How can you prepare for common problems in Sales Coaching?

There are several bias' at play to be aware of when trying to identify the root cause of an issue in sales coaching. 1-When you ask a new coachee what they need to work on, the Dunning Kruger Effect may impact the accuracy of their answers because the less experience we have, the more confident we tend to be in our abilities. 2- If your coachee knows they are being observed, they may alter their normal behavior- known as the Hawthorne effect. 3- We all have a bias of what we except someone to do when observing their behavior, or the Observer bias. To reduce these bias, use a validated and sales specific assessment tool to evaluate the skillsets and underlining mindsets. This creates self awareness and reduces the "that's your opinion"

Identifying and overcoming limiting beliefs is crucial for a salesperson striving for peak performance. These beliefs act as unseen barriers, subtly influencing behaviors and decisions, often leading to self-sabotage. For example, a belief that one is not adept at communicating value can result in a hesitancy to close deals confidently. Through introspection and coaching, salespeople can unearth these hidden scripts, such as "I'm not persuasive enough," "Customers probably find me annoying," or "I'm not cut out for big sales." Once brought to light, these beliefs can be challenged and reframed.

First off, understand your team inside out - their strengths, weaknesses, and quirks. Foster a culture of open communication so problems don't simmer beneath the surface. Keep your coaching methods flexible; what works for one rep might not fly with another. And never underestimate the power of continuous learning - stay updated on industry trends and tweak your coaching approach accordingly.

By knowing about the problems, difficulties and dissatisfaction that your target clients might be facing and knowing how you, your product/service can help them solve the same

One thing that I have found helpful is rephrasing the problem statement in a neutral tone. Ask some open-ended questions that help you understand the perspective of the coachee. Once you identify the core problem the right approach can be selected to provide effective coaching to the coachee.

It’s important that the goals are not only realistic, but achievable. Too often, “sales closed” is the only measure of success. But interim goals, learning goals, mindset goals, etc. are the key to behavior change and success.

Focus on guiding your coachee to set goals that are personally meaningful to them, written down, with action commitments that include replacing specific non-supportive beliefs, building habits to change certain mindsets, and practice on certain skillsets. This then becomes a plan that they share with you and make regular reports on. Not only does this set up accountability in a collaborative way with them, it also enables you and your coachee to focus on leading indicators of improvement, not just lagging indicators of meetings booked or revenue acquired. Data from 2.3 million sales professionals shows that when salespeople sets goals like this, they are 298% more likely to be an elite top salesperson and they have 32% more skills.

To coach sales people effectively, you have to 'let go to grow'. You must step back so your people can step up. You have to give salespeople room to connect with their inner 'why'. Goals need to be emotional. They are the rocket-fuel that drive sales people. They are the stuff that keeps people 'keeping on' when others have given in. So by all means set goals. Better still, invite your salesperson to set the goals. It's their coaching session. It's their future that you're investing your time in, right? It's their 'skill and 'will' that are going to make this goal a reality. What's the end-goal for you, Priya? What's so important about making President's Club? What will it mean to you when you close this deal?

As it's said, a goal without a plan is just a wish. Having SMART goals helps in optimising the process to achieve the set goals. In my experience, developing a SMART goal that aligns with personal and professional aspirations keeps coachee enthusiastic and motivated.

Often leaders wait for the right moment to share feedback which can impede the coachee's growth process. It's important to give prompt and specific feedback, rather than vague feedback. Constructive feedback should be given in private, while positive feedback can be shared publicly. Sales coaching requires the use of effective tools and techniques to ensure ongoing improvement in the coachee.

When you co-create a behavior based action plan with your coachee, ask them to include they types of specific feedback they will need in order to make the changes. For example, if the behavior they need to develop is to ask at least 7 targeted and open ended questions in the intial discovery call, the feedback could then be specific to the timing of the questions, the questions they forgot, the questions they wish they had asked, and why that may have happened.

The best sales leaders see feedback as a two-way street. On the one hand, they have specific feedback which they want to share with the salesperson. On the other hand, they want to solicit feedback as part of a 'how am I doing as your leader?' conversation. Your salesperson is far more likely to be open to insight from you if you are open to insight from them. Makes sense? No one has any business coaching salespeople unless they too are coachable. Read this again. Being ‘coachable’ means that you always are open to feedback and insight from leadership, peers and/or direct reports. When you are willing to learn from others, it stands to reason others will be willing to listen to you, learn from you AND take feedback from you.

In every feedback given to coachees, there has to be appreciation for what they are doing right. Only then will they be able to work on the areas where they are lagging behind. As a coach, it is your responsibility to help coachees improve.

Feedback in the moment is critical so you can troubleshoot and course correct. That takes a sales coach that is attentive and willing to work closely with the seller to ensure success.

To encourage them to open up to you, you must be willing to first open up to them. When you guide your coachee to set personal meaningful goals, share your own personal goals with them and why it is important to you. As your conversations continue, be vulnerable. Tell them about a time when you made a huge mistake, or felt awkward, or doubtful and what you learned. And use humor! Think about what happens when you laugh- your head is thrown back, exposing your neck while you make a weird face. It stimulates you, releasing feel good endorphins in your brain which reduces stress.

