| John Douch of Silent Edge - "Coach!" |
Let's think about this for a moment. Realistically, how many hours a month do you, as managers, really get to coach your team members on an individual basis? Or for how many hours are you, as a member of the team, coached?
In my many conversations with sales managers, the term 'coaching' often provokes a mix of enthusiasm and apprehension. Most would like to see themselves as mentors to their teams, understanding how to make the most of each sales person's strengths and identifying areas for development. But how are they doing this? If you take out of the equation the calls to meetings, meetings to proposals and deals won and lost ratios, then what are managers left with to measure their teams' performance?
I remember the first time I had a manager come out on a meeting with me. He ended up turning the meeting into his own because I wasn't presenting and selling the way he did. Could this be classed as a measurement? If so, maybe sales people should wear the same suits and listen to the same music as their managers, go to the same holiday destinations and eat at the same restaurants.
The reality is that there were a lot of areas where my manager's coaching was invaluable; his understanding of the market place, the anecdotes he had acquired, case studies, competitor knowledge and company offerings. A great coach helps you work with your style to build in knowledge and behaviour that is proven best practice.
With this in mind, do sales managers always know what best practice looks like for the roles they manage and perhaps, more importantly, the roles they recruit for?
The subject of coaching may not be a new one, but we've seen organisations revolutionised with the right approach. Over the years we've gathered some great evidence and experience. But it would be great to hear your opinions and experiences of what makes a manager a good coach...
Questions & Comments
Re: How well do sales managers...
John, I'm not sure I can tell you what makes a manager a good coach because in all my years in sales I don't ever remember being coached! I've had plenty of managers tell me where I'm going wrong but that's about the limit of it.
Far, far too many managers take the approach you mention and turn any meetings into their own. I've had managers spouting off about how financially sound our company is, leaving me thinking 'where did that come from and why do you think the customer is interested when he hasn't even asked about it?' If that's leading by example, count me out.
OK, I do have an opinion. To be a good coach you need to check in your ego at the door, listen, observe and comment after the meeting. Ask me how I would solve a problem, don't tell me. If you don't like what you are hearing, encourage me to think in a different way.
'Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach him to fish and he will never go hungry.'
Posted by Neil Fletcher on
How well do Sales Managers....
Hi Neil
Thank you for your comment. I totally agree; a manager or coach should listen, observe and only really comment after the meeting. Judging by your previous experience your Sales Manager struggled with the listening part!
Interestingly though I think one of the key elements there is the observational part. We have created effective coaching cultures within organisations by empowering Sales Managers with objective score cards. Rewind the clock to the meeting your manager attended with you and he would have acted purely as a camera man, with a lap top and a list of more than 180 observations to measure your performance against what is proven best practice for the role the you were in. The resulting objective evidence would have given your manager all the information he needed to coach the gaps and, as you rightly said, "encourage you to think (or behave) in a different way".
Kind Regards
John
Posted by John Douch on
The Dilbert Principle
Dilbert covered this well yesterday: http://www.dilbert.com/2011-04-02/
But how many sales teams even work this way. I worked at one company where the sales meeting included a single aspect of the sale each week (an objection, a key benefit, a buyer's question), with everyone asked to prepare an answer to read to the group, followed by a discussion on what was the best answer and why. It really made a difference - but I've never seen it again. Why not?
Posted by Peter Johnston on
Re: The Dilbert Principle
Cracking link, Peter! Made me laugh a lot. To answer the "Why not" question, I think there are still a large number of sales manangers and directors who don't see sales as a team game. The sales 'team' consists of a collection of individuals that you set in competition against each other favouring your star performers and the devil can take the hindmost because that's the way they came up through the ranks. Unfortunately, I don't think the status quo is set to change any time soon.
Posted by Neil Fletcher on
RE: The Dilbert Principle
Peter, you found my old manager and brought her back to haunt me!
I think Neil's comment pretty much answers the why not.
Its frustrating too because a Sales Directors job is to ensure the companies growth strategy is met. Which means their Sales Managers ability to coach, motivate and drive the front line is crucial!
I think the staus quo is/could change if Sales Managers knew what best practice was in the roles they were managing.....
Posted by John Douch on
Apology to your Sales Manager
In his defence, he patently had no idea how to Sales Coach. He was unskilled, usually untrained, under managed and seldom supervised. He ,like you, was 'having a go', he at Sales Coaching and you at Selling.
Between the lack of 'Professionals' in Selling, Sales Mangement and Sales Training it is a miracle that anything gets 'sold'.
You agree with McKinsey which identified the Field Sales manger as the critical role for a Firm's success (20 years ago!)
Posted by Brian MacIver on
Workshop-webinars also coming
Hello John - and all.
We now (finally!) have the start of our "let's actually do something about it then" workshop-webinars under way. So if you John (particularly - but the rest too of course) would like to put in an appearance on this discussion, with your "big problem"...
http://www.modernselling.com/news-and-events/webinar-corner/Dead-failing-sales-marketing-techniques-workshop-webinar-discussion-tips-series-20114005.aspx
...the idea would be that that get's the widest possible airing, and then the "coaching" specialists can come back here and discuss it further with you John.
That make sense? ;-)
Posted by Neil Warren on
Work shop-webinar understood!
Hi Neil
Received, and yes makes sense!
Look forward to it.
Regards
John
Posted by John Douch on
Did you catch The Seller's Tale John?
It's recorded and here, if not...
http://www.modernselling.com/news-and-events/webinar-corner/sellers-tale-eselling-book-workshop-webinar-discussion-tips-series-20114025.aspx
...and I thought there was a ton of stuff in there about not only getting known in our market places, and how individual sales people might also do that, but also, having had a glimpse at your Academy system online, how managers might also look to "join in with" or "observe" future online networking activities and actual client presentations and meetings, like GoToMeeting or GoToWebinar sessions?
Posted by Neil Warren on
My Question / Comment Is...
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