What are effective coaching techniques for salespeople who prioritize short-term goals in negotiations?

1 Identify their negotiation style

Before you can coach your salespeople, you need to understand their negotiation style. Negotiation style is the way a person approaches a negotiation, based on their personality, preferences, and goals. There are four main negotiation styles: competitive, collaborative, accommodating, and avoiding. Each style has its strengths and weaknesses, and can influence how a person negotiates, communicates, and responds to others. To identify your salespeople's negotiation style, you can use a self-assessment tool, such as the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, or observe them in action during a mock or real negotiation. Once you know their style, you can help them recognize how it affects their negotiation performance, and how they can adapt to different situations and counterparts.

2 Provide constructive feedback

Giving constructive feedback to your salespeople is essential for learning and improvement, but it can be difficult to give and receive. To provide effective feedback, you should do it as soon as possible after the negotiation, while the details are still fresh. Focus on specific behaviors and outcomes, not on personal traits or opinions. The sandwich method is a good way to start with a positive comment, then give constructive suggestions, and end with another positive comment. Additionally, you can use the SBI model which involves describing the situation, behavior, and impact of the behavior on the negotiation outcome. Finally, ask open-ended questions such as “What went well in the negotiation?” or “What would you do differently next time?” to encourage reflection and self-evaluation.

3 Set SMART goals

Goals are powerful motivators and guides for action, especially in negotiation. However, not all goals are created equal; some can be vague, unrealistic, or irrelevant, which can lead to frustration, confusion, or poor performance. To set effective goals for your salespeople, you need to use the SMART criteria. Specifically, the goal should be clear and concise, quantifiable and verifiable, realistic and attainable, aligned with the salesperson's role, values, and vision, and have a deadline and timeline. This will ensure that the goal is meaningful for the salesperson and the organization.

4 Use the GROW model

The GROW model is an effective coaching framework that can help guide your salespeople through the goal-setting and feedback process. It consists of four steps: goal setting, assessing the current reality, brainstorming strategies and actions, and planning and committing to specific steps. During goal setting, you and your salesperson should agree on a SMART goal for the negotiation and clarify the desired outcome. As you assess the current situation, identify the gap between the goal and reality. Then, brainstorm and evaluate different strategies to close the gap and achieve the goal in the negotiation. Finally, plan and commit to specific actions to implement the chosen option, while agreeing on how to monitor progress and review results.