Mentoring and Coaching at Plan.Grow.Do.
Two distinct services. Two different outcomes. Used deliberately.
At Plan.Grow.Do., we are very clear about the difference between mentoring and coaching.
They are not interchangeable – and when confused, neither delivers its full value.
We offer mentoring as a standalone service.
We deliver coaching only as an integrated part of our Sales Excellence programmes.
This is intentional.
Mentoring - Developing the Individual
Experienced perspective beyond the role
Mentoring is a long-term, confidential professional relationship designed to support personal and professional growth beyond the immediate demands of the role.
It is not training.
It is not performance management.
It is not a quick fix.
Mentoring provides experienced perspective from practitioners who understand the commercial, leadership and organisational realities you are working within.
Mentoring is particularly suited to:
• sales and commercial leaders
• senior professionals navigating complexity or change
• individuals stepping into bigger roles or wider responsibility
• leaders who need space to think clearly, without internal pressure
What We Do in Mentoring
Mentoring is shaped around the individual, not a framework.
Sessions typically involve:
• working through complex commercial or leadership decisions
• sense-checking direction before commitments are made
• building confidence in judgement and communication
• reflecting on leadership behaviours and patterns
• exploring career direction, progression or transition
• providing perspective drawn from lived commercial experience
Mentoring creates a safe, confidential space to think out loud, challenge assumptions, and sharpen judgement – particularly on topics that cannot easily be discussed internally.
How the Mentoring Programme Works
entoring is long-term by design. Trust, depth and meaningful development take time.
Programme structure:
👉 1:1 mentoring
👉 90-minute sessions
👉 Bi-monthly cadence (excluding holiday)
👉 9-month engagement
Investment: £4,500 + VAT
Coaching - Embedding Performance and Behavioural Change
A defined service, delivered with discipline
Coaching at Plan.Grow.Do. is a structured, outcome-focused service designed to embed performance, consistency and behavioural change.
However, we do not offer coaching as a standalone service.
That is because coaching only works when:
• expectations are clearly defined
• behaviours are agreed
• success is measurable
• the operating sales system is understood
Without this clarity, coaching becomes subjective, inconsistent, and frustrating.
How We Use Coaching
Coaching is delivered exclusively within our Sales Excellence programmes, where it is used to:
• reinforce agreed sales behaviours
• improve consistency and execution
• embed new ways of working
• support adoption of tools, frameworks and processes
• translate strategy into day-to-day action
Coaching is practical, in-role, and grounded in real commercial activity.
It is about doing the work better, not deciding what the work should be.
Mentoring vs Coaching at Plan.Grow.Do.
Mentoring
👉 Develops the individual
👉Focuses on perspective, judgement and confidence
👉Long-term and reflective
👉Experience-led
👉Confidential space outside hierarchy
👉Agenda shaped by the individual
👉Standalone service
👉Supports growth beyond the role
Coaching
👉 Embeds performance and behaviour
👉 Focuses on execution, consistency and outcome
👉 Short-cycle and practical
👉 Behaviour-led
👉 Delivered in-role
👉 Agenda shaped by agreed standards
👉 Delivered only within Sales Excellence programmes
👉 Reinforces performance within the role
In simple terms:
• Mentoring helps you think differently
• Coaching helps you work differently
When to Use Mentoring vs Coaching
Use mentoring when…
Mentoring is the right choice when the challenge is about thinking, judgement or confidence, rather than execution.
Choose mentoring if you are:
• facing complex or high-stakes decisions
• stepping into a bigger or more ambiguous role
• navigating change, pressure or uncertainty
• seeking experienced perspective, not instruction
• needing a confidential space outside your organisation
Mentoring supports who you are becoming, not just what you are delivering.
Use coaching when…
Coaching is the right choice when the challenge is about execution and consistency, not direction.
Coaching works best when:
• expectations and behaviours are already clear
• success can be measured
• a sales system is in place
• teams need support to apply agreed ways of working
That’s why coaching is delivered only within Sales Excellence programmes.
Mentoring - Frequently Asked Questions
Mentoring is designed for sales and commercial leaders, senior professionals, and high-potential individuals who want experienced perspective and space to think.
Mentoring is not suitable if you are looking for:
• short-term performance management
• sales skills training or techniques
• someone to tell you what to do
• quick fixes or tactical problem-solving
Each session focuses on what matters most at that point in time.
Sessions typically involve:
• working through real situations and decisions
• sense-checking thinking before actions are taken
• challenging assumptions and blind spots
• reflecting on confidence, judgement and behaviour
There is no fixed agenda and no content delivery.
Yes – completely.
Mentoring sits outside organisational hierarchy and reporting lines.
Nothing is shared back unless explicitly agreed by the mentee.
Because meaningful development takes time.
A longer-term structure allows:
- trust to build
- patterns to emerge
- reflection and application to reinforce each other
We always begin with a short, informal conversation.
This allows us to:
• understand your context
• confirm whether mentoring is the right support
• suggest alternatives if it isn’t
There is no obligation to proceed.
