Tag Archives: Business Growth

Sales Coaching

Using Sales Coaching to Increase Sales

Regardless of the economic environment we are operating in, it is critical to find a way to increase sales. In many cases, management will try to achieve this by throwing more resources at the challenge. This can work if they hire the right people and train them well, and then the people hired perform as expected. If this works, the return on investment is high with strong sales growth. If it does not work, the costs can be high as sales people can be expensive to higher, train, and keep on payroll.

Unfortunately, when you hire new employees, you never know how they are going to turn out and how they will perform day in and day out. One way to decrease the risk and uncertainty with staffing new sales people is to utilize a process of sales coaching. Sales coaching is effective at increasing sales and improving performance by working directly with the sales staff on a one-on-one basis to keep them focused, motivated, and on track.

The impact of being able to increase sales through something like sales coaching can be very advantageous. From a top line perspective, by improving the probability and amount of success for each sales person, the cumulative revenue increase can drive very significant revenue growth and improvements in profitability. This could be the determining factor in succeeding in a competitive marketplace and gaining market share.

Increase Sales to Increase Company Valuation

A bigger picture benefit is that this could improve the valuation of the company as a whole. By posting better growth and profitability figures, a public company could see an increase in its stock price. For private companies, this could make the company more attractive from an acquisition standpoint and enable it to be purchased at a higher price.

Increase Sales to Increase Employee Valuation

Utilizing sales coaching to increase sales, will also deliver strong benefits to the individual contributors as well. For the sales staff and sales management, this means an increase in quota attainment providing more commissions and money in their pockets. In the long-term, the benefits could be job security, job satisfaction, and being better positioned for any potential promotions.

Decrease Hard-dollar Costs

By effectively increasing sales, the company will not only see top line improvement, but can also stand to see strong improvements in the bottom line by controlling and decreasing costs. This is achieved by decreasing turnover through creating a happier and more successful staff. By decreasing turnover, the company will see hard-dollar savings in the area of hiring, training, and replacing sales staff.

Decrease Opportunity Cost

By improving the success of the sales staff and decreasing turnover, the company also stands to decrease opportunity cost. Consider the business that is lost or missed while a sales person is under-performing. Add to that any business that is lost or missed while a position is open from a resignation or termination. Finally, add to that any business that is lost or missed while a new hire is being trained and getting ramped up. All of this adds up to a tremendous amount of opportunity cost and that can be decreased by improving performance and tenure for the sales staff.

Michael Halper has a passion for coaching individuals toward personal and professional development. For more information about coaching and development visit Compass Coaching you can read more about Using Sales Coaching to Increase Sales or Sales Coaching.

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Sales Coaching

Need Sales Coaching? Top 7 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring a Sales Coach

Are you looking to hire a sales coach to improve your career, leadership, life, business and sales results? Well, I’m going to tell you right now that there are many sales coaches in the field and it is hard to know where to start or what to look for when hiring a coach. There are highly qualified sales coaches like myself and then there are others who just jumped on the sales coaching bandwagon so they can profit from you even though they have not proven themselves to be worthy of getting you as a client.

Knowing this, how can you find the best sales coach for you and your organization? Simply ask the questions below…

Here Are My Top 7 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Sales Coach:

1. What is your personal track record of success in sales?

I was ranked #1 sales performer in the U.S. for 4 years at two global Fortune 500 Companies. I generated over $135 Million in Sales Revenue. I know what it takes to become a top sales professional.

This is not true for many sales coaches as they do not have the credentials of being a #1 performer in a large organization multiple times. And, many sales coaches do not have extensive experience building, developing and managing sales forces.

But what if those are your goals? See the concern? If they have not walked the walk, and proven they know what it takes to achieve great sales results, how can you expect them to know what it takes to achieve extraordinary results?

2. Will you customize your sales coaching programs around my particular needs and goals?

Many sales coaching programs simply place all individuals and businesses into the exact same sales coaching process. They do not take into consideration the immediate challenges at hand, nor do they focus on customizing the program around the strengths of the individual or organization, while identifying and addressing weaknesses.

Before you hire a sales coach, ask how they customize their sales coaching program. If they don’t have some good examples to share, run fast, or face receiving cookie-cutter coaching which will greatly impede your results.

3. What is your general sales philosophy?

Many of the old persuasive selling techniques really are a thing of the past. They don’t work. Yet, many sales coaches are still teaching people just like you to persuade, push, be very aggressive, and to forcefully change the mind of others. This will make both you and the prospective client feel uncomfortable and will automatically lead to lost sales.

