In this article, we discuss the "5 Keys to Sales Coaching", or the five critical steps you must know and execute in order to get the best effort and results out of your salespeople.
They include:
- Insight
- Feedback
- Demonstrate
- Role Play
- Action Plan
Coaching salespeople is hard work and it helps to have a consistent and effective process to help keep you on course. As a sales coach, there are five critical steps that you must know and execute in order to get the best effort and results out of your salespeople.
These are the 5 Keys to Coaching!
- INSIGHT - As a coach, you must be able to see what is happening and what is not happening out in the field. Without real insight into what is going on, you will have difficulty understanding their choke points so that you can coach them.
- FEEDBACK - As a sales coach, you must continually give your salespeople specific feedback on their activities. This includes both positive and constructive feedback. If you ask your salesperson if they will allow you to coach them to help them reach their goals, you will usually gain permission. And that makes the journey better for everyone.
- DEMONSTRATE - Part of a sales leader’s job is to be effective at demonstrating the behavior they want their salespeople to execute in the field. And they must take time out of their busy day to schedule time with their team members and demonstrate specific situations from a sales call or meeting, role play with their team, identify gaps in the selling process, ask specific questions, and most importantly, coach their salespeople to become better salespeople!
5 Keys to Coaching - Demonstrate
- PRACTICE - We have all heard the saying, “Practice makes perfect”. This is particularly true in selling. Practice is essential in improving selling skills, specific techniques, interpersonal skills, and attention-to-detail in the selling process. Without practice, your salespeople will only go so far, and as a sales coach, you must role play with your salespeople in order for them to practice and achieve success! Be prepared, they might not like it but they must do it.
- ACTION PLAN - It is essential that YOU as a sales leader take time to sit down with your salesperson and establish an action plan – what are the specific prospecting and networking activities that they must do in order to reach their goals? This will undoubtedly include utilizing LinkedIn, attending association meetings with the intent to meet the right target profile client, etc. This action plan SHOULD include getting introductions from current clients.
5 Keys to Coaching - Action Plan
To learn more about the 5 Keys to Coaching and our specific available coaching packages, check out the link below!
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