Sales Managers Manage Numbers. Sales Coaches Develop Teams that Produce Numbers
Too often front line managers (and a lot of senior managers) try to “manage” sales professionals to improved performance, or try to “manage” reps out of dry spells instead of coaching them.
They mistakenly believe that all sales performance problems are solvable by focusing on the mechanics, the process and the metrics of what sales professionals are doing. Instead they should engage with a sales rep as an individual and understand her specific situation and come to a mutual understanding of the obstacles that are standing the way of her achieving her goals and her objectives.
Effective coaching is similar in many respects to selling.
You have to build a relationship with the person you’re coaching that transcends the “manager/rep” relationship.
You need to demonstrate empathy just as you would with a prospect. This means that as a coach you have to learn how to really listen to the person you’re helping. You have to eliminate your biases and listen without filters or judgment. Only then can you put yourself in their shoes and really understand them as a person and how they view the challenges they are facing.
You have to do discovery with the rep. You have to use insightful questions to uncover their perceptions of the obstacles they are facing. You have learn to ask the extra question, the “that’s interesting; tell me more” question that really uncovers their true challenges and their real goals and aspirations.
You have to take what you learn and synthesize that into a solution and a plan that will help the rep achieve their goals. As a part of this you need to work with the rep to jointly create a vision of what they can achieve if they keep an open mind, accept your coaching and follow the plan you develop.
Perhaps most importantly, the person you're coaching, needs to see the value in it. Coaching is not a pro forma, scripted exercise. It’s an individualized, personalized success path for each individual.
To help them see the value in your coaching, make sure to create opportunities for the rep to experience frequent success with it. Define short-term objectives for the rep to achieve success using the advice and strategies defined in your coaching. For the rep this breeds self-confidence and confidence in the value of the coaching you’re providing.
Where management fails, coaching can succeed.
If you'd like to become a better sales coach (or help your managers to be effective coaches) call me at 323-854-1713 or email me at petercmclees@gmail.com
To your greater success,
Peter C Mclees, Principal
We help sales reps and sales organizations accelerate their sales.
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