Coach Your Sales Team to Success

Overview

Many companies suffer from inconsistent and below average sales figures, causing frustration and limiting growth. Recent industry studies have discovered that coaching techniques can help to turn average sales figures around, but many companies do not have the time to implement coaching.

This article will discuss the Development Coaching technique and is applicable for anyone managing or working in a sales team.

What is Development Coaching?

Development Coaching is all about providing your sales team with help, support and guidance to grow their skills and abilities, to enable them to increase their sales figures. Most companies have a Sales Management function which checks figures and sets targets, but usually does not have the time to coach the individual team members. Development Coaching is a long term undertaking to offer regular sessions with sales staff, guiding them through all aspects of the sales function and solving problems together to build confidence and skills.

The Problem - Maintaining the momentum of hitting targets

Many companies experience the problems of sales staff not consistently hitting their targets. Their skill sets seem high and they show glimpses of genius on occasions, but they do not deliver consistent figures. As time progresses their averages get worse and they fall into the comfort zone. Their ambition suffers and their confidence diminishes.

Development Coaching - A Solution to grow sales figures

The sales process is largely a pro-active role, relying on organizational skills, imagination and sound strategy. It is therefore one of the hardest roles to deliver consistently high performance.

The addition of a development coaching function to your company can help to turn this situation around. The coach's role is to provide each sales person with the option of regular weekly or bi-weekly sessions, to work together on jointly identified areas of weakness. The result should be a fully rounded, motivated and capable sales person.

To be effective it is vital that the coach is viewed as an equal, not a boss. It is also vital that the coach and the sales person jointly identify areas of weakness and plan ways to strengthen these areas. Along with regular coaching sessions the coach should also assist each sales person with specific tasks such as meetings or proposals to get a more accurate view of their skill sets.

The results from development coaching can pay huge dividends and help to turn an underperforming, mediocre team into a team of sales champions.

Conclusion
Development coaching is a long term investment in sales staff to provide them with a support framework, enabling them to reach their maximum potential. Sales coaching skills can be taught to sales managers or outsourced to enable a specific consultant to work directly with your team.

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