coaching, manager certification track in parallel, recorded curriculum hosted on the client's Mindtickle or Lessonly instance. $25,000-$75,000. The engagement that pays the bills.
Embedded multi-quarter program (6-12 months). Same elements at higher cadence, plus quarterly content refreshes, new-hire onboarding tracks, manager community of practice. $150,000-$300,000. Sell this only after one successful smaller engagement with the client.

A fourth offer for the right moment: 1:1 retainer coaching for VPs of Sales and CROs at $2,500-$5,000/month, with weekly 60-minute sessions and async Loom call reviews. Keeps you close to buyers between engagements and smooths cash flow.

The detail that separates you from franchise trainers: every program is 80% practice (role plays, live call breakdowns, observed coaching) and 20% concept. Engagement scores of 8/10 mean nothing if behavior scores stay at 2/10.

Revenue Model

Unit economics for a solo sales training consultant working from a laptop, no employees, paying for tools and travel as engagement passes through:

Service	Price	Variable cost (travel + tools + payment fees)	Your time	Take-home per engagement
Sales diagnostic + gap report	$10,000	$400 (travel) + $50 (Stripe ACH)	50-70 hours	~$9,500
Custom training program (4 months)	$50,000	$2,500 (4 trips) + $200	180-240 hours	~$47,000
Embedded program (8 months)	$200,000	$8,000 (8 trips) + $400	500-650 hours	~$190,000
1:1 VP coaching retainer	$3,500/mo	$20 (Stripe ACH)	8-12 hours/mo	~$3,480/mo

Your first $1K month = a paid diagnostic kickoff at $5,000 in two installments → ~$2,500 take-home in month one. Realistic in month 2-3. Your first $3K month = one full diagnostic at $10,000 delivered across 3-4 weeks → easily $5K-$10K take-home that month.

The compounding engine is one custom program plus three retainers. One $50K program (delivered at $12,500/month over 4 months) plus three $3,500/month coaching retainers = roughly $23,000/month gross while you're delivering. By month 12, target one program in delivery + 3-4 active retainers + one diagnostic per quarter — $15,000-$30,000/month.

Charge ACH on retainers via Stripe ($5/transfer) instead of card (2.9% + $0.30). On a $3,500 monthly retainer that saves you $1,200/year per client. Set up ACH day one.

Startup Costs

Methodology framework draft. 40-60 hours turning your selling experience and 2-3 source frameworks (MEDDIC/MEDDPICC, Challenger, Sandler concepts) into a named, proprietary framework you own. The highest-impact 60 hours you'll spend.
Optional methodology certification. Challenger facilitator certification runs $3,000-$5,000. MEDDIC Academy certification runs $500-$2,000. Pick one for a logo on your About page; skip both if your closing record carries the credibility.
Workshop materials. 30-40 hours building workshop deck, role-play scripts, scorecards, manager coaching playbook, call-review rubric. Reuse on every engagement.
Gong or Chorus skill. Clients provide tenant access — no cost to you. The trainer who can pull a 30-second clip and break down the moment a rep lost the deal is worth 5x the trainer who can't.
LLC + EIN + E&O. $35-$500 LLC filing — LLC University 50-state table. EIN is free at IRS EIN Online — never pay a third party. Solo professional liability via Hiscox runs $1,000-$2,000/year.
Sales tools. LinkedIn Sales Navigator at $79-$135/month, Apollo at $49+/month for contact data. Pays back inside one closed deal.

Realistic all-in: $3,000 if you skip certifications, self-build your framework, DIY the LLC. $10,000 if you sit one cert, bind a year of E&O, paralegal-review your MSA, and run Sales Navigator + Apollo for six months.

Legal & Formation

Business entity. Single-member LLC the moment you sign your first paid engagement letter. Sales training engagements run $25K-$200K — the dollar exposure where a personal-asset claim from a client dispute gets financially serious. Sole prop is acceptable for the first 30 days while you test pricing, then form the LLC before client number two. Get your EIN free directly from the IRS — the $50-$300 third-party filing services are reselling a free five-minute form. The S-corp election becomes worth the math once your net profit clears roughly $80K-$100K/year — most sales training consultants who land 1-2 mid-size programs hit that in year two. File IRS Form 2553 within the election window or you'll lose a year of payroll-tax savings.

Licenses & credentials. No state license, no regulatory body, no protected title. Credibility comes from your closing record at a recognizable company, named client outcomes with real numbers, and optionally a methodology certification that gives buyers a logo to nod at. Challenger facilitator certification and MEDDIC Academy certification carry the most B2B SaaS recognition. The Sandler franchise is a different animal — a $40,000-$80,000 franchise fee plus 5-15% royalty on revenue. Most independent trainers use Sandler concepts without the franchise. Don't tie your business to one licensor's pricing unless you're explicitly buying into the franchise model.

