Steven Rosen – StarResults —
Most sales leaders would agree that effective sales coaching has a positive impact on a sales rep performance and sales. To that end, what is sales coaching?
The Corporate Executive Board (CEB) has developed the following definition:
Sales’ coaching is an ongoing and dynamic series of job-embedded interactions between a sales manager and sales rep, designed to diagnose and correct/reinforce behaviors, specific to that individual.
CEB further states that “effective coaching will tend to be formal, highly structured, deliberate, and regularly scheduled. The unique advantages of coaching stem from how it is tailored to the individual and delivered at the point of need.”
I would add that coaching is not only based on the belief that the individual holds the answers but also by asking effective questions the coach can guide the sales rep to develop their own solutions and to participate in their own development.
The goal of coaching is to help the individual improve their performance and reach their true potential. In our business, this means being the best sales rep they can be. It also segues into opportunities to achieve stronger sales targets and improve their performance in the process.
7 Effective Sales Coaching Practices
Practice 1: Building Trust
In order for sales coaching to work, the sales manager needs to earn trust. Sales managers have to learn to remove their management helmets and put on their coaching hats. The coaching hat is about being non-judgemental and allowing the individual to be open in the discussion of behaviors and/or performance challenges. Trust is the foundation for coaching.
Practice 2: Ask Effective Questions
Most people don’t like to be told what to do. Sales reps are no different. Successful sales coaches achieve agreement on the “what” and use effective questions on the “how.” Successful sales organizations allow their salespeople to own the solution. This leads to better execution and better people development.
Effective sales coaching has the coach using effective questions that stimulate thinking and illuminate solutions.
Practice 3: Self Evaluation
When doing post call debrief or skill assessments, it is critical to have the salesperson guide the process and self-evaluate. As a sales manager, you may only be in the field with the rep one or two days a month. The goal is to encourage the sales rep to evaluate how they did on each call even when you are not in the field with them.
Many managers are quick to offer feedback. Relax, let the sales rep self-evaluate. Being able to assess what they did well and what they can improve upon leads to greater self-awareness. Self-awareness is the gateway to self-confidence. Give your salespeople the gift of self-confidence by withholding your feedback and allowing them to self-assess.
Practice 4: Focus
Effective coaching is about working with a rep in one area of improvement at a time, not multiple areas. Change is difficult for many of us. The sales manager who has a rep work on multiple areas usually sees no change. My focused coaching methodology is based on the premise that as a coach if you can help each of your reps improve in one area in a year, you have been effective.
Practice 5: The Rep Guides the Discussion
How does the effective coach determine the area of focus? I say, as long as there is a benefit to the area that the rep decides to focus on, then go with their suggestion. This creates a stronger desire to improve as the rep is committing. Less effective managers will pick the area and then wonder why they don’t get buy-in from their rep to change.
Practice 6: Plan of Action
To create momentum for change, capable coaches use the power of questioning. Open questioning creates an environment where the sales rep thinks through areas of focus and change, offering proactive methods to achieve targets. This takes time, but if the coach tells the sales rep what they should do, the buy-in is lost. Best practice has the sales rep physically write out a plan of action and send it to the manager.
The power of putting pen to paper is twofold. Firstly the sales rep needs to think through what they are committed to doing and secondly by putting their commitment to paper it crystallizes their thinking.
Practice 7: Holding Your Rep Accountable
“People respect what you inspect.” The effective coach understands that once the plan of action is in place, their role as the coach is to hold the sales rep accountable for following through on their commitment. To accelerate the development process and completion of the sales rep plan of action, the coach asks the sales rep open-ended follow up questions such as:
What success have you had with your plan? What challenges did you face? How did you overcome those challenges?
By taking a few minutes on every interaction (via phone calls or on the next field visit) effective coaches are stressing the importance of their coaching. Sales reps begin to understand that they are going to be routinely asked how the focused plan of action is proceeding and they know that the manager is holding them accountable for progress and improvement.
Conclusion
Successful sales coaching is a process that has many nuances, and by following best practices such as effective questioning, self-directed commitments from sales reps and targeting improved performance on one particular area over time, this series of coaching interactions will help accelerate the development of your sales reps.
Remember that the focus of effective coaching is centered on the dedicated application of knowledge and skills.
As Nike says, “Just do it!”
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About the Author
Steven A. Rosen, MBA – Author | Coach | Speaker, helps companies transform sales managers into great sales leaders. Steven is the author of 52 Sales Management Tips – The Sales Manager’s Success Guide.
Steven’s focused coaching helps clients achieve greater personal and professional success. For more information email Steven at [email protected], Call 1-905-737-4548 or Visit STAR Results.