In the sales world, coaching is essentially about working on an individual basis to make measurable, step-by-step improvements to performance and motivation.
Coaching can therefore reach the parts other training methods can't. That's not to say that coaching is better, per se, than training: both have a strong part to play, however, there are several key principles which differentiate the two.
The most obvious is that coaching is generally delivered on a one-to-one basis. This allows emphasis on setting and achieving development objectives relevant to the individual's specific role and taking into account experience, knowledge, maturity and career path.
Most of us who made New Years Resolutions will, by now, have broken most of them. Perhaps, if we're really committed we may still be persevering with the odd one. The lesson is simple: try to make too many changes at once and you are likely to fail. Coaching is therefore about defining a goal and then breaking it down into manageable, measurable steps, enabling the coachee to constantly assess their progress.
To support this, coaching is provided on a 'little and often' basis, through intensive face-to-face sessions, telephone feedback and 'on-the-job' observation. Whether a junior salesperson learning the ropes or a dyed-in-the-wool, long-in-the-tooth old hand, coaching requires the salesperson to examine and challenge their approach, seeking fresh ideas to boost performance and personal job satisfaction. At all times, however, the coach is there to motivate and support.
I want to review what we are planning with coaching and sales training.
The overview that I work to is:
“Coaching is a solution focussed, result orientated systematic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of performance, self directed learning and personal growth of other individuals.
What we are doing is using coaching to create behavioral changes that help enhancement of performance and learning.
We use coaching to move people from awareness to responsibility to action! Overall, we are looking for results.
Over the last few years I have been working on raising the level of awareness and working to a set of sales competencies.
These competencies are:
Planning Techniques to achieve sales objectives
- Pre - call planning
- Building relationships
- Understanding the buying cycle
- Influencing the buying cycle
- Knowing the competition
Process Interpersonal interaction with the customer
- Developing customer relationships
- Customer needs analysis
- Mutual action planning
- Presentations
- Managing resistance
- Negotiating
- Gaining commitment
- Customer follow-up
Productivity Make the best use of time and resources
- Customer profiling
- Goal setting
- Prospecting
- Qualifying
- Time & Territory management
- Contact management
- Business etiquette
- Ethics / Conduct
- Professional appearance
- Understanding organisational philosophy's
Product Knowledge Understanding of Companies products and their applications
- Develop an understanding of
products and applications - Understanding of the catalogues
- Be able to act of a knowledgeable
resource to the customers - Product Profiling
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