sales coaching
Control Disguised As Coaching
Often, when I talk to managers, they tell me how much time they spend coaching. They tell me stories of meeting, weekly, with their people, doing reviews, pipeline discussions, activity discussions—all sorts of “coaching meetings.” They say, “Dave, coaching is important and we are spending a lot of time coaching…”
If You’re Not Going to Coach Your Salespeople, Don’t Bother Training Them
Numerous studies have shown that without reinforcement, most formally-delivered training content is forgotten or abandoned with a few short weeks. Influenced by the effectiveness of the trainer (whether live or pre-recorded), the quality and relevance of the materials, and the receptivity of the intended audience, many of the concepts may never be absorbed at all.
A Brief History of the Art of Sales Coaching
It is impossible to know when the first sales coaching conversation occurred. One can imagine a young apprentice blacksmith, a potter, or a weaver learning both the craft and the skills for selling their wares at a marketplace. Or perhaps it goes back further to a community leader coaching young people in how to negotiate the best trade for furs and salted meat in the next village over.
What Is a Sales Coaching Cadence and How Do You Build One?
A good sales coaching cadence is one of the keys to effectively elevating your sales team. While many companies settle for coaching that happens ad hoc around a water cooler or only when an employee is struggling, top companies invest in proactive, ongoing, consistent coaching that addresses all of the major aspects of professional development for their sales teams.
Golf Is a Mind Game: And So Is Sales
It’s no secret that I love golf. I’ve been watching the documentary Full Swing. In the second season, there’s an episode about a player named Wyndham Clark. He’s a PGA golfer who won the Wells Fargo Championship in 2023.
How Often Should You Coach Your Salespeople?
Eighty percent of sales managers say they coach their teams. Yet only 48% of salespeople say that they receive coaching, and only 13% find it helpful.* One reason sales teams have such a chaotic and disconnected view of whether coaching is confusion about what sales coaching is, and what it is not. Another reason is a lack of structured cadence or rhythms for coaching.
