Here’s another great article as a bonus today for X-factor: 10 Days of Epic Sales Knowledge from Colleen Stanley.
Why we Chose her:
Website: www.SalesLeadershipDevelopment.com
LinkedIn: /in/colleenstanleysli/
Twitter: @EiSelling
Top 3 Coaching Mistakes Made by Good Sales Managers
Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “They call it coaching, but it is teaching. You do not just tell them it is so, but you show them the reasons why it is so, and you repeat and repeat until they are convinced, until they know.”
The most effective sales managers are good coaches and teachers. They invest time in teaching, role playing and practicing. And yet, after hours of work, many still ask, “Why isn’t my sales team getting better?” The answer: Most sales managers never learned how to transfer the skills and knowledge that made them a top producer. And in many cases, they aren’t coaching the right end of the sales challenge.
Step No. 1 to becoming a better teacher is knowing the difference between training and coaching. Training is imparting knowledge. Coaching is making sure the knowledge landed and can be executed effectively and consistently. Training is important because you need a sales framework from which to coach. However, coaching is where sales results dramatically improve because knowledge is power only when applied.
Step No. 2 is to incorporate emotional intelligence skills into your day-to-day coaching processes. Good sales managers are self-aware and other aware, allowing them to coach to the right end of the sales challenge.
Here are three tips to consider to make you a more effective sales coach.
#1: Repetition, repetition, repetition. Sales managers often grasp selling concepts and skills quickly. As a result, they bring that same expectation to their sales teams. They teach a sales concept once, conduct a couple of role plays and then expect the salesperson to demonstrate sales mastery.
The self-aware and other aware sales manager recognizes that mastering a skill is achievable only through repetition. It’s called neuroplasticity. When a salesperson practices a new skill, habit or response, the brain begins to build new neural pathways. Behavioral psychologist Donald Hebb coined the phrase, “Cells that fire together wire together.” It’s kind of like creating a new hiking trail — the more the trail is hiked, the easier for hikers to walk.
Now, apply this to sales. The more salespeople repeat a skill, the easier it becomes to execute. And with repetition, they become unconsciously competent. As a result, they show up to sales meetings confident and relaxed because they aren’t worried about their next ‘sales ninja move.’ Sales managers, apply your delayed gratification skills. Teach, practice and repeat. Get those cells firing and wiring for consistent sales execution and mastery.
#2: Ask, don’t tell. Many sales managers get promoted because of their sales ability. They are good at asking questions, diagnosing problems and presenting effective solutions. However, when they’re put in a sales leadership role, those skills often go right out the window.
Case in point: Your salesperson comes to you with a question about an opportunity or sales challenge. Your first inclination might be to give a quick response and fix the problem. After all, you are an expert at closing business. Congratulations. You are building a sales team that isn’t learning how to think like you because you are doing all the thinking.
It’s time to apply the EQ skills of emotional self-awareness. The next time a salesperson comes to you with a question, raise your awareness and manage the impulse to solve the problem or offer a quick recommendations. Your job is to transfer your problem-solving and selling skills. Ask simple questions that build skills and confidence:
- What do you believe is the best approach?
- What have you tried?
- What are other options are there to consider?
- Step into the prospect’s shoes. What is she thinking or feeling about this problem?
#3: Impulse control. Being a great sales coach requires the emotional intelligence skill of delayed gratification. Coaching takes time and patience. It involves pre-briefing calls, debriefing calls, practice, practice and more practice.
Sales managers teach their salespeople to pre-plan their meetings. And the effective coach pre-call plans coaching sessions. For example, when meeting with your salesperson do you have a defined purpose or objective to accomplish? Are you working on improving your reps assertiveness or practicing value propositions? Or, are you defaulting to instant gratification and conducting wing-it sales coaching sessions?
Remember, your value as a sales manager is measured by your ability to teach and transfer knowledge. It’s not how much you know and do. It’s what your sales team knows and executes.
Good selling!
Colleen Stanley is the author of Emotional Intelligence For Sales Success and Growing Great Sales Teams, an international sales keynote speaker and has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Sales Bloggers in the world for the last 4 years. She is the creator of the Ei Selling® System, a unique and powerful sales program that integrates emotional intelligence skills with consultative selling skills. Salesforce has named Colleen as one of the most influential sales figures of the 21st century.
If you want to find out more about changing behavior in your sales teams with Xvoyant Coaching Technology,
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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 8 Bonus: 5 Lessons a 2-Year Old Can Teach You About Sales Coaching