Industry-specific risk. The trap most likely to end your business early is methodology-license + IP confusion in your first big SOW. If you deliver a Challenger-certified workshop, you're licensing their IP back to you — your contract cannot assign that IP to the client. For frameworks you build (playbooks, recorded curriculum, scorecards), spell out in the SOW that those deliverables are yours, licensed to the client for internal use, not work-for-hire. Use a standard MSA + per-engagement SOW. Cap total liability at fees paid in the trailing 12 months — sales training that doesn't move quota will get blamed for the missed number. Mutual indemnification only; never accept one-way client indemnity. Two adjacent traps: (1) Confidentiality bleed. You'll see CRM data, win/loss notes, and recorded calls full of customer names and competitive intel. Your MSA must require deletion of client data at engagement close, with a no-conflicts clause preventing you from working a direct competitor for 12 months. (2) Employment-practice exposure. Sales training surfaces underperformers. Your role is to develop skill — HR makes the termination call. Stay out of performance management decisions. Bind professional liability ($1,000-$2,000/year via Hiscox) before your first paid engagement. Enterprise clients will require a certificate of insurance.

Marketing & First Customers

Your first 5 clients come from three places, and none are LinkedIn cold outreach to "VP of Sales" titles:

Pavilion and CRO peer communities. Pavilion has 10,000+ go-to-market leaders — the highest-density audience of your exact buyer. Get in as a member, not a vendor. Be useful in Slack channels and at member events for 60 days before any pitch. Speaking slots at Pavilion Summit or CRO Summit put you in front of hundreds in two days. Adjacent: Sales Hacker, RevGenius, Modern Sales Pros.
Podcast guesting on the right shows. Pitch 30 Minutes to President's Club, Sales Hacker Podcast, B2B Growth Show — shows where sitting CROs and VPs of Sales actually listen. One genuinely tactical 30-minute episode drives inbound for 6-12 months. General business podcasts don't.
VC portfolio referrals. Series A/B SaaS portfolio companies are scaling sales teams for the first time and almost always need training. One warm intro from a Series A partner can generate 5-10 portfolio engagements over 18 months. Build relationships with 3-5 firms in your metro early.

A fourth channel for month 4+: become a Gong ecosystem partner. Gong customers already have call intelligence in their tenant — they need help turning it into a coaching program.

Outbound to 50 specific named CROs (two-sentence personalized email tied to a public signal — recent fundraise, new VP of Sales hire) outperforms 6 months of generic content. Use Apollo and Lemlist.

First 90 Days

Week 1-3. Draft your proprietary framework — name it, document it in 30-50 pages, build workshop deck and scorecards. File LLC. Get EIN. Open business checking.
Week 2-4. Bind E&O via Hiscox. Paralegal review of MSA + SOW templates ($500-$1,500). Set up Stripe with ACH enabled.
Week 3-5. Apply to Pavilion. Join 2-3 CRO Slack communities. Be useful in threads for 30 days before any mention of services.
Week 4-6. Build a one-page services site with 2-3 case studies from your in-house sales career (anonymized, real numbers — quota lift, ramp reduction, win rate change).
Week 5-8. Pitch 10 podcasts. Land 2. Pitch 5 guest articles to Sales Hacker / GTMnow.
Week 6-10. Run one free pilot diagnostic for a friend's company (5-25 reps). Deliver the full report. Get written permission to use as case study + a referral.
Week 8-12. Email 30 specific named CROs at Series A-B SaaS companies one or two introductions away. Two-sentence personalized message. Follow up once. Target: 1 paid diagnostic at $5K-$10K.
End of day 90. 1 paid diagnostic delivered, 1-2 intro calls for retainer coaching, framework battle-tested once, ~$5,000-$10,000 in revenue. The diagnostic-to-program conversion is the leading indicator of year-two income.

Common Pitfalls

Teaching methodology instead of behaviors. Reps can recite Challenger or MEDDIC terminology after a one-day workshop and change zero call behavior. Build every session around 80% practice or you'll get politely fired at renewal.
Skipping manager enablement. Reps revert to old habits within 30 days if their managers aren't reinforcing the same approach. Train managers in parallel — coaching frameworks, scorecard usage, weekly 1:1 structure. If a client says "just train the reps," explain why that fails. If they push back, decline. The training won't stick and you'll own the failure.
Building your business on one franchised methodology. Trainers who anchor 100% to Sandler or Challenger tie their revenue to a licensor's pricing and brand. When the licensor changes terms (they do) or a buyer says "we already tried Sandler," you have nothing proprietary. Develop your own named framework. Your framework, your IP, your fee.
Quoting hourly or per-day rates instead of program fees. A $3,000/day workshop rate signals junior. The same content sold as a $50,000 4-month program with embedded coaching signals senior. Buyers budget by program outcome, not your hourly rate. Price the outcome.

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