Sales Coaching Tips from TACK

Sales Managers continue to spend countless amount of time reviewing the performance of their sales teams on a daily, weekly, monthly and even an ad hoc basis.

While enough emphasis gets placed on the outcome, what cannot be overemphasized is the time investment placed coaching sales people on the sales process and on improving their effectiveness.

Here are a few tips or suggestions on how sales coaching conversations can become more meaningful and effective with your teams.   

•Have well defined Best and Average Performance Indicators.

It provides tangible benchmarks for measuring performance, giving constructive feedback and then using the same for training and motivation efforts.

•Help in setting individual and group targets and measure them.

Goals are effective when the person/team that has the goal is being held accountable.  Constant support and a validated review mechanism is a must.  The sales manager/coach must work with the salesperson — not to do the salesperson’s work, but to make him more productive by removing the barriers.

• Know if a problem is about knowledge/skill or willingness.

Knowing the difference will go a long way in helping the sales manager how to manage that interaction. It will reduce conflict and build an environment of trust.Here are some more  

•Determine the objective of the call or meeting – this also applies to the coaching conversation

•Get the sales person to outline his/her plan to achieve the objectives

•Decide and agree who does what and when

•Decide and agree when / if you must interrupt or take over

•When assessing a sales person’s performance, use your notes

•Concentrate on one or two (maximum) areas of weakness at a time

•When coaching after the call, remember the sandwich technique

•Involve the sales person in identifying the problem areas and solicit the sales person’s solution(s)

•Remember to monitor the next visit for signs of improvement

 

The Role That “Behaviors” Play In Making Meetings Productive

 

The Desired State for meetings was very well articulated by Peter Drucker when he said:

“We meet because people holding different jobs have to cooperate to get a specific job done. We meet because the knowledge and experience needed in a specific situation are not available in one head, but have to be pieced together out of the knowledge and experience of several people”.

 

The current state was then commented on by Thomas Kayser in his book Mining Group Gold:

 

“A meeting is an interaction where the unwilling selected from the uninformed, led by the unsuitable to discuss the unnecessary are required to act on and write about something unimportant” He went on then to say “ A meeting is a gathering where people speak up, say nothing and then all disagree!”

 

We suspect (and hope!) that the reality lies somewhere in between and is moving toward the desired state!

 

As we set “meetings” to discuss what should be the objective of this article, how should it be written and who would contribute in what way, we encountered first hand for the millionth time the potential that meetings have - to either be hugely productive or a complete waste of time!

 

We read a huge body of work that exists in the cyber space and in books on meetings and how they can be made effective, we delved into our own experience and our own knowhow only to realize that “experts” have been talking about the same 5 mantras for the last 8 decades. So ostensibly it takes only the following 5 to make effective meetings:

 

1.       Before calling a meeting consider whether a meeting is required!

2.       Spend adequate time on thinking through and distributing the agenda.

3.       Make sure only the right people attend.

4.       Start on time and end on time. Manage distractions.

5.       Rigorously minute the meeting and follow up

 

Simple enough, right? But then there is ample research that also indicates how utterly unproductive almost 70% meetings are anywhere in the globe, how managers are spending an astonishing average of 5 hours per day in meetings. No matter the Ivy League colleges that these managers maybe from, no matter the number of years of experience, no matter amount of training on effective meetings they may have attended; the results are startling similar.

 

So what stops most of us from executing the most “commonsensical meeting best practices”? In all our discussions and some dipstick interviews we conducted there were broadly 2 main planks that emerged as an answer to this question.

 

Firstly conspicuous by its absence was the clear articulation of the “consequence of unproductive meetings”. Surprised? Not really, right? There is a distinct discomfort in acknowledging what we lose individually and collectively when we allow meetings to be unproductive. Could the concern in most quarters be that, either it would put us in the spotlight, not provide an easy escape route to non-action or it would need another set of meetings to understand why our meetings are not productive!

 

Whatever maybe the concern, the end result is that most of us find it easier to continue to lead or participate in unproductive meetings than to pull up our sleeves and really understand what “we” need to Change. And need we say anything about how we love to change!

 

Not to be completely uncharitable, there are a few flag bearers who have the courage to actively steer meetings towards the desired state of productivity. The hope is that the “few” become “many”.

 

The second major plank was a sixth mantra which has hitherto not been given its due place in the list of “Meeting Best Practices”. The sixth mantra being “MEETING BEHAVIOURS”. The fact that our behaviors govern our actions and therefore our results in every sphere of life and work should also then apply to meetings.