Remember that coaches are smart, capable, and want to succeed. When you can approach sales coaching from that perspective, you can tailor your coaching to respect their unique talents and experience. In that way, you can create openness for learning.

Be empathetic. It's a true coaching skill! Let your team know that the reason you are in the position of being their coach is because you've been around this stuff longer than most. You've made the mistakes that they're making and are going to make. Get in the weeds with your reps on deals Include honest conversations and rapport building inside your weekly 1:1. Let your team know that it's perfectly okay to make mistakes & grow!

Creating a space and environment where they feel they can open up and talk to you is important, they're highly unlikely to share anything with you if they feel you're going to judge them or anything similar. Ensure you listen to them, respond without judgement and create a space they feel comfortable in. Try also sharing some of your own journey, often people think that everyone else knows it all or has always had it together, share examples of where you yourself have struggled or made mistakes.

As a sales leader, you need fast learners, independent thinkers, and problem-solvers. Trust is the key that enables these qualities through 'person-centric' coaching. 'Checking in' with people won't get you there. It's going to take time. But coaching accelerates that process over time. Establishing trust means creating a zone where coachees are comfortable sharing and making self-directing decisions. (Note: not everyone will). Show genuine interest and empathy, and your salespeople will know you're in their corner. Trust builds the foundation. You build the relationship.

The use of stories, metaphors, analogies, and framing techniques can also help communicate new concepts, or make connections between information or data.

Unless they're trained in a formal coaching methodology, coaches will coach the way they were coached. Most often, they weren't coached, they were directed. Good coaching means using Socratic methods rather than giving direction. The change in behavior needs to be owned by the seller, not the coach, and the seller needs to at least partially chart their own way forward. Otherwise, they won't be vested in the outcome of the coaching. Pick a simple method, like GROW. You need to be able to coach on the back of a bar napkin if need be. Last, coaching can be "rolled into" other conversations as a mere mention. Coaching is a deliberate activity, and the seller needs to know they're being coached. And, coaching sessions need to be documented.

Traditional sales techniques are being overused and people by and large don't respond to them the same way they used to. As soon as someone senses that you are trying to sell them something, resistance happens because there's an unconscious animosity towards salespeople. This is why you have to take a completely different approach to sales. You have to be very careful not to say things that make you sound like the average sales person. You have to be aware of your tone, how the prospect views your status and how you direct the conversation with targeted questions. At the end of the day of sale is simply a decision to change. People buy from those who they respect, not from those who they like.

One way to get started is 1:1:1. Take 1 person (e.g. a B-player) Take 1 single topic (e.g. prospecting) Take 1 block of time (e.g. 30 mins) Ask questions that come to mind. Try not to slip into the trap of giving 'autobiographical advice'. Ask questions with curiosity. 'What do you think is the issue here'? Reflect what you hear. 'Sounds like you feel discovery is the challenge' Challenge assumptions. 'I wonder if that is the real issue here' Get them to commit to action 'Do you feel that's a logical next step? Too many frameworks and processes over-complicate coaching. Sales coaching is about sales conversation. Sales conversation leads to sales transformation.

If you train sales people to be more like advisors, they will direct conversations differently and not be seen as a desperate, annoying salesperson that just wants to clear transaction. This is why training your sales people to direct the conversation with targeted questioning, a keem awareness of their tonality and the ability to navigate the emotional undertones of a conversation is key to setting your company apart from others who use old outdated and high pressure sales techniques that don't really work anymore. As soon as the prospect is not respect to sales rep and senses that they're being sold to, sales resistance is going to happen.

Many people confuse and conflate coaching with mentoring. They are two different things. Sales Coaching is an ongoing and dynamic series of job-embedded interactions between a coach and seller, designed to diagnose and correct or reinforce behaviors specific to that seller. Goals are usually very tactical. Typically, the coach will be the seller's sales leader, or at times a specialized sales coach. The behavior change should occur within 2-6 months. Mentoring, conversely, involves strategic topics over much longer timeframes, such as 5-10 years out. Think in terms of career counseling. Also, a mentor doesn't even need to be from the same employer as the seller. Keeping these two conversations separate will produce far better results.

I previously designed a transformative workshop for a client facing a common sales coaching problem. Their sales team was resistant to change & reluctant to embrace a new sales strategy. We addressed this with 'The Sales Metamorphosis Workshop'. This immersive experience emphasized change as an opportunity for personal & professional growth & enabled reps to visualize challenges. They used this information to develop 'Butterfly Blueprints', personalized plans to guide their transformation. Post workshop, we set up team mentoring where team members paired up to support one another. To ensure ongoing transformation, we established 'Metamorphosis Momentum' with resources and workshops for continuous improvement.

Here's something else to consider: More than ever, sales teams like yours need to get the very best from your most important strategic resource your sales people. And if there is one thing that enables your salespeople to perform at the highest level, it’s consistent sales coaching. Whether it’s in the context of sales leadership or deal reviews or territory planning or any number of other contexts, sales coaching helps people to think through their options, make intelligent choices and develop an essential degree of self-reliance.

Encourage Open Communication Create an environment where open communication is encouraged. Sales coaching is not just about providing feedback but also about listening to the concerns and ideas of your team members. Foster a culture where sales reps feel comfortable expressing their challenges and seeking guidance. This open dialogue can lead to more effective problem-solving and continuous improvement.