Aug 182011
 

Sales Coaching – Execution Based

Sales Coaching: By Tibor Shanto, Renbor Sales Solutions

This article has been selected for DeFinis Communications’ “Sales Coaching: Top Tips for Increased Productivity” Blog Carnival. You can enjoy even more posts from other exceptional bloggers at their website.

An effective sales coaching process needs to be based on two pillars of sales success and continuous improvement process: activity and process.  By focusing on executing an organization’s standardized sales process, Managers are able to deliver objective sales coaching, taking subjectivity and personalities out of the mix.  This in turn drives mutual accountability and focus on high value activities and results.  By driving specific sales process related activities, coaches are able to tailor and evolve plans for each individual member of their team based on their specific skills, abilities and current results.

Sales Managers must understand and embrace the difference between Sales Managing and Sales Coaching, applying both as needed to develop their teams.  Manager are expected to set role expectations, clearly defining specific objectives, including financial goals, client acquisition, renewal and penetration targets, specific time allocation and activity levels for key success activities.  Without understanding and acceptance of these fundamentals, it is difficult for sales teams and individuals to succeed, nor for managers to successfully lead their teams and individuals to consistent success.

Once the sales rep understands and accepts the role definition and related metrics, the Manager needs to inventory the reps’ skills, attributes and ability to deliver agreed on expectations and objectives.  This allows the Manager to develop near term and long term coaching and development plans for each rep based on their abilities.

Once the expectations have been accepted by the rep, the Manager needs to transition from Manager to Coach, helping the individual rep to consistently execute the process with continuous improvement in results measured against plan.

A fully effective Execution Based Sales Coaching model is implemented on two parallel tracks, a week to week reinforcement of the sales process, including related activities and metrics; and a longer term development plan based on the individuals’ ability to deliver against plan and over all development goals.

Week to Week Application

Based on pre-agreed on levels of activity, opportunities at various stages of the funnel based on the individual’s conversion rates.  Because the review is driven by metrics and a standardized process, they require little time, and can be conducted as a team to encourage knowledge and market information sharing.  Executed properly (according to the Renbor way), these are short crisp meetings with each member of the team taking no more than five minutes.  Because reviews are weekly, and focus on real opportunities, real being specifically defined based on pipeline criteria, not the interpretation of each member of the team; this is one of the key things established in the expectation phase above.

Longer Term Development Plan

sales coaching

 

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