Tips for Delivering Coaching Feedback

Following up to yesterday’s post about transforming sales managers into sales coaches, here are some tips for giving regular, consistent feedback. Whether you want to reinforce good behavior (sometimes referred to as giving Confirming feedback) or change unacceptable behavior (also known as giving Constructive feedback), there are certain steps you need to follow to make it work.

1. Do it ASAP, in the moment it is needed

2. Do it in private

3. If the rep is involved in other activities, confirm that it’s okay to speak before starting a conversation

4. Begin by announcing your intentions; don’t keep the guessing about what is going on

5. Tell them how YOU feel about their behavior; there may be company policies involved but you are their coach, so don’t make this about someone else’s standards

6. Focus on one thing at a time; you may have several things to discuss, but don’t mix up the messages

7. Don’t make it personal; this is about performance, not about personalities

8. Be specific; you can’t change behavior if you don’t clearly define issues and outcomes

9. Get input; make sure they always have a chance to present their viewpoints and discuss their needs

10. Don’t leave them low; even if you had to deliver a corrective message, find a way to affirm their value as a person and give them a reason to hope things can get better

Sales Managers who take this kind of daily interest in the progress, needs, and ultimate success of their team members consistently see steady growth in the performance of the team, which translates into success for everyone, including the sales manager. Coaching truly creates a Win Win for everyone.

Transforming Managers into Coaches

Even though leading-edge, web-based technologies have done a lot to increase the speed and efficiency of prospecting activities in recent years, the basics of prospecting haven’t changed in decades: analyze your territory, create an account plan, identify high probability targets, qualify prospects, set appointments, begin discovery and keep doing that regularly and relentless day after day, week after week until the good opportunities rise to the top and you get them closed. However, in spite of the proven effectiveness of this simple formula, many sales reps seem to have lost their touch when it comes to prospecting.

Any sales organization that wants to jump start the prospecting process will likely have to launch what amounts to a prospecting boot camp to get everyone back into shape, and you can’t have a boot camp without a drill instructor to coach and drill those reps in the basics of prospecting until they are instilled as part of the culture of the organization. In a high-growth, highly successful prospecting organization, the roll of the drill instructor is filled by the sales coach, who must design and implement an effective coaching strategy. 

The Role of the Sales Manager

The jury is still out as to whether the economy has finally turned the corner. For that reason, some sales organizations are still using economic uncertainty to explain their lackluster sales numbers. However, the truth is that there are plenty of opportunities for sales organizations who understand what it takes to uncover and develop them. Customers haven’t stopped buying; they have only changed what they are buying and how they are approaching the procurement process. The challenge for sales organizations, then, is to develop effective strategies and tools to uncover and win that business. This challenge can be summarized in one word – prospecting, and even though marketing has critical role in prospecting, ultimately the responsibility for executing the final mile, connecting with and converting new customers, rests on the shoulders of one person – the sales manager.