Performance Coaching is the same the world over. Sport, Management, or Sales it makes no difference.
It’s the 1% improvement in the technique that makes the difference between winning Gold or settling for Silver or Bronze.
Coach Glen Mills from Jamaica has helped not only Usain Bolt become the greatest sprinter ever but notably, he has helped Jamaica gain the identity of the sprint capital of the world.
To improve sprint mechanics, Coach Mills not only developed Usain Bolt’s strength but improved his sprint technique.
“Coaches have to continuously react and replay and redo the drills, getting the athlete to run over and over to break habits”, stated Coach Mills.
Sales Management is no different. It is the small changes in Techniques that offer consistent long-term improvements in performance.
Performance Coaching
As the Sales Manager, the only way you will ever identify what I call the Micro Selling Skills strengths/weaknesses of each person in your sales team is to spend time with them observing their behavior, listening to their sales presentation, objection handling techniques and reviewing the material they present to a prospect.
Performance Coaching is all about knowing the WHY.
Why the sale was lost, put on hold, or no decision was made. Knowing why the sale was won is just as important.
Armed with this information create a sales coaching plan for each team member and use your coaching skills to help each of your salespeople realize their full potential.
Remember habits are the hardest things to change, so your plan needs to include continuous monitoring of each individuals Micro Selling Skills.
Poor Sales habits once changed will deliver consistent long term improvement in sales performance and make the task of consistently exceeding sales forecast a reality.
A 10% improvement in the Micro Selling Skills of your sales team will deliver a 30% improvement in achieving your sales forecast.
Maintaining the Glen Mills approach to Performance Coaching and breaking habits will see consistent long term sustainable results and that after all is the primary function of a Sales Manager.
