Did you know the 3 best reasons to coach your sales team?
Salespeople who receive three hours of sales coaching a month . . .
- Exceed quota
- Boost revenue by 25%
- Increase the average close rate by 70%
You’ll notice that I said ‘sales coaching’, not product training, system design workshops, or ride-alongs with technicians. While they’re all important, they are often mistaken for sales coaching because they are delivered to the sales team. They are not the same at all.
Sales coaching is specifically working with your reps to recognize where they need support, provide training and guidance, review progress, and celebrate wins. As their self-confidence and skill sets increase, so does the revenue to your company.
Why Coaching Works
I’m a strong supporter of coaching because I have observed its value in my own sales teams. As I coach now, responses from sales reps I work with are universally positive. Their self-confidence increases as they feel more confident in their skills. They are comfortable bringing their sales challenges to the calls because they are not disparaged, they are supported and learn how to handle them. Sales leaders report that sales increase from their coached sales reps.
Making it Happen
As the stats above clearly demonstrate, investing time coaching your sales reps increases your bottom line. While the above stated reasons to coach your team are compelling, it’s also true that finding time to coach your reps while handling other, equally demanding responsibilities can be a challenge.
Many sales leaders are tasked with so many obligations that it’s impossible to manage them all effectively. The result is that often coaching, viewed as time-consuming or unnecessary, is one duty that falls by the wayside.
Undoubtedly, failing to coach the sales team is costly to business, both in fewer sales and greater employee turnover as unsuccessful sales reps leave for other opportunities.
Rather than not establishing coaching, recognize that it is absolutely required and find ways to make it happen. For coaching to be effective, it must be consistent, so it can’t be a hit or miss affair, patched in when you ‘have time’. You do have options.
Prioritize Coaching
Review your calendar and schedule coaching appointments with your reps on recurring meeting dates and times. Not only will you be more likely to regularly attend them and not schedule other meetings at the same time, but your reps will also do the same. As you become accustomed to your new habit, you’ll all discover the value of your coaching sessions and look forward to them.
Delegate Coaching
When there is simply no way to incorporate coaching sessions into your schedule, find another option to coaching team members yourself. You can choose one or two successful salespeople in your company who have shown leadership skills and initiative and have them handle coaching duties. Taking a strong, producing rep out of the field can be challenging, although you can offer an incentive to your rep(s) such as additional salary for the added work.
Share Coaching Duties
Rather than taking so much of your top rep’s time for coaching, you may be able to share the load. To make the coaching effective, have each rep work with the same coach every time. Moving back and forth between coaches will not instill confidence or maintain continuity in your team.
Outsource Coaching
Another good choice is to provide coaching by someone outside of your company with valuable security sales and coaching experience. Your sales reps will have continuity, support, regular engagement, and the freedom to speak freely about their challenges to someone who is not responsible for their paycheck. The outside coach is also responsible to you for regular updates about your reps’ progress, making sure that you’re aware of anything that needs to be handled internally.
If you’d like to talk about what’s involved in outsourcing your team’s coaching or obtain coaching for yourself to become an even more effective leader to your team, give me a call. It’s easy, effective, and economical. You can also learn more on our website.
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