Sales Training Platforms That Actually Work
Tools that record calls and tell you what you're doing wrong. Expensive but worth it if you're serious about coaching. Not worth it if managers won't use them.
Gong
The Deal: The gold standard for conversation intelligence. Records calls, analyzes what's working, surfaces deal risks. Expensive but the insights are legit. Best for teams that will actually act on the data, not just collect it.
Good For:
- Enterprise sales teams serious about coaching
- Companies with dedicated sales enablement managers
- Teams doing complex, consultative sales
- Orgs that want to scale what top reps do
Not Good For:
- Small teams under 20 reps (ROI won't justify cost)
- Transactional sales with 5-minute calls
- Companies that won't dedicate time to coaching
Pricing: Custom pricing, expect $1,200-2,000+/user/year depending on team size
Chorus.ai (by ZoomInfo)
The Deal: Gong's main competitor, now owned by ZoomInfo. Similar features, slightly lower price point. Good conversation analytics and deal intelligence. Better for teams already using ZoomInfo.
Good For:
- Teams of 15-100 reps wanting conversation intelligence
- Companies using ZoomInfo (integrations are native)
- Mid-market teams that can't justify Gong pricing
- Organizations wanting coaching insights without enterprise cost
Not Good For:
- Small teams under 10 reps
- Companies wanting most advanced AI features (Gong wins)
- Teams not using ZoomInfo (lose integration advantage)
Pricing: Custom pricing, generally 20-30% cheaper than Gong
MindTickle
The Deal: Full sales readiness platform. Not just call recording - includes training, certification, coaching, and content management. Best if you need comprehensive onboarding and enablement, not just call analytics.
Good For:
- Companies with formal sales training programs
- Teams onboarding 5+ new reps per quarter
- Organizations needing certification and compliance tracking
- Companies wanting all-in-one enablement platform
Not Good For:
- Teams just wanting call recording (too much platform)
- Small companies under 50 employees
- Organizations without dedicated enablement function
Pricing: Custom pricing, enterprise-level investment required
Lessonly (by Seismic)
The Deal: Sales training and coaching focused on practice and reinforcement. Think of it as a learning management system built for sales teams. Good for onboarding and skill development, less about call intelligence.
Good For:
- Companies prioritizing structured training over call analytics
- Teams with high rep turnover needing consistent onboarding
- Organizations wanting practice scenarios and role-playing
- Companies already using Seismic for content
Not Good For:
- Teams wanting real call recording and analysis
- Companies with stable teams (less onboarding need)
- Small teams under 20 people
Pricing: Custom pricing based on users and features
Showpad Coach
The Deal: Video coaching platform focused on pitch practice and certification. Reps record pitches, get feedback from managers. Good for product launches and consistent messaging. Part of larger Showpad enablement suite.
Good For:
- Teams wanting pitch certification and consistency
- Companies launching new products frequently
- Organizations prioritizing messaging consistency
- Companies already using Showpad for content
Not Good For:
- Teams wanting actual call recording from customer conversations
- Companies needing deal intelligence and risk analysis
- Small teams without formal enablement
Pricing: Part of Showpad platform, custom pricing