Secrets Of High-Performing Sales Coaches

Coaching in general is a hot topic, but when it comes to sales, it's important to realise that the coaching that sales reps need is very different from the kind of general coaching that's appropriate in other areas of business. Learning how to effectively coach sales reps is an integral part of sales management training, and while some general coaching skills are good to have, there are specific skills that are much more important for effective sales coaching.

Defining and Achieving Goals

Good coaches help their sales people define their own goals; great coaches help their reps create and execute action plans that will allow them to achieve those goals. That includes helping trainees develop habits and behaviours that contribute to and increase their sales success.

Know When to Give Advice, and When to Back Off

In some training circles, the prevailing school of thought is that coaches should avoid giving direct advice, because it's more important that the “coachee” receives general advice and coaching that will enable them to figure things out on their own. But in sales, situations often arise where giving direct advice enables a trainee to make a sale they would have lost otherwise, and in the sales industry there's no room for lost opportunities. A good coach has to know when direct advice is needed and warranted, and when it's better to step back and let their trainee use their own judgement to solve a problem.

Essentially, this is about understanding that sales coaches have two different jobs: one is to provide general support and advice that helps a trainee improve over time, and the second is to provide specific, direct advice when it's needed to help a trainee take advantage of an opportunity. So, sales coaches need to be able to give both immediate and long-term advice, and know when each kind of advice is appropriate.

Inspiration and Motivation

Good sales coaches understand that motivation isn't the same for everyone; people are motivated in different ways by different things, and a great coach is someone who can help each and every rep tap into their own personal source of internal motivation.

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How to Become a Successful Sales Representative

The nature of sales is such that personal qualities like attitude and personality are hugely important determinants of success, and all the sales rep training in the world can't make up the lack. But for reps who just need a nudge or two in the right direction, it can be useful to understand just what those essential qualities are.

Develop a Keen Sense of Empathy

Empathy is the quality of identifying with people and understanding what they're feeling; it's an enormously useful trait for salespeople because it enables them to understand a customer's motivations and concerns, and tailor their sales pitch accordingly. A rep with a strong sense of empathy finds it easy to establish trust and help others feel at ease, and is good at reading body language and other non-verbal cues.

Stay Focused, Stay Optimistic

People who are focused are driven from within; they don't require external motivation to want to succeed. They're self-motivated, self-starters, and they're willing to do what it takes to achieve their goals.

A related trait is optimism: the ability to persist and stay focused in the face of failure. It's a crucial trait, because in sales, failure is inevitable—so it's not a lack of failure that's important, it's the ability to stay focused and confident when failure happens.

Accept Responsibility

People who are prepared to accept responsibility for their own actions don't shift the blame onto others when problems arise. Instead, they accept whatever responsibility is theirs, they work to find out what went wrong, and they make the effort to make improvements where they're needed.

Feed the Desire for Success

Sales training can help new reps understand how to succeed, but it can't make them want to succeed. That desire to succeed just for the sake of being successful is something that can't be taught. Someone who genuinely enjoys competing and being the best they can, who enjoys the profession for the opportunities it provides in terms of winning, and who gains personal gratification from a successful sale, has the makings of a great rep.

It's important, however, that the desire for success is tempered by those other essential qualities—like empathy and a willingness to accept personal responsibility—to ensure that success doesn't come at another's expense, whether its a customer or a colleague.

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The 5 Biggest Sales Management Coaching Pitfalls

There are three ways in which managers try to encourage hard work in their employees. These are threats of punishment for poor performance (for instance, disciplinary action or loss of employment), bonuses and increases in wages and promotions. Unfortunately many things you've been taught as a manager may be counterproductive:

Giving Rewards Doesn't Work – Studies looking at human motivation found that giving external rewards actually damages long-term motivation and performance, making the person less likely to achieve what they are capable of. It also dampens down creativity and problem solving skills and can reduce enthusiasm for the job if they are given for tasks the employee already enjoys. This is because external rewards heighten anxiety and make them feel controlled. Once they have achieved the short-term goal and ‘won’ the prize, their overall investment in the job declines.

Threatening Punishment Doesn't Work – Using the threat of punishment doesn't work because once that threat is removed, the employee becomes demotivated. It is also counterproductive to the three basic psychological needs of workers, which are:

• The need to feel competent and a valued member of the team
• The need for connection and cooperation with colleagues during team work
• The need for autonomy or self-direction within the workplace

When these needs are satisfied, staff are internally motivated just because they enjoy what they do.

Bonuses Don’t Develop Long-Term Motivation – While employees are motivated by pay, it isn't long lasting. The only way to encourage internal motivation is to have a supportive workplace that recognises talent in others, gives need-based feedback and offers recognition for a job well done.

Negative Communication Doesn't Work – If you as a manager offer information in a negative or judgmental way you block communication. If you offer choices within your information, you can encourage a sense of autonomy in your staff that increases work satisfaction.

Choose External Rewards Carefully – Used in moderation and in the context of a supportive workplace, rewards can be motivating. Avoid competitions (they never feel good to the loser). Only offer rewards after they have done the work instead of as an incentive, express appreciation and highlight the positive impact they have had on others.

If you would like to get more information on sales management, you can visit www.achieveglobal.co.uk

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Want A Thriving Business? Try The New Sales Coaching Approach

When it comes to motivating your work force and keeping them fully engaged, there have always been plenty of different choices for managers and trainers. But none of these are truly effective in the long-run, often leading to short-term boosts and nothing more. To really achieve a thriving business, you may need to revisit your approach to sales coaching – and we’d like to discuss that very thing in this article.

External motivation isn’t always the answer

Let's assume that at some point you've had experience of incentives. Many companies use them for lots of different reasons, and the assumption they make is that an external motivator (like money or a prize) will lead to long-term improvements in productivity. But this unfortunately is not the case. Rather these can stifle workers’ creativity and can cause more problems than they solve. The answer is simple: focus instead on internal motivation. This occurs when an employee finds something they really enjoy doing, or they perform a task and satisfy another need within them – such as contributing to a team. In both cases, it's all about satisfying internal needs, and the results are much longer lasting.

The psychological needs of staff

It's clear that the best workers will be those who feel comfortable, happy and valued in their positions. But to nurture this, there are a number of psychological needs that must be fulfilled. Studies have shown that these needs are: competence, relatedness and autonomy. The first, competence, refers to feeling like they have the ability to do their job to the best of their ability. The next, relatedness, refers to staff feeling like they are part of a team. The third, autonomy, ensures staff feel like they can do their job without external motivation.

Need-based leadership

The core of the new sales coaching approach is one that focuses on the three needs we mentioned above. By leading in a way that enables team members to feel competent, related to others, and autonomous in their role, helps staff to maintain peace of mind and confidence. This confidence will lead to increased job satisfaction and, by extension, productivity.

If you’re part of a business that’s striving to thrive, why not try out the new thought-based leadership approach? It might just change the fortunes of your company.