If you want to increase your sales potential then you need a sales coach who understands how to create a genuine, natural, customized sales philosophy for each individual they coach. If they don’t, watch out.

4. What professional coach training do you have?

You may find a sales coach who has a respectful sales background like me. But, in many cases they’ll have very little, if any professional coaching training. There is a big difference between calling oneself a coach, and having 100’s of hours of face-to-face coaching training. If they do not have this training, you may not receive all the support you need around motivation, focus, changing your mind set, accountability, and being able to support you towards success in your entire life. If you hire a sales coach who does not have professional training, do not expect the same results. You will not be supported holistically around all the intangibles that help people reach extraordinary results.

5. How did you become a sales coach – and why?

Find out if the sales coach made the conscious choice to become a coach for the right reasons, or if they burned out of corporate America or fell into the position as a back up because they lost a job. You want a coach who loves coaching, sales and changing lives. Look for a coach with whom you connect with. Look for a sales coach who truly cares about your success and loves the work he or she does. If you do not sense a great deal of passion in their voice when they describe how they became a sales coach, talk to another coach.

6. Can you show me new and innovative ways to increase sales?

If the sales coach is not aware of how to use social media, blogs, website marketing, SEO, AdWords, effective article writing and publication, LinkedIn and other similar tools to grow their own business, how can they help you to grow yours?

Technology is always changing and there are ways to use it to increase your sales results. Find a sales coach who is using these tools on a daily basis to grow their sales coaching business. Find a sales coach who can show you how to generate leads, contact new prospects and network effectively in the modern era of sales. If they don’t use these tools, keep on looking.

7. Do you have a coach?

I’m a sales coach and I still work with a coach. I get a tremendous amount out of it and I am convinced of the value of coaching. How can you be a coach, but say you don’t need a coach yourself?

As soon as you stop learning, growing, improving and developing, what kind of an example are you showing for your own clients? Find a sales coach who has a coach, believes in coaching, uses coaching to continue to become a better coach, a better entrepreneur, and a better person. Find someone who inspires you to do more and doesn’t just coach you, but leads by example. If they don’t have a coach, just ask them why. This is an important question to ask and I’m guessing you will decide to move on pretty fast after they say they don’t need a coach or don’t have one.

Find a sales coach who is right for you by asking these questions. Follow these tips and you will ensure you partner up with the right sales coach for you to achieve amazing sales results.

Sales Coaching & Business Coaching Expert, Jeremy J. Ulmer, has helped hundreds of sales professionals, sales leaders, businesses and entrepreneurs overcome sales challenges and achieve breakthrough results. If you are ready to dramatically increase your sales results then request your Free Tips and your Free Coaching Consultation at: [http://www.coachwithjeremy.com]

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jeremy_J_Ulmer/488034

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Sales Coaching

Why Sales Coaching Really Matters

You may recall that it was recently written about an international study which reported that if Sales Managers were more frequently and better trained and coached, their sales teams achieved higher performance and results. In no other type of sales training was a more positive correlation found between frequency of training and sales performance. This article is dedicated to the importance of sales coaching and what you need to do to be an effective sales coach.

Despite popular opinion, the sales profession is very skillful with many technical and interpersonal skills that need to be continuously honed and developed. Despite this, most sales people are given no formal training or coaching rather they are often left to work out for themselves how to be effective at sales.

Even if they are able to attend sales training, most sales people do not realise their full potential because nothing was done post the training session to get people adapting their behaviours, skills and performance to the new standards.

Why sales coaching matters

  • Without systematic, on-the-job coaching post a sales training program 87% of skills that were covered in the sales training program are lost within 30 days
  • With systematic, on-the-job coaching post a sales training program the return on the sales training program is four fold.

Lesson: Sales training without coaching is a cost liability rather than an investment. 

Is sales coaching just linked to sales training?

In a word, no. Whether or not coaching follows a formal training program, it is recommended that at least 40-60% of a sales manager’s job should be dedicated to coaching their sales people.

Yet, sales coaching still remains an area that is poorly executed and often ignored.

What is coaching?

Coaching is a process which allows for an individual to strive for excellence in any endeavour through personal insight and purposeful action. At a broad level, the process involves three key elements:

  • Feedback: without feedback a person is unaware of the opportunity for ‘change’
  • Reflection: relates to what a person thinks about the feedback received; as well as the range of actions they can undertake as a result of receiving the feedback
  • Purposeful action: those activities the person may undertake and either adopt the provided feedback or alternatively explain why they will not address the feedback provided.

