Feedback (from AI or Humans) is NOT Sales Coaching!

Hey, Enablers, it's me. Welcome to this week's edition of Sales Enablement Straight Talk!

Today, I want to share some thoughts on the difference between feedback and real coaching. In the past few months and as recently as this week, I've heard or seen multiple people, some who are considered sales experts, talk about how AI tools are now coaching reps, or how AI will do better than managers, since manager are too busy to coach or don't have the right skills to coach. (See my Closing Thoughts at the end for some perspective on that.)

Given the right Large Language Model (including well-detailed sales methodologies and sales competencies, as well as sales coaching frameworks and models), branched examples, conversational analysis, algorithms, generative AI and machine learning capabilities, I don't doubt that someday this will be possible. (Hello, SkyNet.) But for today, at least, everything I have seen so far, is not yet close to real sales coaching.

What it is, is feedback.

It may be great feedback. It could be accurate feedback. It might be helpful feedback. It's possibly important feedback. It may help a highly-motivated rep to change behavior and do things differently, and that might improve their performance. (It also may not.)

And, it's still not coaching. And it's certainly not developmental skills coaching.

Let's dig in.

VIDEO

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NEWSLETTER

I've written about some of this before, elsewhere. Sometimes, it surprises people to hear there are multiple types of coaching. Often that’s because they mistake feedback for coaching, thinking that coaching is simply providing their opinions or guidance and advice.

Here are what I consider the four types of coaching.

THE FOUR TYPES OF COACHING

Strategic Coaching

Focus: on strategy to create a plan to achieve predetermined objectives. Tends to be broader; focused on what to do.

• Example: How to determine the best possible approach to maximize growth in a territory.

Tactical Coaching

Focus: on the tactics to execute the strategy or to achieve an outcome. It’s generally targeted on how to do something, but usually more directive than focused on the skills needed.

• Example: How to navigate the buyer landscape most effectively, for a specific opportunity.

Opportunistic Coaching

Focus: on a response to something observed in-the-moment. May be strategic or tactical, but most often tactical. Can be skills-based (but in practice, often isn’t). While this isn't always true, it's often true that this opportunistic, in-the-moment need will be addressed through feedback, not coaching. However, savvy, well-trained sales managers do coach here, as well.

• Example: “I just saw you do [X] and experience [Y]. Why do you think that happened?” [Discussion] “May I offer some thoughts on how to get a better response?” [Probably leading to feedback, but could segue to Developmental Coaching.]

Developmental Coaching

Focus: on mindset, beliefs, knowledge, and especially skills, competencies, and behavior. Developmental coaching is targeted, planned, purposeful, behavioral/skills-based, and outcome focused. It fosters getting into a cadence of coaching for continuous skill improvement to reach sales mastery. This is sometimes also referred to as skills coaching, or behavioral coaching

• Example: “Where should you focus improvement efforts this quarter and what skills should you develop to full mastery, in order to improve your sales performance the most?”

I wish this were completely cut-and-dried, but as you know, "it depends" is a favorite phrase of mine. Context and nuance matter.

As an example, once you understand Developmental Coaching, the methods can be applied to the other types of coaching, as applicable. Or, observation, such as a need that was observed opportunistically, might highlight an important skill gap that should be more deeply addressed through purposeful, Developmental Coaching.

• Which type of coaching is most prevalent? Opportunistic.
• Which type of coaching has the greatest potential to improve long-term performance? Developmental.

There's a ton of data and research to back this up, but one of my favorites is from CSO Insights, considering the maturity model of the coaching and how it was conducted.

Dynamic coaching is coaching that is adjusted and personalized based on the diagnosed needs of the sales rep. And that is exactly what developmental, behavioral, skills coaching is all about. And it is SO much more than "feedback."

So, What Is Feedback?

Feedback is an opinion, perspective, and advice in response to previous or current behaviors. Think: suggestions, recommendations, tips, and advice.

I always suggest asking for permission to provide feedback, when it's clear your rep needs your guidance. See the example under Opportunistic Coaching, above.

Keep in mind that the rep may not think they need your guidance. Feedback can be especially valuable when a well-intentioned employee thinks they are doing something the way you want it done, or the way they were trained, but they're not. Your feedback and examples can help them see it and make a new dot connection.

Far too many managers spend their valuable "coaching" time, firing off feedback missiles, and rushing off to do something else. This is one of the reasons that there is such a wide gap in perception in coaching surveys, where managers report coaching far more frequently than sellers report being coached.

It also has limited effectiveness.

"Give a rep a fish, and she eats for a day. Teach a rep to fish, and she eats for a lifetime." ~ Old Sales Expert

And How Is Coaching Different?

Coaching is:

• A formal developmental process where managers partner with their reps to improve sales performance
• Diagnosing performance, planning solutions, executing those plans, and reviewing results together
• Future-focused and developmental
• Acting more like a Sherpa or a guide, where you ask questions, facilitate, engage, and pull things out from your reps, rather than push things at them.

Sometimes, more directive field training may be required prior to coaching. And yes, as a coach, sometimes you will need to provide feedback to shape responses, or guide your employee in a specific direction.

Closing Thoughts

Hopefully, this has been helpful and clarifying, particularly with as much "coaching technology" as is emerging - and especially the AI-based simulations. Feedback is valuable. It has a place. But don't let people convince you that it's coaching. It may get here, and it may get here sooner than I expect - but it is not here today.

Final thought: I cringe when I hear "Managers don't have time to coach" or the tech is better because "Managers aren't properly trained to coach" or "Managers aren't coaching."

I liken this to the proverbial frog in the pot of cold water, who gets cooked as the heat is gradually turned up.

It's amazing what we allow ourselves to get used to, or accept as normal or okay. "No time to coach," "Not trained to coach," and "Not coaching" are problems to solve, not conditions to accept that allow for partial solutions that won't deliver nearly as much impact as a root-cause solution.

We can do better. And as enablers, I know you will.

RESOURCES

• Course: Sales Coaching Excellence (video and website - SPARXiQ )
• Article: Coaching Statistics: The ROI of Coaching in 2023 - Luisa Zhou
• Article: How to Maximize Opportunistic and Developmental Coaching - me on SPARXiQ
• Article: Your Sales Managers Think They're Coaching But They're Probably Not
• Newsletter: How to Merge Psychological Safety and Accountability When Coaching
• Newsletter: How to Maximize Sales Practice Opportunities
• Article: Coaching With Feedback - MindTools
• Article: Give Feedback Like a Coach - Gallup

Well, that's it for this week, Enablers! Did you learn something new reading/watching the past editions of this newsletter? If you did, or if it just made you think (and maybe chuckle from time to time - bonus points if you snorted), share it with your favorite enablement colleague, subscribe right here on LinkedIn, and check out The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement Learning Experience. Felix Krueger and Mike Kunkle are both Building Blocks Mentors for the weekly group coaching sessions, and we hope to see you there! For other courses and content from Mike, see: https://linktr.ee/mikekunkle

Until next time, stay the course, Enablers, and #MakeAnImpact With #Enablement!