Over the past few years, there has been a lot of noise in sales productivity circles about the importance of sales coaching. Yet, it’s been my experience that the actual depth and implementation of quality coaching have not lived up to all the hype.
We routinely survey sales reps about the coaching they receive from their manager. The data we gather continues to find that while many sales forces say they are providing coaching, few truly institute programs of measurable value.
The most often stated, yet least measured, sales management performance standard is the percentage of time frontline sales leaders should spend in the field with their reps. We routinely ask senior sales executives about that number; on average, they tell us that sales leaders should be in the field 50 percent of the time. Some even say it should be 80 percent.
However, when we ask the frontline sales leaders to review their last 90-day calendars and report back their total number of days spent coaching in the field, we get percentages as low as 15 percent. Why such a discrepancy?
The most common response we get is a lack of time. Other priorities seem to fill their calendars, leaving precious little time to see customers and ride shotgun with reps. Things like:
+ Open territories they have to cover
+ Internal projects they are assigned
+ Firefighting a variety of issues like inventory outages
+ Chasing down forecasts for senior sales management
+ Meetings and training programs
+ Managing the underperformers
+ Onboarding new hires
+ Recruiting to replace turnover
+ And the catch-all “administrative paperwork”
Most of the sales leaders we meet tell us they would rather be out in the field, but they inadvertently get dragged into other things. The problem with field coaching is that it isn’t due on Friday at five o’clock. Forecasts and expense reports are due, but coaching plans are not. It’s one thing to set an expectation, like spending two and half days a week in the field, but it’s another thing to track and measure if it’s being done and to follow through with a consequence if it isn’t.
Following the old maxim that you have to inspect what you expect, we advocate for 90-day coaching plans turned in 15 days ahead of each quarter. Those plans should specify what skills they will coach and how much time they will spend coaching each person on the team. Of course, there should be solid logic for their time allocation.
The team can yield major benefits by getting your sales leaders out, traveling more, and coaching the reps in person or on Zoom Calls. The two extremes we see most often are sales leaders spending the majority of their time with the “problem children” or concluding that, say, if they have 10 days and 10 reps, then each rep gets one day. To prevent these situations, the coaching plans should be a part of the regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings with the sales leader. Just like the forecast is examined closely, the coaching plans should also be revisited regularly to gauge progress against the plan.
Putting a discipline in place is important too, and it starts with buy-in. All sales leaders want to see their sales reps succeed, yet we think some may not be totally bought into the notion of the payback. From Simon Sinek’s acclaimed TED talk, “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” we know that the “why” matters first when persuading others. To provide that context and help win over sales leaders on the value of coaching, we offer a thought-provoking, true-false exercise that you can test out with them in your next team meeting.
We call it The Case for Coaching.
The Case for Coaching
Read the 12 statements about the benefits of sales coaching backed by various sources. Choose True or False.
TRUE
FALSE
1.
Coaching Business Impact
Sales coaching is the second most important tool for driving sales performance in companies.
2.
More Time Coaching
Sales managers at high-impact (high-performing) sales organizations spend more time coaching.
3.
Coaching Consistently
+10 percent more reps achieve quota if you coach consistently.
4.
Sales Coaching Drives Goal Attainment
Reps who received just ten minutes of sales coaching a day enjoyed 17 percent higher goal achievement.
5.
Focus on People, not Process
Sales managers who prioritize coaching over administrative duties perform identically to those who don’t.
6.
Coaching Increases Win Rates
Having a dynamic coaching process increases sales opportunity win rates by 17 percent.
7.
Coaching Maximizes Training
Salespeople who received regular coaching from sales managers after sales training achieved a productivity impact four times greater than salespeople who went through training with no follow-up.
8.
Coaching Retains Sales Performers
A study by the Corporate Executive Board shows that salespeople who received highly effective coaching from their sales managers are far more likely to turn over than stay with their company.
9.
Effective Coaches Outperform
Direct reports of effective coaches outperform the direct reports of ineffective coaches.
10
Coaching Importance vs. Execution
Coaching is the activity that managers perform least well.
11.
Most Important Sales Activities
Sales coaching is the second most important of the top four sales activities that impact overall sales effectiveness.
12.
Ride-Alongs Alone Can Increase Sales Results
Sales leaders traveling in the field can raise the productivity of sales reps by 25 percent within 18 months.
By simply reading these statements, we find it stimulates interesting dialog on various sales leadership teams, often leading to problem-solving discussions about how senior sales leadership can remove some of the barriers currently stealing their time.
The bottom line is that we know the crucible for learning and skill development is on the job. By getting your sales leaders out, traveling more, and coaching the reps in person, the team can yield major benefits. Here are a few examples of the outcomes we regularly observe:
+ More quality deals in the pipeline and improved forecast accuracy
+ Improved win/loss ratios
+ More reps achieving and exceeding quota
+ Shortened new-hire ramp time to full productivity
+ Reduced turnover
+ Increased customer satisfaction
+ Improved product launch results
+ Double or triple the amount of coaching
+ Four to five times more practice and rehearsal of skills
Is it time for your sales team to also experience the benefits of quality sales coaching?
If you would like a copy of the answer key to the test, with the research sources cited, email me at john@levelfiveselling.com, and I’ll send you a PDF for your reference.
About John
John Hoskins has sold or overseen the sale of more than $350 million of licensed training. Today he is Co-Founder of Level Five Selling and his consulting practice is focused exclusively on the sales function, helping sales leaders execute their growth strategies.
Contact: John Hoskins | 480 235-5582 | john@levelfiveselling.com | www.levelfiveselling.com