Even though leading-edge, web-based technologies have done a lot to increase the speed and efficiency of prospecting activities in recent years, the basics of prospecting haven’t changed in decades: analyze your territory, create an account plan, identify high probability targets, qualify prospects, set appointments, begin discovery and keep doing that regularly and relentless day after day, week after week until the good opportunities rise to the top and you get them closed. However, in spite of the proven effectiveness of this simple formula, many sales reps seem to have lost their touch when it comes to prospecting.
Any sales organization that wants to jump start the prospecting process will likely have to launch what amounts to a prospecting boot camp to get everyone back into shape, and you can’t have a boot camp without a drill instructor to coach and drill those reps in the basics of prospecting until they are instilled as part of the culture of the organization. In a high-growth, highly successful prospecting organization, the roll of the drill instructor is filled by the sales coach, who must design and implement an effective coaching strategy.
However, because sales managers have become burdened with many other responsibilities, they often resort to “managing” their team members, i.e., giving orders and measuring performance, instead of coaching team members to help them develop the skills and confidence to succeed. To put a fine point on it, managers need to manage less and coach more, if the team is to become a highly successful prospecting unit.
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. For this reason, especially when helping sales reps to develop and refine their prospecting skills, sales managers need to plan coaching sessions around a clearly defined coaching process.
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.
• Begin by going over the needs, goals and action steps agreed upon during the previous coaching session.
• Use this information as a starting point for this session.
• Ask your team member to share with you several specific behaviors and skills where they believe they are doing well.
• Discuss these areas and give any additional positive observations you have to offer.
• Invite the team member to also outline for you any behaviors or skills where they know they still have opportunities for improvement.
• Discuss these issues, and then introduce and discuss additional behaviors or skills you have observed where there are also opportunities for continued growth.
• Working together, develop an action plan – 1-3 items that the team member will complete before the next session - that will help the team member continue growing in those opportunity areas.
• Discuss any problems or issues that exist or might arise which would impede the action plan from being successful and discuss options to address those obstacles.
• Affirm the team member and provide strong assurance of your support and availability to provide assistance in achieving the stated goals before the next session.
• End the conversation by clarifying how and when the team member can reach out to you for support and ask them what you could do that would help them the most in their mission to achieve their goals by next time.
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.
1. Do it ASAP, in the moment it is needed
2. Do it in private
3. If the rep is involved in other activities, confirm that it’s okay to speak before starting a conversation
4. Begin by announcing your intentions; don’t keep the guessing about what is going on
5. Tell them how YOU feel about their behavior; there may be company policies involved but you are their coach, so don’t make this about someone else’s standards
6. Focus on one thing at a time; you may have several things to discuss, but don’t mix up the messages
7. Don’t make it personal; this is about performance, not about personalities
8. Be specific; you can’t change behavior if you don’t clearly define issues and outcomes
9. Get input; make sure they always have a chance to present their viewpoints and discuss their needs
10. Don’t leave them low; even if you had to deliver a corrective message, find a way to affirm their value as a person and give them a reason to hope things can get better
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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