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Ross Sellers is the content team lead for Administrate, a cloud-based, configurable, and comprehensive training management platform that empowers training teams to grow beyond their LMS.

Ross Sellers

Shouldn’t training software be agile enough to keep pace with your training initiatives?

Creating Agility: Why Scalable Training Software Is Critical

Strategies you can use to analyze the effectiveness of your training, and effectively craft the ROI story for your key stakeholders.

Using the Right Reporting Architecture: Three Ways to Tell Your Training ROI Story

Lindsay Hoyle is a seasoned enablement leader with more than a decade of experience driving performance through L&D. She began her career in instructional design, where she built a foundation in adult learning theory, content development, and curriculum strategy. Over time, Hoyle transitioned into sales enablement, bringing a deep understanding of how people learn into fast-paced, revenue-driven environments.Today, she leads high-impact enablement programs that scale with the business, equipping frontline managers, sellers, and cross-functional teams with the tools and training they need to succeed. Hoyle can translate complex business needs into practical, field-ready solutions and builds systems that balance strategy with execution.

Lindsay Hoyle

It’s stressful to be a sales manager. You’re juggling more things than ever: recruiting and onboarding reps, coaching and developing them, collaborating with marketing, preparing reports, and more.With all that, it isn’t surprising that sales managers are turning to AI for help. In fact, 100 percent of sales leaders now use generative AI to drive performance and growth, according to Allego’s 2025 AI in Revenue Enablement Report. And 63 percent of those leaders say AI has improved coaching quality. AI can help in many ways, including making coaching more targeted and scalable. AI-powered dialog simulators provide real-world role-play exercises, and conversation intelligence analyzes sales calls, identifying skills gaps and training needs.But the fact is, and Allego’s soon-to-be-released neuroscience research proves this, AI alone is not sufficient for training and coaching. Human insight remains critical for engagement and behavior change.That means you must take an integrated approach, blending AI with human expertise and guidance.Why AI Is Transforming Sales CoachingOver the past year, AI’s capabilities have grown exponentially. More sales teams have tapped that power and are seeing clear benefits. The 2025 AI in Revenue Enablement Report shows big wins:Improved coaching quality (63 percent)Faster onboarding (44 percent)Improved sales confidence (20 percent)Allego’s neuroscience research backs this up: Sellers who received AI coaching remembered 50 percent more than those who received coaching from a human.Human Coaching Still Wins in Several AreasThat same neuroscience research, however, also shows where human coaching stands apart. Sellers anticipating human feedback felt more motivated, relaxed, and emotionally aligned during training. Those emotional states matter because they strengthen trust between coach and seller, making reps more likely to act on feedback.Human coaches can also pick up on subtleties AI might miss, such as tone of voice, body language, and hesitation. They can also adapt in real time to a rep’s emotional state, learning style, or deal nuances.This agility is particularly important when:A seller needs encouragement after a lost deal.Complex, relationship-driven strategies are required.A rep’s performance issues are tied to confidence or mindset.In those moments, empathy, encouragement, and tailored guidance can make the difference between short-term improvement and lasting behavior change.The takeaway from both sets of research is clear: AI and human coaching aren’t in competition. They’re complementary. 5 Best Practices for Blending AI and Human CoachingTo get the best of both worlds, design your coaching program so it integrates AI’s efficiency with the human touch. 1. Let AI handle the heavy lifting on data and analysis. Use AI to review call recordings, identify skills gaps, and surface performance patterns. This frees you to focus on coaching conversations.2. Use AI for structured, consistent feedback. AI can provide standardized, repeatable feedback that reinforces key selling skills. Follow it up with human-led discussions to add context and address nuances.3. Apply human coaching to motivate, build trust. Save one-on-one time for moments that matter most, such as helping a rep bounce back after a loss. That’s when empathy and encouragement make the biggest difference.4. Personalize learning with a hybrid approach. Combine AI’s personalized recommendations with your understanding of each rep’s strengths, challenges, and learning style. That’s how you make feedback stick.5. Alternate between solo and observed practice. Give reps space to practice with AI-driven role-play, then schedule live coaching sessions to deepen learning.Bringing It All TogetherAI can make coaching faster and more consistent, while human coaches bring the empathy and adaptability that inspire lasting change. When you combine the two, you get the best of both worlds: scalable feedback and genuine connection.