Coaching usually focuses on two key areas of development to achieve excellence: skills and performance. Excellence in performance is knowing the right processes to apply in the right situation, coupled with the personal insight to know how to apply them wisely.

So, how do we get the best out of our sales coaches in order to be our best?

  1. Train your sales managers to be effective sales coaches
  2. Supply them with proven tools and frameworks to coach successfully
  3. Provide ongoing coaching to your sales managers to be better sales coaches (usually external coaching support works well here as it provides an agenda free focus on coaching only)
  4. Make sales coaching a necessary part of the sales manager’s job performance criteria
  5. Encourage a coaching culture in your business across all levels.

 

What do you need in your sales coaching tool box?

  • A coaching framework that guides you through the various coaching steps – this ensures that people are aware coaching is taking place
  • The ability to analyse or assess the development needs of an individual or team
  • Coaching communication tools and approaches that help you understand, communicate, and connect with the person you are coaching
  • Knowledge about the different types of coaching approaches you can use with people i.e. skills, performance, remedial, strategic, or transformational coaching
  • Ideally a sales competency based model and sales process framework that reflects the sales skills, behaviours, and attitudes you need to coach your sales people to.
  • Skillful and active communication skills
  • A positive, trust based, environment
  • Clear purpose and intent about what you are trying to achieve
  • Consistency

Coaching can happen in many ways. 

Here are some examples:

 

  • Joint sales visits: attending a client sales meeting with a salesperson – Set up the pre, during and post stages of your coaching session. Decide on what role you will take as a coach: observer, joint call participation, or role model. You need to decide on which role you will play before you enter the meeting so as not to confuse the salesperson or the client/prospect
  • One-on-one skills review and action plan: Ideally you would use a competency based model and framework to coach
  • Role playing sales activities such as prospecting, client calls, pitch presentations and so on
  • Team coaching sessions

4 important points to remember:

  1. There are a variety of coaching tools out there, however avoid the one-size-fits-all approach i.e. trying to stretch one tool to fit all situations. You need a blend of tools in your coaching tool box to be able to adapt to a variety of situations such as personal styles, needs etc.
  2. You are not a ‘life coach’ or counsellor either. This is a very dubious and potentially dangerous area to get into and should be left to qualified, skilled professionals who work specifically in this space.
  3. Make sure you make time to coach and let the person you are coaching know that it is a coaching session and nothing else
  4. Many of the case studies at the recent OSF2009 conference indicated that a blend of competent internal sales coaching by sales managers supported by external experts in sales coaching was very advantageous to their sales teams’ performance and productivity.

 

While many sales managers do not have the framework or tools in place to coach with purpose, skillful coaching can be incredibly rewarding and provide huge benefits for the individuals, team and organisation. It not only makes your sales people perform better, you can also become a better manager as a result.

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Sales Coaching

Sales Coaching – How to Find Clients

What do you do when you are just starting a business and need your first client? What if your existing clients have closed their purse strings? What if you just want to grow your business and the only way to do that is to get more buyers? In all three instances you have to find a way to get clients willing to pay for your services.

There are lots of ways to get new clients. Before you set out to do any of those things you need to prepare to effectively get more new clients. That means the first step to finding new clients for your business is to prepare your proposition for business.

When it comes to a proposition many people mistakenly think of a pitch for your services as your proposition. Unfortunately, when you approach a potential new client that way you position yourself as an ordinary sales person. Once you put yourself in that slot it spells BIG trouble for your efforts to get more clients and more sales.

As soon as you put yourself in the ordinary sales person slot you trigger the defenses of your potential new client. Once that potential client becomes defensive they get extremely skeptical and they don’t trust you. If they don’t trust you they will never hire you as their service provider.

No one hires a service provider they don’t trust. Trust is mandatory in any service business. Once you put your trustworthiness under question it’s a tall order to overcome trust issues.

The other problem with centering your proposition on your services is you immediately trigger objections.

That’s why you hear things like, “I already have a (insert whatever you do)”.

That’s why your certifications or level of experience come into question.

That’s exactly why these potential new clients think of you as an expense they can live without.

When you develop your proposition think about what the people who buy your services are looking to get, solve, or overcome. Put yourself in their shoes and look at it from their perspective. Imagine if a software sales rep called you and asked if you’d like to buy their CRM program.

What would you say? No.

Now imagine if that same sales rep called and asked if you would be interested in some ideas to close more sales. I’ll bet you’d say “yes”.