 

No matter how well written the agenda is, how much in advance is it shared with the “right” people, how well regulated are the  meetings if the crucial bottom of the iceberg “behaviors” are not tended to, the best planned meetings can be unproductive.

 

Some of the critical behaviors that have been identified as coming into play are as follows: (Details on what these mean, how and when should they be brought to life are available)

 

A.      INITIATING BEHAVIORS

q  PROPOSING

q  BUILDING

B. REACTING BEHAVIORS

q  AGREEING

q  DISAGREEING

q  DEFENDING /ATTACKING

C.      CLARIFYING BEHAVIORS

q  GIVING INFORMATION

q  SEEKING INFORMATION

q  SUMMARIZING

q  TESTING / UNDERSTANDING

D.      PROCESS BEHAVIORS

q  BRINGING-IN

q  SHUTTING-OUT

 

The essence of this research is that all members of a meeting should know that this is an available palate of behaviors, should know when and where these have to be deployed and should be able to use these constructively towards a productive outcome. There would be interventions that would be required before and after the meetings to educate some members on their uses.

 

It would be of great service if the focus of “Meeting Best Practices” shifted from the first 5 mantras (which are easy to understand) to the 6^th Mantra “Meeting Behaviours” which is the pivot on which potential success of meetings rests.

 

The route to Productivity has always rested on very fundamental principles which have not changed over time,  the real test then is in relentlessly and honestly implementing the right behaviors for productivity. The sooner this comes to our active horizon the faster will we all release critical time from meetings for more value adding pursuits at work, at home and for ourselves! That should be a reasonable goal to work towards in your next meeting!. It will require some concerted effort though. Like William E Utterback the author of Group Thinking and Conference Leadership said:

 

 

It must not be supposed that the conference table possesses the magic property of generating wisdom when rubbed simultaneously by a dozen pairs of elbows.

William E. Utterback,

 

 

 

The Seven Deadly Pitfalls in Designing Sales Training Programs

 Different organizations have different focus, mindset, set-up & budgets for sales training depending upon various factors like their industry, turnover, business strategy, outlook/philosophy of senior management, etc. They may or may not have a dedicated training & development department to identify sales training needs & conduct sales training accordingly. Irrespective of this fact, there are certain pitfalls that organizations need to be aware of & avoid, while designing sales training programs. This is very imperative to ensure effectiveness of the training programs & to get the maximum bang for each penny spent on them. 

Here are the top seven pitfalls that we feel are critical to watch out for & avoid, while designing sales training.
 
ü  Pitfall 1: Not having a clear and easily definable application or relevance to the training
 
Many organizations fall into the trap of looking to conduct sales training based on the current fad in the industry led by some newfound simulation, game, sales process, model or formula. This propensity reflects a herd mentality rather than a training program based on a real business need aimed at achieving a real business & learning objective. Sure, new developments in sales training might be useful, but organizations should judiciously evaluate if they are really relevant for their business & industry and then go for them. After all, the concepts & skills from the training must find application in your business & give your sales people some real firepower to make better deals.
 
ü  Pitfall 2: Only the frontline sales team needs training

Many organizations are of the belief that the frontline sales teams, who go out into the market & personally interact with prospects/clients, should be the recipient of most and in some cases, all the sales training. Sure, the frontline sales team needs to have a very high degree of selling skills as they personally are in contact with the market and would have a very high level of positive and /or negative impact on the business. Having said that, the importance of continually training the immediate supervisors of the frontline teams and others in sales leadership role cannot be overlooked. As they are ultimately responsible for the performance of the frontline teams, the skills needed for motivating, coaching, leading & driving productivity through teams need to be regularly honed. Also, the people in managerial roles play a big role in ensuring the application of training by the frontline team on day to day basis.
 
ü  Pitfall 3: Our sales team is already trained & evolved and therefore doesn’t need a structured training program anymore.

True, your sales teams might have highly experienced sales people, might have undergone sales training in the past, come from reputed institutes and performed satisfactorily so far. All this, unfortunately, cannot guarantee success in the future as well. With the changing dynamics of the business, the fluctuating economic scenarios & ever increasing competition, all the sales people need continual “upgradation” of knowledge & skills. Also it is often seen that many sales people have very sound technical expertise but lack the selling skills to make the sale. Lastly, research on effective sales people has shown that the performance of a sales person is also due to several external factors which are either unknown to the sales person, or worse, rejected by him or her as not important. Either ways, this spells trouble if undetected as the sales person in question takes undue credit while not letting his or her weakness come to the forefront to get developed.