Coaching in the Age of AI: Blending Technology With Human Insight

(Alexandria, VA) September 14, 2021—In The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement (ATD Press, September 2021), leading sales enablement expert Mike Kunkle introduces a comprehensive framework to help anyone who wants to build or evolve a sales enablement function that truly drives results. Delivering a holistic and strategic approach, Kunkle focuses on a formal maturity model, with 12 core sales enablement building blocks supported by systems thinking and cross-functional collaboration. Kunkle aligns four key systems to get results—sales hiring, sales readiness, sales training, and sales management (including coaching). Kunkle’s framework is timely given the complexities of today’s fast-paced world. Implementing the Building Blocks framework requires critical thinking, creative thinking, and systems thinking, thus ensuring a thorough, multidimensional, and cross-functional approach that is both seller- and buyer-centric.Kunkle advises two main audiences on how best to use the framework and book. According to Kunkle, “First consider a problem you are trying to solve—from implementing a new sales methodology and struggling to get adoption, or buyers not responding well to the content reps are sharing, to reps pitching products rather than using a buyer-centric, problem-based prospecting approach. Then using the results of the assessments, you can start implementing or refining the appropriate building blocks that best help you close the gaps identified. Similarly, if you’d prefer to do the work on your own, you can use the building blocks or the four systems in this book as a diagnostic, assessing your organization against the best practices to create an action plan.”For sales enablement leaders, he advises, “Use the building blocks as a diagnostic tool and a road map. Assess your function against the full building blocks framework to determine what you are currently doing very well, and where you can improve. For example, if you don’t have a charter, start there and create one. Are you implementing the correct sales methodology? Getting the methodology right is critical. Are you launching a new product? Prioritizing is key.”“No matter your role, no one can implement all building blocks or systems at once. It’s like the old joke about how you eat an elephant—one bite at a time. Using a diagnostic approach and the logic outlined here, work to get the building blocks and systems in place—one (or two) at a time—based on your resources, time, and budget and always with an eye toward impact and supporting strategic objectives.”Kunkle’s framework is not meant just for people who hold the title of sales leader or sales enablement leader; it is also for cross-functional stakeholders (in marketing, sales operations, legal, and finance, and in the C-suite, as examples). Kunkle explains, “Even if you don’t have personal responsibility for hiring or product messaging or sales process or sales compensation, you want to be working cross-functionally with those other leaders to ensure the sales force has what they need and is operating at the highest-possible level. You’ll want to read this with your team to see how you can best support enablement.”About the AuthorMike Kunkle is a respected sales transformation architect and internationally recognized sales training and sales enablement expert. He is an experienced corporate leader and consultant who helps companies drive dramatic revenue growth. He also is the vice president of sales enablement services for SPARXiQ, where he advises clients, writes, speaks at conferences, develops and leads webinars, designs sales training courses, delivers workshops, and designs sales enablement systems that get results.About ATD and ATD PressThe Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the world’s largest association dedicated to those who develop talent in organizations. ATD’s members come from more than 120 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD Press publications are written by industry thought leaders and offer anyone who works with adult learners the best practices, academic theory, and guidance necessary to move the profession forward. For more information, visit td.org/books.The Building Blocks of Sales EnablementISBN: 9781952157622 | 200 Pages | Paperbackhttps://www.td.org/product/book--the-building-blocks-of-sales-enablement/112104To order books from ATD Press, call 800.628.2783.To schedule an interview with Mike Kunkle, please contact Kay Hechler, ATD Press senior marketing manager, at khechler@td.org or 703.683.8178.

