What are the best ways to give constructive feedback to sales reps?

To implement SMART goals for sales reps, ensure goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Involve reps in goal-setting, set deadlines and track progress. Encourage feedback and support. Specific examples could be "Increase sales by 10% in next quarter" or "Increase new accounts by 20% in six months." Goals should align with company objectives and be challenging but realistic. Regular feedback and adjustments are crucial to keep reps on track.

IMO this is the worst way to approach feedback for a rep. If anything you want to move away from cliched office buzz words. I roll my eyes whenever I hear a sales manager say something like the paragraph above. How are you interacting with people, how is the pitch of your voice coming across. How are you holding someone’s attention, or not? Sales is an ambiguous, murky world and it doesn’t need more business-speak peddler’s. It’s about likeability, communication, confidence, product knowledge. Focus on these things instead.

In my experience I have used SMART goals as part of the clear communication that needs to exist with the staff. Defining clear goals, making sure they understand the why and how helps the team have a better vision, but this exercise alone will not guarantee goal attainment.

My favorite thing to deal with sales reps is get them involved in the goal setting. You should avoid giving the team a quota. Instead, work with the team (using math) to create the quota. This will get the team to buy into the goal.

In my experience as a Sales Manager I have used SMART goals with the following example: Specific: A specific and defined goal that outlined the outcome. 20% increase in sales - within a timeframe (a quarter). Measurable: The goal was measurable. Was tracked with sales data. The sales rep was monitoring progress towards the goal. Achievable: The goal was achievable, as it was based on historical sales data and market conditions. It was challenging but realistic. Relevant: The goal was relevant to the company's strategy, as increasing sales would contribute to the growth and success. Time-bound: The goal is time-bound, with a deadline of the end of the next quarter. This helped sales rep be focused and motivated to achieve the goal.

And as a sales manager, it's easy to be overwhelmed with daily responsibilities, like tracking new business, watching attrition rates, and going into tough customer escalations. But that's not coaching. A typical sales manager will observe their reps and how successful or not they are with customers. A true sales coach goes deeper. A sales coach observes body language and tone of voice, and they provide the rep with feedback on those nuanced things. It's the difference between telling a rep, "Hey, you won the deal," or "You lost the deal," versus unpacking why, and the role that their behavior had in that.

We've used a myriad of different coaching options to ensure that we cater to each reps learning style, and focus on the details of each call to provide a more holistic view of their overall deal performance. From 1-on-1s, to role plays, scorecards, peer-to-peer feedback, and application based learning, I find it's most important to make success criteria as objective and detailed as possible, while understanding that are multiple ways to approach reaching that criteria.

One tool that I found helpful before coaching a sales rep is to have a set of observations that can guide you to identify root causes, what part of the sales process are they doing good and which areas can they improve so you can be ready with recommendations they can relate to. During the coaching session we need to make sure we earn the sales rep trust so they can open up and acknowledge the areas of improvement, when providing recommendations it is always good to offer them the option to observe you so the sales rep can learn by experience. Follow up observations need to be scheduled along with their feedback so progress is acknowledged and development can happen.

My most successful coaching sessions have also been the most collaborative. For example if a rep highlights a challenging objection, before tying to suggest change or improvement, we have a discussion on the decision making process that lead to this moment. Each rep is unique, spend time understanding how they make decisions and process information. Don't coach to your strengths, coach to theirs.

It's also key to schedule regular check-ins and discuss milestones. These sessions allow celebration of successes and reinforcement of positive behaviors, thus motivating the sales rep. They also provide an environment for sales managers to encourage reps to experiment with new selling tactics. Furthermore, these touchpoints help measure the effectiveness of the feedback given and ensure its alignment with the rep's growth. With this structure in place, feedback is seen as a developmental tool, fostering a dynamic, learning-centric sales culture that harnesses feedback to drive success.

As the CEO and founder of the world's leading gamification platform SalesScreen, I've seen first-hand the impact that positive reinforcement can have in building good habits in sales teams that help reach business goals consistently. Gamification is the concept of applying game-like elements to a non-gaming environment to help achieve business outcomes and ultimately motivate individuals to reach their goals. A key game element is achievements that trigger automatically when sales reps take desired actions or reach certain smaller milestones on their way to closing more deals and building pipeline. Broadcast wins widely and allows for peer-to-peer and manager acknowledgment - sales reps will feel seen, connected, and appreciated!

There is a great book by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner called, Encouraging the Heart. They talk about the importance of recognizing and rewarding those we work with. I have posted often here on LinkedIn that as a sales manager I saw positive reinforcement as such an essential piece of motivating an individual and the overall team. Sure, we all love monetary rewards, but public recognition, a personal note or a telephone call can mean so much to people when it comes at an unexpected moment or when a job has been successfully completed. Take the time to highlight someone’s achievements and I can assure you it will energize them immensely and make you feel good, too. Make it an objective to regularly do this.

When providing positive reinforcement I usually prefer the specific recognition, in my experience sales reps appreciate the specific praise as it is part of the personal commitment you do to their personal growth, it shows you are paying attention to their activities and how you recognize the achievement of a particular goal. I also like to do public recognitions as a team motivation and encouragement to Do More.