ü  Pitfall 4: That’s how we did it till now

 Many organizations are comfortable following the historical practices for conducting sales training programs like following the same set of training calendar programs year on year, following the same training methodologies, etc. With changing times & business complexity, they need to be flexible & change with time to do what is required currently to best equip their sales teams.

 
ü  Pitfall 5: Concluding once the workshop is over

Many organizations do not have a clear plan and/or commitment to ensure the sales team is applying the learning post a well-structured workshop. The real business impact from a sales training comes from its application more than the workshop itself.
 
ü  Pitfall 6: Only thing that matters is how the trainer is delivering during the workshop.
 
No doubt about the importance of the quality of the trainer & his or her way of facilitating a workshop. But it is also very critical to ensure that a thorough pre-workshop diagnostics & customization is done by the trainer to understand the ultimate business objective to be achieved from the training, the dynamics of the company & the sales team, etc to ensure effective delivery of the workshop.
 
ü  Pitfall 7: Cramming too many modules or topics to be addressed in a single workshop
 
Organizations should resist the temptation of cramming too many topics to be covered in a workshop as it can have serious implications on the quality of learning by the sales person. “Lets add Negotiations Skills as well” can be extremely detrimental and counterproductive if the two day program’s key objective is to develop better listening and probing skills among sales people. A good way to ensure this pitfall is avoided is to look at your sales process and identify all the challenges across the sales process, which occur to make a successful sale. Thereafter, prioritize them in terms of the following categories to conclude on what can wait or be deferred for later development:

1.       Applicability – the number of sales people with this challenge

2.       Degree of Acceptance – how many people believe in the criticality of the challenge

3.       Business impact – What happens if this challenge is not overcome?

4.       Ripple Effect – How early in the sales process does this challenge occur and does it impact  give rise to any other challenge

 
Developing your sales force on a regular basis can have a substantial positive impact on company performance provided it is properly designed and the above pitfalls are avoided.

Have you come across any other pitfall that has limited the success of a sales training initiative? We would love to hear your perspectives and how you overcame those pitfalls.

5 Important Points To Consider Before Identifying High Potentials

 

Organisations today increasingly look for Leadership qualities at all levels – from an individual  contributor to the CEO. This often starts off with the identification right from campus recruitment. 

Managers use the yard stick of performance, employee loyalty, supervisor feedback, etc as the key for promoting an employee. While these are important parameters, the biggest question mark is in identifying and understanding the presence of Leadership qualities in an individual.

Following are 5 key aspects that an organisation should consider while identifying High Potentials (HiPo):

1.       Most organizations may not adopt scientifically validated processes for identifying HIPOs and will choose to use the performance management system or nomination method as the primary method. While this is a good method, it cannot be the only system as there is a possibility of bias. Additionally, it is important that management is trained to spot leadership qualities in their employees. To do this, instilling a talent council which comprises of a cross section of senior leaders to vet talent across levels is a good way to remove personal biases and also signal the organization’s seriousness in identifying High Potentials.

 

2.       Before starting the identification process it is important to establish what is the potential being sought for. While there would be common characteristics that contribute to “high potential”, there would be some unique abilities and characteristics that differentially predict potential for a particular talent pool or certain critical roles. It is therefore, important to establish the ultimate goal and also articulate the various characteristics that underline High Potentials.

 

3.       Organizations often invest time & money on great performers with the assumption that they would eventually become High Potentials. However, that is a short sighted approach which does not focus on future potential.  Along with current performance, it is equally important to identify the future capability and behaviours in significantly broader roles & complex situations. It is hence important to identify those situations and complexities in as much detail as possible and then place the candidate in question in that situation to ascertain his or her readiness.

 

4.       It is also important to define the company’s expectation and success of a HiPo and align them with the individual’s future expectations and aspirations. Companies identify HiPos in order to map them into critical future roles. Therefore, it is essential to have a robust career conversation to understand the individual’s preference and future expectations too and ensure that the same is in line with the organization’s plans. This way the company and the individual are prepared and in agreement with the development planning, career guidance and any trade-offs or life choices that may be required. This may also lead to some people realizing they may be better off in another role or career alltogether. While this may cause temporary disruption, it proves beneficial to both the organization and the individual in the long run as future investments and sunk costs get saved.

5.       It is critical to identify and train coaches and mentors in order to create a strong support network that will assist, encourage, provide feedback and constructively challenge HiPos. This is often done post the process. However, successful organizations have been able to pre-empt this requirement and have it ready to ensure there is no lag between identification and development.

In the end, identification and development of talent is a combination of art and science, of discretion and insights. When it comes to talent management,

“Always account for variable change”

From the Movie 21 where Kevin Spacey (Prof. Mickey Rosa) reminds his students during a scene.