Another day, another bonus article in the X-factor: 10 Days of Epic Sales Knowledge series from Ryan Leavitt.
Today’s experts are sharing thoughts around sales coaching. Ryan Leavitt is the Chief Revenue Officer for LearnCore, a best-in-class coaching and enablement technology company. Ryan sees coaching from the lens of coaching his own fast-growing sales team as well as through the lens of helping other leaders benefit from building a coaching culture. His article is one that we can all benefit from: Lessons a 2 Year Old Can Teach You About Sales Coaching. Its a great read with some powerful insights that will help you build your coaching plans for 2018.
Here is where you can follow Ryan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanleavitt/
Email: [email protected]
5 Lessons A 2-Year Old Can Teach You About Sales Coaching
Before we get going, here are a few things about me:
Professional: I’m a workaholic, I LOVE sales, I crave competition.
Personal:Chicago native, huge Cubs and Michigan Wolverines fan, father of 2 Boys.
Anyone who has kids will tell you that it didn’t take long to realize that there is no playbook to being a parent. There are books, articles, blogs, etc. to help get you “prepare”, but when it really comes down to it, you have to throw the books out the window, roll up your sleeves, and figure it out the best you can.
Sales coaching and management are very similar. You can train, practice, read, observe, talk to a mentor and all of these activities will help give you the knowledge, skills, and set the right expectations for how to succeed, but that is an academic approach and might explain why, according to CEB, 60% of new managers underperform in the first two years.
In my opinion, the most difficult part about thriving as a sales coach is that it forces you to change your behavior and continuously adapt on the fly. The tools, technology, books, and data can help but it’s all about the execution and adapting.
When I’m with my two year old, Henry, I need to constantly have eyes on him. I look away for one minute and he’s climbing up the drawer handles onto the kitchen counter, he has opened the closet door and is shoulder deep in the garbage, or he’s running across the couch. Sounds like a devil, right? Actually, that’s not even close to reality. He’s very smart and funny. He is always happy, laughing, having fun, and trying to engage anyone in the room. But, he’s a two year old….and he’s just trying to figure out the world.
As his dad, I am his friend and his mentor. I am his coach and his crutch. There is no playbook for this. Most of the time we are laughing, playing (usually hockey, which is his favorite game), and exploring together. However, there are times when I need to discipline Henry and give him a “timeout”. Times I need to say “No!”. Times I need to teach him why running with a spoon in his mouth or removing outlet covers is dangerous. And there are also times that I need to let him figure things out on his own.
Each of those times help me build critical skills, just to make sure Henry is happy and continues to learn, grow, and thrive. Ironically, the skills that I’ve been forced to develop at home have also made me a better coach and manager at work. The relationships and roles aren’t all that different and success in both starts with being self-aware.
Below are a few keys to being a great coach. I am always pushing myself to remain aware of each of these whether I’m with Henry or with the LearnCore sales team. Every situation is different, but focusing on these items helps to remain grounded, make smart decisions, and influence growth.
The 5 takeaways my son has taught me about sales coaching:
- Be Present: Put down your phone. Close out of your email. Don’t go on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. We are all busy and distractions are everywhere, but it’s important to truly focus on the person, conversation, and problem. Listen and engage.
When I’m with Henry, I make sure my focus is entirely on him. It takes discipline, but from the time I get home until he goes to sleep, I don’t do any work, look at email, take phone calls, or go on social media. All of that can wait.
With a sales rep, that means spending a 1:1 or deal review session laser focused on him/her. Be genuinely curious, ask thoughtful questions, and really listen to their thoughts and challenges.
*Additional benefit: this will actually make you more productive
- Be Patient: Everyone knows the proverb “patience is a virtue”. But it is very hard to be patient, especially when you are accustomed to controlling the execution and outcome.
As a sales coach, it’s critical to understand that your sales team is continuously learning and improving. It’s your job to create an environment to facilitate that growth and this doesn’t happen overnight. The best sales coaches understand that the path to greatness is a marathon and each skill takes time to develop.
- Earn Trust through Servant Leadership:
“Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. It’s being able to take it as well as dish it out. That’s the only way you’re going to get respect from the players.” – Larry Bird
I’ve heard people talk about how the best leaders and coaches can get their team to “run through a wall” for them. I completely agree.
But first, the best leaders and coaches must earn the trust of their team, and trust is not earned during 1:1 sessions and building strategic plans. Trust is earned through execution. Trust is earned on the field. Coaches earn trust by rolling up their sleeves and doing whatever is necessary to make sure everyone is set up to succeed.
As a father and sales leader, the priority is family and team, respectively. Their successes come first. My job, whether in the office or at home, is to make sure each are set up to be successful and happy; we are in the trenches together to make it happen.
- Identify Patterns & Be Proactive:
Any 2 year old temper tantrum is usually driven out of frustration. That frustration is usually caused by one of two things – sometimes it is because he can’t do something and other times because I am not letting him do something. As Henry’s coach, I observe, adapt, and try to anticipate it. It takes repetition, clear communication, and patience (#2 above) to change behavior.
In sales leadership, collecting and analyzing data is critical. By leveraging data and recognizing patterns of top performers and bottom performers, sales managers can coach more effectively. If they only focus on lagging indicators (revenue, quota attainment, etc.) it’s too late. Sales managers need to identify the leading indicators that impact performance and analyze data at a very granular level. In doing this, they can recognize potential challenges and a path to improvement before performance is impacted.
- Let Them Fail:
“You don’t learn to walk by following the rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over” – Richard Branson
This quote is quite literal with Henry. It is a difficult adjustment to make, especially with a toddler, but I have forced myself to trust the process and know that I won’t always be there to hold his hand. Instead, I try to guide Henry and foster a safe environment for him to test his limits and fail. This is ultimately how he will learn, grow, and make the right decisions going forward.
Sales coaches need to adopt the same mentality and understand that they cannot control the outcome. However, they can control the environment in which their teams learn, practice, and fail. It is the job of a sales coach to help each rep prepare, understand the “why”, build the right skills, identify mistakes, provide prompt feedback, and drive continuous improvement.
The best sales leaders do not control, they influence.
The best sales leaders allow their team to “learn by doing, and by falling over”.
I’d love to hear your keys to coaching as well. Feel free to send me a message on LinkedIn or shoot me an email at [email protected].
-Ryan Leavitt
If you want to find out more about changing behavior in your sales teams with Xvoyant Coaching Technology,
{{cta(‘1516fd81-b67f-4229-a5c6-72fe76ac15bb’)}}
You can get caught up with past day’s articles by clicking on their titles below:
Day 1: Millennials In Sales: What You Need To Know For 2018
Day 2: Annoying Persistence vs. Professional Persistence
Day 3: The Most Important Attribute in Coaching Top Performing Salespeople
Day 4: Transformation in the Digital Era
Day 5: Designing a Social Sales Blueprint for Sales Leadership in 2018
Day 6: One Haunting Sales Statistic Every Sales Leader Should Know
Day 7: Hiring Kick Ass Salespeople
Day 7 Bonus: It is Time for More Women in Sales
Day 8: The Five Keys to Great Sales Coaching
Day 9: Why Impact Eats Value for Breakfast
Day 9 Bonus: Top 3 Coaching Mistakes Made by Good Sales Managers