Positive feedback can be so powerful. Notice a team member is hopping on an important call, remind them of that last difficult deal they closed and watch their confidence level sky-rocket. Highlight when a rep hits major milestones during the company stand-up and I bet you'll hear about the next one they are gunning for. People want to reel recognized and appreciated. Something as simple as thanking someone in person when they provide help or guidance can turn a rough day into a great week. Smiles are powerful, seek them out, surround yourself with them and be the cause as often as you can.

Offer Public Recognition: Give shoutouts to sales reps who are doing a great job in team meetings or company-wide emails. Public recognition is a powerful motivator and helps to create a positive and supportive culture. Provide Positive Feedback: Provide regular positive feedback to sales reps. Highlight their strengths and what they're doing well, and offer specific and actionable suggestions for improvement.

A salesperson needs to be aware when there is a flaw in their approach or when improvements in sales style are necessary. It’s an interesting part of human nature that we often say we want to hear constructive criticism but when do get the feedback there is a tendency to get defensive. The best sales managers have great emotional intelligence and are aware of the best methods for sharing guidance with each individual of their team. There’s a balance of constructive criticism with areas of positive reinforcement, too.

A tip that was given to me for delivering constructive criticism - the importance of asking great questions. For example - I was helping a new rep navigate/understand our sales process. This individual was convinced that emails could be as effective as virtual meetings when building rapport. I asked if they could tell me the first name of their last 3 email recipients, a tricky task while away from your desk - no luck. I then asked the same but for their last 3 virtual meetings, to which I received 3 first and last names - high fives for that one, right? Acting as a guide, allowing others to draw their own conclusions can be much more powerful than direct and pointed education.

Constructive criticism is key to growth. Without proper coaching reps will not learn or evolve their skills. Setting clear expectations and creating an environment that’s supportive is key. Remember, The criticism are the opportunities for growth. Sharing those opportunities are the key to their success and yours.

Whenever I needed to have a conversation about areas of improvement, I ask for the other person’s permission. Typically during onboarding, we would set expectations about this around the level of honesty around feedback. Ex) “On a scale from 1-10? How honest would you like me to be?” This helps you understand what mindset they’re currently in and how to approach the conversation. When discussing, remind them that it’s about the action, not them personally.

This one’s hard for me. We set goals and expectations. I typically use a validation method when performance is not met. Try and have an understanding of the “why”. The sales rep will know when things are not good. If they need help, I will give them feedback.

I believe the feedback frequency is relevant but also the least important on the viewpoints provided. There for sure needs to be a frequency to it. It’s important. Pretty easy to understand if you pay attention.

Give Feedback in Real-time: Try to give feedback as close to the event as possible. Waiting too long can make the feedback less effective, and the sales rep may not even remember the situation. Follow-up: After giving feedback, follow-up with the sales rep to see if they have implemented the changes and how it's going. Be invested in their success and help reinforce the changes they need to make.

Feedback frequency is about more than just the technicalities of timing and frequency. When giving feedback, it's essential to be in tune with your own ENERGETIC FREQUENCY and that of the sales rep. In stressful business conversations, it's easy to rely too much on logical thinking and forget the raw POWER of the Heart. To give feedback that really makes an impact, you need to master the art of regulating your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). This lets you tap into your emotional core and bring the right energy to the conversation, inspiring the sales rep and setting the perfect tone. When you can do this, you keep the sales rep fully engaged and eager to make those crucial changes.

As a sales rep myself, the biggest point to note for all sales managers is that every individual rep is motivated and feels pressure in different ways. For some - a laissez-faire approach allows them to feel trusted and that security affords them with the confidence and drive to go out and achieve above and beyond. For others - being offered frequent guidance and updates regarding progress toward important goals and deadlines gives them the drive and passion to achieve their goals under pressure. It's important to note while every sales rep is different, so long as a manager is willing and able to tailor their approach accordingly, success can be achieved regardless.

Reed Hastings (of Netflix) provides a great framework for feedback in his book, No Rules Rules. In it, he says feedback should follow the 4 A's: - Aim to Assist - Your feedback should be given with the intention to assist the recipient and be helpful. - Make it Actionable - The feedback should be something the recipient can take action on, either by doing something new or different. - Show Appreciation - The recipient should show appreciation for the feedback. Giving constructive feedback is a gift; the recipient should listen and respect the effort. - Accept or Discord - The recipient can either choose to accept or discard the feedback. Listening to feedback is required, but not all feedback requires you to accept and take action.

I believe constructive feedback is not a one size fits all approach. People relate to the world in so many different ways from the experiences each has it’s astounding. I believe all of this ways mentioned have a great place in the workplace though.

Be sure to celebrate and acknowledge the growth. Once you’ve done the coaching, when team members demonstrate they’ve adapted the behavior be sure to give the positive reinforcement. Celebrate the small wins, they lead to even bigger ones.

Feedback needs to be clear and specific with examples, and if corrective, delivered with empathy. It should include an understanding check, to ensure communication occurred. Depending on the reason for the feedback and the severity of the situation, you may need to be directive, but often it can be part of collaborative problem-solving or troubleshooting dialogue, as opposed to a monologue. Can you guide the employee to their own realization and conclusions? If so, it's a big win. Remember the difference between feedback (opinion, advice, direction), training (teaching what, why, & how to do something), and coaching (helping someone do something better). Simply firing off commands is not likely to help someone improve their performance.