When I first started managing sales teams, I was quickly overwhelmed with the amount of responsibility that came with it. Not only did I have to worry about my quotas, bottom line, and targets, but now I had a whole team of people relying on me for guidance and support. It was a lot of pressure, but luckily I had some great mentors who taught me the importance of sales coaching.
Sales Coaching: A Process for Improving Sales Skills and Performance
Sales coaching is when a more experienced salesperson helps a less-experienced one improve their skills.
This usually involves setting goals, providing feedback and guidance, and helping the salesperson to practice and improve their sales coaching techniques.
How can I start sales coaching?
1. Figure out where your team needs the most assistance.
When developing your coaching program, you must figure out where your sales reps need help the most.
To improve your team’s performance, compare it against industry averages and your past results. This data-driven method will be more effective at identifying areas for improvement than randomly selecting an area.
2. Start with a small list and work from there.
If you’re worried about resistance to change, try to gain some early momentum. This can help you get started and make progress.
If you’re looking to boost your sales performance, have your team practice their pitch by acting out a real-world situation, such as leaving a voice mail to a potential client. This will allow them to get real-time feedback.
3. Create a library of different sales situations.
There are different stages of a sales cycle, and different reps will have different needs. A high-quality training system will cater its program to these differences.
For instance, new sales reps may need more coaching sessions on delivering effective pitches since they may still be learning about your company and products.
4. Share your work with the class.
Coaching is a great opportunity for sales managers and reps to learn from each other! By involving the whole team, everyone can benefit from each member’s different perspectives and experiences.
5. Utilise the help of your in-house sales staff and external tools to close more deals.
If you are starting as a coach or trying to revive your struggling program, you don’t have to do it alone.
Ask your sales managers and leaders for ideas on the type of training that would benefit your reps the most.
Outside of internal resources and experts, many external resources can help you find solutions to your most pressing challenges.
Conclusion
If you want to improve your sales team‘s performance, following these five coaching best practices will help you get them on track. Setting realistic goals and being consistent with your feedback ensures that your team is always performing at its best. With sales coaching, your team members can close more deals and reach their quotas.
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