Why Is Sales Coaching Important for Revenue Growth?
Sales coaching gives sales professionals the mentoring they need to resolve critical skills competency gaps and be more productive. One-on-one coaching is an essential way to supplement group training sessions, with topics that are tailored for each individual.
Sales managers and coaches provide individual team members with the advice and support necessary to address areas of development, enabling them to improve and consistently contribute to the growth of the business.
Unfortunately, research shows that while close to 90% of organizations provide some sort of coaching to their salespeople, only 65% of those programs are considered ineffective.
3 Types Of Sales Coaching
Sales coaching generally falls into one of three main categories: tactical, strategic, and personal. Sales leaders choose the best approach to fit the needs and learning styles of their team members.
1. Tactical Sales Coaching
This is data-backed coaching that focuses on sales tactics. Sales leaders target coaching efforts based on observations of sales professionals’ activities in the field and/or analysis of recorded calls.
2. Strategic Sales Coaching
This approach proactively addresses obstacles and objections that the sales professional will encounter. Using in-depth knowledge of the company’s market, products and services, customers, and competitors, sales leaders will coach on the strategy to overcome them.
3. Personalized Sales Coaching
Each individual has specific strengths and weaknesses that may help or hinder their success. This type of coaching helps uncover the personal qualities and motivators of each sales professional. The goal is to help them gain greater insight into the factors that make them most productive.
4 Proven Sales Coaching Techniques to Increase Revenue
While you need to create a coaching practice that meets the unique needs of your organization, these five techniques can be the basis of an effective approach.
1. Start with Probing Questions
An effective coaching dialogue begins with probing questions that uncover performance blockers, obstacles, or skill gaps. Asking your sales professionals behavioral questions will allow you to learn their approach and help them reflect on areas where coaching is needed.
2. Encourage Self-Awareness
With clear communication and goal setting, you can “set the bar” for their organizations. Sales professionals who are not meeting these goals should be encouraged to reflect on their behavior and self-diagnose any issues that may be hindering their performance.
3. Create an Action Plan
Next, work with your sales professionals to create a plan to remediate poor sales habits or upskill where necessary. Outline the team member’s actions and responsibilities. Establish the timeframe in which to accomplish the desired scenario. Start by identifying one to three immediate actions, map out a calendar for check-ins and milestones, and set the expected date by which goals will be achieved.
4. Support and Motivate Your Sales Team
After choosing your course of action, consider exactly what kind of instruction, training, and support the sales professional needs to succeed. If you haven’t already, use a sales assessment to uncover personality types and team dynamics so you can tailor feedback appropriately.
Benefits of Coaching a Sales Team
Coaching is proven to have multiple benefits for sales organizations, but research shows that many companies still neglect this vital practice. A recent report found that the average sales manager spends only 21% of their time coaching, according to Forbes.
Don’t overlook how coaching your sales team can help develop a great sales culture, achieve company goals, and increase revenue.
Improve Selling Skills
At a minimum, coaching gives sales professionals the feedback, knowledge, and guidance to improve their selling skills. Upping their ability to do their jobs well leads to greater productivity, more closed deals, and higher revenue.
Create Consistency
By improving their selling abilities, coaches help sales professionals find solutions to their issues. This enables them to concentrate consistently on strategic efforts rather than jumping from crisis to crisis.
Improve Close Rates
By concentrating on opportunities in the sales pipeline, sales coaching can increase win rates.
Attract and Retain New Hires
Sales organizations that have proven coaching practices are better able to attract and retain high-quality new hires. Candidates are drawn to the promise of on-going skill building, and coaching reinforces the training they acquired during onboarding.
Develop Sales Managers
Top performers who excel as coaches can learn from their peers’ successes and continue to develop as sales managers. This strengthens the organization and allows the habits of “A players” to be adopted by other team members.
Grow Your Business with Sales Coaching
Use these sales coaching strategies and techniques to create an effective coaching practice that increases your sales performance, improves retention, and enhances your bottom line.
How you leverage effective sales coaching techniques can make or break sales performance, so now is the time to invest!
Contact us at The Brooks Group to level-up your company’s sales coaching efforts.
