A little different twist on my blog today – moving away from social media for the next few blogs so please bear with me. I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in some very good discussions lately and wanted to expand upon them a bit. One of the best discussions was around sales coaching and the value that it can bring to a sales team.

First I think some clarity should be provided as to what the difference is between sales training and sales coaching. This differentiation can help provide the basis for the benefits of each.

Sales Training – This typically done using an instructor, web based modules, or self paced manuals. It would commonly be a formal course that may or may not have been customized for the specific employer. The objective is to teach the sales rep a standard process created by the training company (Sandler, Dale Carnegie, Action selling, etc.). There are very good benefits associated with training such as, usage of questions (qualifying, probing, confirmation, and so forth), funnel usage, closing techniques, and so on. The major con with sales training is that in many cases (especially with sales people with some experience) is that when they get back to the field to sell they will try to incorporate the material into their own process, but will typically just go back to the way they were doing it previously. From a company standpoint, the primary issue is that there really isn’t a good way to measure the effectiveness of the training – so was it worth the expense?

Sales Coaching on the other hand is customized for not only the company but also for the individual. This allows for building on the strengths and development of the exact weaknesses your sales force has. When coaching is done correctly, it helps build a proven, repeatable, and measureable process that allows the sales team to unleash hidden potential and share best practices. Let me use an analogy here to help explain sales coaching. Since many of us can relate a bit to sports, let’s look at a professional athlete, be it a golfer, football player, baseball player, swimmer, diver, hockey player, etc. they all have coaches. These coaches don’t teach them the game (I know in some cases maybe they should – had to say it I’m a Pirate’s fan), but really help refine and perfect their individual techniques. These coaches have the benefit of having not only done it before, but also having done it with many individuals. The pro athlete may have eventually been able to figure it out, but the coach helps them to get results much quicker, which not unlike a sales team, results in a greater potential for increased performance equating to increased revenue.

What can Sales Coaching bring to an individual sales rep as well as the sales team? There are quite a few, but let me list a few that I as well as others seem to agree are the biggest differentiators.

• Focus. A coach helps to keep you focused on the end result, the goal. To achieve top tier performance, focus is critical.
• Objective Viewpoint. A coach can provide you an objective viewpoint of strengths and weaknesses, of both the sales rep as well as the company/product/solution. The coach has no “axe to grind” or need to position themselves politically. This objectivity provides a perspective that can accurately see these strengths and weaknesses, which ultimately lends itself to coaching to build on the strengths and develop the weaknesses thereby getting better results.
• Measurability. You need to know how you are doing, individually and as a company. Coaches are in a position to provide feedback, timely and skillfully which helps get the greatest gain possible from the efforts put in. This also leads to the next benefit.
• Accountability. Coaches hold you and the team accountable. Accountable for your actions, efforts (or lack thereof), choices, and results. This also provides one of the major differentiators from training in that the results from coaching are a standard deliverable and are easily measured.
• Best Practice Sharing. Within any organization’s sales team there are individuals that have are better at a particular role than other – maybe they’re better at gaining introductions, maybe a dynamite closer, and so forth. A coach has the ability to see not only your team, but also best practices from his prior experiences. This helps to transform and elevate your entire sales team.
• Synergy. This is one area that shouldn’t be overlooked. While it’s great to have individual taking ownership for their development, having a coach personally engaged with them really makes a difference. Sometimes we all need that little extra prodding, encouragement, assistance in improving a particular skill. The coach is there to help and really accelerate the results. Then when this is coupled with the overall synergy of a sales team, results can really skyrocket.

My final comments are that to reach and maintain one’s fullest potential, a formal coaching arrangement is crucial for success. A coach will help you leverage your strengths and develop your weaknesses. This true for top performing athletes as well as top performing professional business people.

Good Selling!

Larry Scott

Revenue Enhancement Strategies

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