The Sales Process & Sales Coaching
Finally, let’s look at another hot sales topic today – coaching. Our research and practice confirms that revitalizing a sales organization doesn’t begin with salespeople, but with frontline sales managers. Recruiters can funnel the best and brightest sales talent into an organization, but if managers are inept or politically motivated to maintain the status quo, it doesn’t take long for sales initiative to dwindle. The company can invest millions in sales training, but if sales supervisors don’t reinforce and refine those skills in everyday execution, the only result for the organization is an increase in the cost of sales.
Sales coaching is not psychobabbling handholding or completing performance management reports. What distinguishes good and great sales managers? Good sales coaches show their concern by listening to rep concerns. Great sales coaches show their expertise by observing, diagnosing, and prescribing specific skill-based solutions to make the rep more effective with customers. One explores feelings; the other motivates performance.
When a manager knows the sales process, she doesn’t have to wait for end-of-quarter production reports to know if the rep is having problems. The effective manager monitors the team’s activities around the sales process. If Rep A requires twice as many contacts as Rep B to gain the same number of presentations, the coach can pinpoint the problem to those parts of the sales process that address building rapport and/or needs discovery. Rep B may give lots of presentations, but not getting sales. In this case the sales process dictates that the coach zero in on closing or handling objections. By identifying small problems early on, managers can have a huge impact on productivity, morale, and retention.
Hiring, training, coaching, and customer contact – all vital elements in building and maintaining a successful sales organization. Good sales teams invest in the tools that help them manage each of these individual and often isolated components. Great sales organizations integrate selection, development, and sales technology around the skills and behaviors proven to build sales effectiveness for the rep, maximize profitability for all stakeholders, and help your business survive changes that could swamp a lesser enterprise.