As a manager, you could spend all of your time going to meetings. Don’t. You could spend most of your time reviewing metrics and generating reports. Don’t. You could spend most of your time doing a lot of things, because a manager has a lot of things to do, but there is no more important use of your time than working with your team members to help them improve. Whether you are working with a new recruit or a seasoned professional, there is always something you could be doing in the way of coaching and training that can help your team members sharpen their skills, as well as solve problems that will boost their performance and increase the effectiveness of the entire team.
Though attending meetings and generating reports goes with the territory, a sales manager will ultimately be measured and compensated according to the way the members of the sales team perform. However, because managers are often overwhelmed with all these stressful responsibilities, managers will often “manage” their team members, i.e., give instructions and measure performance, instead of coaching team members so that they consistently have the skills and confidence to succeed. To put a fine point on it, managers need to manage less and coach more. The chart below helps spell out the difference between managing and coaching:
| Manager Approach | M | C | Coach Approach |
| Answers questions when asked | Asks questions to help reps better understand options and strategies | ||
| Describes excellence to team | Models excellence by working with team members and mentoring achievement | ||
| Evaluates results and provides feedback | Observes behaviors and provides feedback | ||
| Provides coaching when necessary | Provides coaching as an ongoing priority | ||
| Coaches extemporaneously | Follows structured coaching strategy | ||
| Gives team members action steps to follow and then resumes other duties | Guides team members through steps as they implement action plan | ||
| Provides feedback during evaluation, and occasionally between evaluations | Provides timely, consistent feedback during the daily flow of work | ||
| Treats obstacles with team members as the real issues | Probes issues with team members to discover the root cause behind the obstacles | ||
| Outlines challenges for team members | Guides and supports team members as they uncover their own challenges |
As the chart above indicates, sales managers who take the “manager” approach tend to be reactionary and unstructured in their coaching. They view it more as a task or a distraction rather than as a mission and an opportunity. They tend to reserve coaching conversations for scheduled evaluations or when it is necessary to fix a major problem. Not only is this not efficient, it is also not effective if the goal is to foster exceptional performance and growth within the team.
Sales managers who take the “coach” approach are committed to making coaching the center of their management strategy on a consistent basis. They have a coaching strategy or system in place and they look for coaching opportunities. In previous sessions, we have talked about the value of making coaching a part of pipeline meetings and leveraging the sales cadence to plan and implement regular coaching opportunities. Coaching is too important to deliver randomly. Having said that, sales managers with a coach’s perspective recognize when it is important to step in as needed between scheduled coaching appointments to provide coaching and feedback while the issues are still fresh, and when the benefits will have the most impact.
The REACH Sales Coaching Model
To reiterate, it is important to follow a defined strategy for coaching each team member, so that you can customize your coaching plan to meet their individual needs and goals. The REACH model lays out five important steps to guide your interaction with your team members. This is a collaborative model that relies on asking questions of the sales rep that will help define the scope of the need and the direction that the coaching solution will take.
If the sales manager implements the REACH model on a consistent basis, the coaching process itself will take on a rhythm and momentum that constantly propels the sales rep to higher levels of success and deeper levels of maturity. Instead of feeling criticized and put down, the rep will feel empowered and encouraged, and will probably even look forward to coaching sessions because of the perceived value and progress they produce. In the end, effective coaching helps the rep achieve greater levels of success, which produces more confidence and satisfaction.
Finally, here are some tips for giving regular, consistent feedback. Whether you want to reinforce good behavior (sometimes referred to as giving Confirming feedback) or change unacceptable behavior (also known as giving Constructive feedback), there are certain steps you need to follow to make it work.
Sales Managers who take this kind of daily interest in the progress, needs, and ultimate success of their team members consistently see steady growth in the performance of the team, which translates into success for everyone, including the sales manager. Coaching truly creates a Win Win for everyone.
Review the Managers vs. Coaches Chart. How many check marks do you have in each of the center column? What will it take to get all the marks in the C column?
Review your present coaching strategy. Do you have an intentional, consistent, coherent coaching plan – similar to the REACH model - that focuses on collaborating with the sales rep to drive regular performance improvement? If not, why not, and what will it take to develop one?
Do you need to adjust your schedule to focus more on coaching during the day? What changes need to made to free up time to focus more on coaching?
Walter Rogers is the President and CEO of Baker Communications. Baker Communications is a sales training and development company specializing in helping client companies increase their sales and management effectiveness. He can be reached at 713-627-7700.
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