The first proposition was about a thing. The second proposition was about what the potential new client wants the thing only comes into play if they have a need waiting to get filled.

How much could you increase your sales starting now?

Get “The Blueprint for Increased Sales” eBook and audio here (FREE)…

[http://increasesalescoach.com/blueprint-increased-sales.html]

Increase Sales Coach Cheryl A. Clausen helps business owners, entrepreneurs, and SOHO’s in service industries get highly qualified prospects contacting you – giving you an unfair advantage.

[http://increasesalescoach.com/blog]

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Sales Coaching

What Do Basketball Stars Have in Common With Your Sales Force?

Okay, you ask, what do basketball stars have in common with my sales force? The answer is simple. Both need coaching. Yes, an important element in the performance of a basketball superstar is good coaching. Guess what, likewise an all-important element in the performance of a sales superstar is good coaching.

The reason for needing a coach is fundamental. When one is caught up in the heat of the game it is impossible to see all that is going on around. The coach has a different stake in winning and sees a larger picture. The coach can see things that are hidden from the view of the player as he moves up and down the court. The coach can tell when it is beneficial to pass the ball so that a score can be made. So, you get it, you see the analogy.

What are the obstacles that prevent a coach and a basketball superstar from benefiting from the relationship they have with each other? Well, one of the biggest obstacles is ego. Who’s you ask? The answer is both. The ego of the coach and the ego of the superstar stand in the way of making the relationship beneficial. In fact, there are many instances where a perfectly good superstar is traded and the team suffers loss because of the conflict of egos between the player and the coach. How many thousands of companies have traded sales superstars for the same reason?

Five practical activities for building good relationships between coaches and salespeople are as follows:

 

  1. Affirm and acknowledge the need for coaching often
  2. Reassure the salesperson that coaching is not a criticism of skills but rather is a method for making the very skilful even better
  3. Affirm and acknolwedge the skill level that is already developed in the sales person.
  4. Carry on continual dialogue concerning the reason for coaching
  5. Save teasing and joking for other areas of the work place. Never belittle or embarrass the salesperson. Be sensitive to the ego of the salesperson.

 

It is a natural human tendency to get complacent. Familiarity with the job and the repetition of tasks and approaches over and over, tend to bring a person to a place of being mediocre or run of the mill. This is where affirming the need for coaching is critical. When a sales staff is accustomed to the coaching aspect of ongoing training and preparation, there is room made for real growth and the sales person can remain vital. The sales person must have internalized the idea, that no one gets to the point of knowing, past which, there is no additional learning. It has been said, “the enemy of learning is knowing.”

Being sensitive to the salespersons ego is paramount to a successful coaching relationship. This is why sales managers are not necessarily good candidates for sales coaches. The sales manager is in the position of authority and ultimately is responsible for discipline action all the way through termination of the salesperson. This is seen as a conflict of interest by the salesperson and stands in the way of allowing the sales manager to truly fulfill the role of coach. The coach must reassure the salesperson often that he/she believes in his/her worth as a sales professional. This opens the door to conversation that can focus on improving the selling skills, delivery and methods of the salesperson. The salesperson is much more open to accept coaching input if he/she realizes that they are valued by the coach. The best way to build this rapport is to concentrate on catching the salesperson doing something that is praiseworthy. Everyone likes to know that they are appreciated and recognized for their efforts. This step is an important part of coaching. This affirms their value as a salesperson and equips them with the ability to take correction from the coach.

Speak often about the need for ongoing coaching; Dialogue about the ways that coaching is improving production. Once the sales superstar can identify the benefit of coaching in his/her commission checks and added recognition, coaching will be an accepted part of their selling regimen. Coaching is especially profitable when the sales cycle is extended. The coach can help with strategizing in all aspects of communication with the prospective client. Remind the sales people that focus is an important factor and a good coach helps focus efforts with a closing sale in mind.

There is an age-old cliché that states, “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” This is never truer than in the case of working with sales superstars. Embarrassment and teasing is a poor motivator. Sometimes it is easier to use this method than the tried and true method of having difficult discussions in a forthright manner. This is the job of the sales manager and the coach. The coach’s honest communication should be given in a non-threatening way with the purpose of changing unproductive behavior. It should be given in private so that the sales person is not put on the spot. The sales manager can save the tough dialogue for the disciplinary encounters that can be handled no other way. This is always after the individual has refused to be coached.

Winning teams are teams that have great superstars and great coaches. When they work together for a common goal they become unstoppable.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Joe_Machuta/436659

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