VS16: Desperately Seeking A Culture Of Coaching

...the sales leaders ranked themselves as a 79 out of 100....in terms of their coaching ability. But unfortunately, their sales reps rank them as a 38 out of 100. This is a problem, for sure.

Is there a culture of coaching in your organization? And I'm not talking about having the Sandler training folks come in once or twice a year and start spewing stuff all over whiteboards. That's not coaching. That's training. Who's there to make sure that you're understanding the training. Who is following you to meetings and listening in and providing effective feedback to you? Are your sales leaders doing that? Or if you're a sales leader, are you doing this for your team? How often? And I think what we're going to see here in today's edition is that there's there's quite a big divide as to the job that sales leaders think they're doing in coaching versus the way salespeople see it. That's the first problem. And then we will cover what exactly effective coaching means. And how does it work? And then perhaps which organizations are doing it well.

This week we have a bunch of interesting statistics. But if we go to a recent HBR article, sales leaders ranked themselves as a 79 out of 100 on average in terms of their coaching ability. But unfortunately, their sales reps rank them as a 38 out of 100. This is a problem for sure.

There is simply not enough time spent on executing the right behaviors

And as we've mentioned a number of times on our Sales Is King Podcast program, sales rep quota attainment is on the decline. In fact, the numbers have been going down for the past 12 years. And a recent report from Sales Hood (and they're referencing the SAS incentive Compensation benchmark report) says: 79% of sales reps miss quota. 14% never achieve even 10% of quota. Wow. And across the entire SAS data set, the average quota attainment is 58% down from 67% in 2013-- at least when I first started studying this. And realistically, you want this to be a number that is going up every year and not going down. So, it raises the question, why aren't companies doing more sales coaching? And what are companies doing to help their reps to increase their chances of hitting quota? What are they doing to increase the number of reps that hit quota? I am going to ask that question.

It can affect your top line and bottom line. It could affect your business velocity. It can affect the cohesiveness of your team. So why aren't more teams doing it? Why aren't more companies doing it? Here are a few theories:

??Sales leaders are not trained to coach and develop their teams. Many of the sales leaders are folks that are fished out of the sales team. 'Hey, you're our top seller. Go manage the rest of the gang.' But guess what? A lot of times the top sellers are not managers. They know how to sell, and that's what they're good at. They don't know how to manage. They don't know how to give feedback. They don't care about managing and they don't care about giving feedback. They care about selling and they care about their own bottom line. Who is coaching the coach? That has to happen. It's not happening. They don't know how to give constructive feedback. This is a skill that needs to be taught. Constructive feedback, not criticism. Not pointing things out that are wrong and then going off to the next meeting, but constructive feedback.

??They don't ask developing questions. "My team knows how to sell." They should know how to sell. Right? How many times have we heard that? Bad, bad approach. They don't prioritize real coaching, right? Asking insightful and development-focused questions in sales coaching has a profound impact on the growth and success of sales teams. These questions serve as a catalyst for self-reflection and encourage sales reps to take ownership of their learning and improvement. By delving into the specifics of an individual's sales approach, managers can offer more personalized guidance, which is essential in B2B selling.

Development-focused questions not only help identify areas for improvement but also empower sales reps to find solutions and strategies for their own growth. For example, a question like, "What do you think could have been done differently to achieve a better outcome in that client meeting?" prompts the salesperson to critically analyze their own performance and consider alternative approaches. This approach not only boosts self-confidence but also encourages a proactive mindset, as sales reps become more engaged in their own development.

Furthermore, these questions create a space for constructive feedback and open dialogue between sales managers and sales reps. When the coaching process is driven by inquiries aimed at improvement, it fosters a collaborative and non-judgmental atmosphere. This, in turn, enhances trust and communication within the team, leading to a more receptive and adaptable sales organization. In essence, asking development-focused questions is a pivotal component of effective sales coaching, aligning with the aim of not just achieving targets but also nurturing a culture of continuous growth and learning.

??They spend too much time on deal management vs. coaching reps. There is simply not enough time spent on executing the right behaviors on deals...too much time working on deals versus coaching reps on executing the right behaviors on deals. We hear this a lot. Deal focus vs rep focus. Great managers invest time to review their team's work right? They share real time, constructive feedback. They use one on one meetings, deal reviews, and team huddles to accelerate these coaching moments.

But most of all...

??There is no 'feedback culture'-One of the primary challenges that sales managers face in coaching their sales reps is the absence of a robust feedback culture(or 'climate' as HR enthusiasts will call it. Climate is team centric. Culture is company centric) within their teams. This issue can manifest in several ways:

Limited Two-Way Communication

In many sales teams, communication often flows in one direction: from the sales manager to the sales reps. This top-down approach can stifle the exchange of valuable insights and recommendations from the sales reps themselves. When sales reps don't feel comfortable providing feedback or sharing their experiences, they may miss opportunities to discuss their specific needs and challenges.

Fear of Negative Consequences

Sales reps may hesitate to offer feedback because they fear potential negative consequences, such as criticism, backlash, or the perception of incompetence. This fear can be particularly acute in a high-pressure sales environment where results are paramount. As a result, sales managers may only receive partial or superficial information, which limits their ability to provide tailored coaching.

Missed Opportunities for Improvement

Without an open feedback culture, both sales managers and sales reps miss out on opportunities for improvement. Feedback is a valuable source of insights that can lead to adjustments in sales strategies, processes, and individual skills. A lack of feedback means that problems may persist unaddressed, preventing the team from reaching its full potential.

By addressing the lack of a feedback culture, organizations can create an environment where open communication is encouraged, ideas are freely exchanged, and feedback becomes a cornerstone for effective coaching. This shift will lead to a more dynamic and responsive sales organization capable of adapting to changing market conditions and achieving higher levels of performance.

OK, So How do we improve here?

If you want to be a better coach...

1. Make every moment a coaching moment.
2. Be consistent.
3. Don't wait.
4. Make sales coaching a team activity. Give the team feedback.
5. Turn coaching into a regular activity, whether it be pipeline reviews, war room meetings, but make it an always on type of activity.
6. Explain the 'why,' right? Talk about the expectations, right? Make sure they know what's in it for them. Why this is important. Why do salespeople need to change? Because buyers have changed. The digital economy is different than the old economy. Buyers are more empowered. That's the why. That's why you can't do it the same old way. So explain the 'why' to your team.
7. Stay positive and always be encouraging. Talk about the strengths. Talk about how well they're doing. But. And even the constructive feedback should be positive right. No one wants to get blasted. Singling somebody out in a meeting? C'mon, man. That that just doesn't work anymore. That's not going to help. So be encouraging. Stay positive. But definitely do call out the areas for improvement.
8. Empathize and appreciate. You know know how hard and recognize how hard everybody's working right. And also recognize that the game of sales is tough. Being a salesperson is not easy. And you know, give people credit for that and figure out a way that you can work together with the sales person.
9. Share specific examples of excellence and talk about things that worked. Talk about things that didn't work. Talk about deals that went down in flames. And talk about deals that were won and how they were won, and what behaviors were used in order to do that. Right. Always speak the truth for sure. Suggest areas of growth. Definitely be human. You know, we've talked a lot about being authentic. Certainly not only is that important when you're interfacing with the customer, but also when you're interfacing with your team.

Susan? I know she's out there ??

Dan Sixsmith is the SVP, Value at Mediafly and the Host of The Sales Is King Podcast.