Coaching tip

One of the most important daily questions you can ask a sales person is: Who are you calling on today? The answer to this one question will tell you:

• If your sales person is looking for new business.
• If your sales person has planning and time management skills.
• If your sales person is “in a rut.” Look out for repetitive answers!

Just like a coach brings out the best in an athlete, you must bring out the best in your sales force. By the same token, just like a coach points out an athlete’s weaknesses with the intent to improve performance, your criticisms should have the same goal. Until a sales person has reached a certain maturity level, he or she needs you to steer their progress, to make sure he or she is staying “between the ditches.” Quick jerks on the wheel can get you out of one bad situation and then into another, so make sure you don’t over-correct.

Every salesperson and manager MUST have a “can do” attitude when dealing with customers. Never allow yourself or your sales personnel to say to a customer, “We can’t do that.” As long as the request is somewhat reasonable, we can. The customer knows that and when he or she hears “We can’t” it gets interpreted as “We won’t.” Even if a customer makes what appears at first to be an unreasonable request, the salesperson has to ask more questions. The customer is trying to solve a problem and our mission is to help solve it. Questions should focus on the nature of the problem and then the salesperson should make suggestions that solve that problem.

Teach salespeople how to close a sale.

Remember the Critical Success Factors for Sales People

1. Prospecting

2. Establishing a relationship

3. Correctly identifying problems

4. Skilfully presenting solutions

5. Handling objections

6. Closing the sale

7. Following up

These factors create a chain and the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Help your salespeople identify where they are weak, and then focus on gaining strength in that area.