Use the Building Blocks Framework to Drive Sales Results

Ben Nemtin is a New York Times bestselling author and co-founder of The Buried Life movement. Prior to his keynote session, Nemtin spoke with Connection Point about his background and experience and what he’ll share with ATD Virtual Conference: Unleash Potential attendees.When you took a road trip to accomplish your bucket list, you also helped strangers cross something off their lists. What was the impetus behind that decision?We had a list of really audacious goals, and we knew that we’d never be able to accomplish those things on our own—we would need the help of other people. So, it made sense for us to proactively help others try to accomplish their goals as well. What we didn’t realize was that the goals that we helped facilitate ended up meaning more to us than the goals we accomplished on our list, even the big, big goals. It resonated more. It didn’t match the feelings we got from accomplishing our goals. It was unexpected that that resonated as much. We realized over time that that was what mattered most—helping other people.And when you help others, they want to help you more. So, once people heard that we were helping other people, they wanted to help us more; it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s a win-win. You get to fill yourself up, you get to help other people, and ultimately, it helps you in ways you wouldn’t expect.Any other unexpected, yet valuable, lessons you’ve learned from your different experiences?The simple fact is that anyone can do anything. We wrote down these list items that we were convinced were impossible—play basketball with President Obama, sit with Oprah, make a TV show, write a No. 1 New York Times best-seller. We almost wrote them down in jest—they were the biggest moon shots we could ever think of. And we pretended when we wrote the list that we could do anything—that was the rule. You had to pretend you had $10 million in the bank.Over time as these moon shots started to come to fruition, we really had no choice but to believe that we could do anything. It really changes the way that you live your life. This whole journey ended up becoming more than just a bucket list. It became a philosophy of life.After some of those big things came off our list, it changed my DNA. All of a sudden I wasn’t thinking—even when I was faced with a challenge—I wasn’t thinking “Can I do this?” I was thinking “Do I want to do it?” Because I know it is going to take a lot of work, and I know that I’m going to come up against a lot of obstacles, but I can do it if I really, really want it and I want it for the right reasons. So, it is more about are you doing this for you, or are you doing this for other people?You have been candid about living with depression—where do you go for inspiration and hope?I get a lot of inspiration and hope from the people in my life that I surround myself with—my friends, my family. The greatest thing in my life, if I look back, if I can pinpoint one thing, is when I was in my early years in university when I was hit with my first bout of depression and I decided I was going to try and only surround myself with people who inspire me. By inspiring, I mean that they gave me energy versus took energy from me.And that’s how Buried Life began. I found someone in the neighborhood named Johnny and said, “Hey, you make movies. Let’s make a movie.” And we gathered some people together. Actively surrounding myself with people who inspired me really changed my entire life. I’m continuing that practice. When I find someone who is really inspiring, I try and stick around them. That really recharges my battery. It’s about being conscious about the people I’m surrounding myself with.Another aspect is being in tune with what my body needs. When you’re little, you don’t know because you’re still learning. But now, for instance, I know that I need to get eight hours of sleep. I need to exercise.I started a practice of mindfulness—meditation has become huge for me for my mental health and well-being. Giving back also makes me feel better. I don’t think about how crappy I feel—I think about someone else. I’ve learned gratitude and focusing on things I’m grateful for rather than things I’m worried about. All those things have really helped. I call it my mental health toolkit. I reach into it when I see the signs that I’m starting to struggle.I think everyone should have a mental health toolkit for times of need and also know that it’s OK to ask for help. It’s so much harder to do it on your own, and you don’t need to do it on your own. You aren’t alone. Everyone is struggling—humans have ups and downs, and we need to talk about those downs just like we celebrate the ups. The more we normalize the conversation, the more quickly we remove the stigma around mental health and therapy.What’s the latest item you’ve added to your bucket list?The latest item that I’ve added to my bucket list is another book. I’d love to write another book, so I’ve been thinking about that. The original Buried Life list is now at 91 out of 100 for things we’ve accomplished, and the goal is to accomplish #100, which is to go to space.What is one action TD professionals can take right now to unleash potential?You can take 20 or 30 minutes to sit in a quiet space and write your bucket list. This will move you one step closer to your goals and toward your potential. Remember, this is about personal betterment to improve your life and improve your professional journey.Share your ATD Virtual Conference experience on social media. #ATDVirtualConference

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