Focus on the middle 60%

As a sales manager, where do you spend the most time coaching? If the answer is anything other than the middle 60%, you have a serious flaw in your system.

Many sales managers spend most of their time and energy coaching the very best and very worst salespeople on their team.

It’s easy to feel compelled to help the bottom 20% to get the team to quota. They want to help the top 20% because it’s rewarding. The bottom 20% is usually always the bottom 20%. They are there for a reason. Yes, they may be new and very coachable and occasionally the bottom reps become the top reps, but this happens less than you would think. Just think of the ROI….

The middle 60% often get the least amount of attention. The real payoff from good coaching lies among … your core performers. These salespeople make up most of your team. They are the ones who will make or break your quota. They may be trying very hard to be in the top 20% or they are comfortable being safe in the middle. SPEND YOUR TIME IN THE MIDDLE!

The worst-performing salespeople (who are consistently underperforming, that is) usually aren’t right for the role. You should replace them, not try to train them up.

And the stars on the team show little to no performance improvement from coaching. So when you’re thinking about which reps to focus your attention on, think of the middle of the pack. If you want the best from your top 20%, ask them what they want and need and remove all obstacles that may slow them down. Learn what makes them tick and what their motivations are. If you are following a one size fits all playbook and you are coaching them the same way that you are coaching the other 80%, stop doing this. They don’t like it and it probably isn’t helpful. These stars don’t need as much coaching as the others, but they do need different coaching.