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Understanding the Sales Engagement Model with Tom Young | Coach2Scale Episode #88
Tom Young, VP of Sales at BMC Software, joins Matt Benelli to challenge outdated assumptions about how enterprise sales should work. Drawing on decades of experience and a recent moment on the other side of a buying decision, Tom reveals how sellers often leave buyers to navigate complex purchasing decisions alone, leading to stalled deals, weak adoption, and low rep confidence. The problem isn’t buyer intent. It’s a lack of structure, coaching, and guidance.
This conversation gets tactical and strategic. Tom breaks down the myth that buyers know how to buy, why seller-led engagement models outperform passive following, and how high-performing FLMs simplify complexity through coaching, not control. CROs and sales leaders will appreciate the clear through line: when managers teach reps how to lead a buying journey, not just chase a number, sales cycles shorten, win rates improve, and performance becomes repeatable. If you’re building a scalable sales org, this is a must-listen.
Top Takeaways
- Enterprise buyers often don’t know how to buy software
Despite assumptions, many buyers lack a defined decision process, which means sellers must guide, not follow, their journey. - The best salespeople act as guides, not followers
When sellers proactively lead buyers through a structured engagement model, the experience improves and adoption increases. - Mutual Action Plans need to go beyond the PO date
Ending your plan at "PO received" signals self-interest; the real impact comes from aligning with the customer’s go-live and success milestones. - Effective FLMs sell the engagement model, not the product first
Top-performing managers train reps to win by selling how the decision will be made, not just what to buy. - Sellers must ask the questions buyers should be asking themselves
High-quality discovery isn't just fact-finding; it helps buyers clarify their own thinking, build confidence, and reduce internal friction. - Sales cycles fail when reps abdicate process control
Letting the buyer “drive” often results in delays, missed stakeholders, and no decision; a structured engagement keeps momentum. - Managers must balance pressure with coaching
Pushing deals without guiding reps through skills and behavior leads to burnout and underperformance. - You can’t outsource coaching and rep development
Even strong enablement and RevOps support can’t replace the day-to-day behavioral coaching frontline managers must deliver. - One-on-ones are not for pipeline inspection—they’re for skill development
Coaching isn’t about the forecast; it’s about improving rep effectiveness so the forecast becomes more predictable. - Every manager needs a consistent, inspectable operating rhythm
Without structured 1:1s and repeatable frameworks, rep development becomes ad hoc, and performance becomes unpredictable.
Ways to Tune In:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Yb1wPzUxyrfR0Dx35ym1A
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-build-a-coaching-culture/id1699901434
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NvYWNoMnNjYWxlLWhvdy1tb2Rlcm4tbGVhZGVycy1idWlsZC1hLWNvYWNoaW5nLWN1bHR1cmU
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fd188af6-7c17-4b2e-a0b2-196ecd6fdf77
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-5419703
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Coach2Scale
CoachEm™ is the first Coaching Execution Platform that integrates deep learning technology to proactively analyze patterns, highlight the "why" behind the data with root causes, and identify the actions that will ultimately improve business results going forward. These practical coaching recommendations for managers will help their teams drive more deals, bigger deals, faster deals, and loyal customers. Built with decades of go-to-market experience, world-renowned data scientists, and advanced causal AI/ML technology, CoachEm™ leverages your existing tech stack to increase rep productivity, increase retention, and replicate best practices across your team.
Learn more at coachem.io
View all episodes
By CoachEmTom Young, VP of Sales at BMC Software, joins Matt Benelli to challenge outdated assumptions about how enterprise sales should work. Drawing on decades of experience and a recent moment on the other side of a buying decision, Tom reveals how sellers often leave buyers to navigate complex purchasing decisions alone, leading to stalled deals, weak adoption, and low rep confidence. The problem isn’t buyer intent. It’s a lack of structure, coaching, and guidance.
This conversation gets tactical and strategic. Tom breaks down the myth that buyers know how to buy, why seller-led engagement models outperform passive following, and how high-performing FLMs simplify complexity through coaching, not control. CROs and sales leaders will appreciate the clear through line: when managers teach reps how to lead a buying journey, not just chase a number, sales cycles shorten, win rates improve, and performance becomes repeatable. If you’re building a scalable sales org, this is a must-listen.
Top Takeaways
- Enterprise buyers often don’t know how to buy software
Despite assumptions, many buyers lack a defined decision process, which means sellers must guide, not follow, their journey. - The best salespeople act as guides, not followers
When sellers proactively lead buyers through a structured engagement model, the experience improves and adoption increases. - Mutual Action Plans need to go beyond the PO date
Ending your plan at "PO received" signals self-interest; the real impact comes from aligning with the customer’s go-live and success milestones. - Effective FLMs sell the engagement model, not the product first
Top-performing managers train reps to win by selling how the decision will be made, not just what to buy. - Sellers must ask the questions buyers should be asking themselves
High-quality discovery isn't just fact-finding; it helps buyers clarify their own thinking, build confidence, and reduce internal friction. - Sales cycles fail when reps abdicate process control
Letting the buyer “drive” often results in delays, missed stakeholders, and no decision; a structured engagement keeps momentum. - Managers must balance pressure with coaching
Pushing deals without guiding reps through skills and behavior leads to burnout and underperformance. - You can’t outsource coaching and rep development
Even strong enablement and RevOps support can’t replace the day-to-day behavioral coaching frontline managers must deliver. - One-on-ones are not for pipeline inspection—they’re for skill development
Coaching isn’t about the forecast; it’s about improving rep effectiveness so the forecast becomes more predictable. - Every manager needs a consistent, inspectable operating rhythm
Without structured 1:1s and repeatable frameworks, rep development becomes ad hoc, and performance becomes unpredictable.
Ways to Tune In:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Yb1wPzUxyrfR0Dx35ym1A
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-build-a-coaching-culture/id1699901434
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NvYWNoMnNjYWxlLWhvdy1tb2Rlcm4tbGVhZGVycy1idWlsZC1hLWNvYWNoaW5nLWN1bHR1cmU
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fd188af6-7c17-4b2e-a0b2-196ecd6fdf77
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-5419703
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Coach2Scale
CoachEm™ is the first Coaching Execution Platform that integrates deep learning technology to proactively analyze patterns, highlight the "why" behind the data with root causes, and identify the actions that will ultimately improve business results going forward. These practical coaching recommendations for managers will help their teams drive more deals, bigger deals, faster deals, and loyal customers. Built with decades of go-to-market experience, world-renowned data scientists, and advanced causal AI/ML technology, CoachEm™ leverages your existing tech stack to increase rep productivity, increase retention, and replicate best practices across your team.
Learn more at coachem.io