- Coaching is a process NOT a destination. Don’t get hung up if you don’t see the progress you're looking for right away, keep trying. Sales will improve ... but not with simple demands of better results!
- Only target 1 - 2 performance areas at a time. More than that is just too much for someone to handle and be successful at.
- Coaching is about being proactive, while management is about being reactive. Keep an eye out for potential areas of need in your staff before they become too big an issue to tackle.
- A good coach encourages their team to develop and grow, a manager lets them maintain the status quo. Always strive to be helping your team get better, even when they seem to be successful. There is always room for improvement.
- Resist the “Let me show you” or “this is what I would do” urge. Let the employee own the task or change needed. You should help facilitate dialog that lets them come to the solution on their own.
- Ask questions as to what they know (knowledge), what they feel they can do (skills), and their level of confidence (behavioral). These questions will guide a sales manager as to what they need to coach to. A person who knows how to handle price objections but has a fear of negotiating is much different than a rep who has no idea of the steps to handling price objections, but we tend to send the same two people to the same class.
- Smile, walk fast, and carry yourself every second with a purpose as if "you know success is right around the corner." The more your people see you carry that energy they will follow. Often, the way we act provides them with reasons (excuses) for not trying!
Hope this helps
