1 Coaching Salespeople to Greatness

Coach Salespeople to Greatness

1. How often should my Sales Managers be coaching?
1-on-1 coaching - Once a week for 45-60 minutes is best for Sales Manager with 8 or less direct
reports. If Sales Managers have 8 or more, 45-60 minutes every two weeks may be more realistic.
Anything less frequent will not be effective. Sales people need real time feedback. Being able
to coach to situations that are fresh and detailed make coaching more effective.
Field Coaching at least 2 day a week. In the field with each team member at least once a
month.
Deal Coaching all the time. There should be a process in place for the Sales Manager to help
prepare for sale calls above a certain threshold.

2. Who should your Managers coach?
Everyone on the team. Dont make the mistake of just coaching new people or low performers. Your
best people contribute the largest percentage of the quota. Make sure they get your attention and
feel appreciated. It is easier to get a lift out of your best people vs. your worst.

3. How do I know if coaching will solve the problem?
Answer:You cant coach to a competency the sales person doesnt have. You must first provide
training and process. Without training and process your coaching will be academic and theoretical.
This type of coaching doesnt lead to behavior change.

4. What makes a good coach?
Answer:
Focuses on leveraging peoples strengths, not pointing out weaknesses
Is a facilitator
Consistent with the message
Has the right question, not all the right answers
Brings out the best in people by supporting them
Request change and growth, as well as informs and guides
Is honest and direct
Empowers people to be accountable for their success and failures
Is authentic, vulnerable and trustworthy

5. How do we design a coaching program?



















2

At this point, your Q3 sales number is essentially decided. Your thoughts should now turn
to Q4. How will you attack the Q4 with confidence? Do you have the team you need to
have a successful Q4?

If you fell short of your number this Q, there are reasons. It is very possible that those reasons lie within the
team you have assembled. Chances are, there are unfortunately some weak links in your team. I speak
with many VP Sales who say the same thing every year: We have some underperformers that are killing us.
There are a few key steps to addressing this that Ive outlined below.

Before you really make any decisions, start with these questions:

What are my key strategic initiatives for Q4?
Do I have the right talent on my team to meet these initiatives?
Is my talent aligned to accomplish this objective?
Has my team evolved with the new buyer?
Do I have my talent in the right place and on the right accounts?

Dont allow yourself to continue feeling out of control. Seize control of your destiny.

Dont Waste Time or Money on Bad Talent

Bad talent doesnt necessarily mean anyone underperforming. It means talent that cannot be turned into a
contributor. See the breakdown below:

C Players These team members are going to be left behind. If they are a C Player, it is very doubtful
they can become contributors. Do not take them to SKO. Its foolish to spend additional money on
someone who will end up missing quota yet again in 2015. They should be let go to seek other opportunities
where they might be more successful.

B Players These team members can go either way. Id suggest taking some time and splitting them into
two groups. The first group is B players that can become A players in 3 months. The second group is B
players who cannot. Have a conversation with other managers if need be to get a handle on it.

There are some B Players who have already tapped out and wont contribute more than they did in 2014.
These should be lumped in with C Players. If they cant reach their full potential here, perhaps they can
elsewhere.

Then there are the B Players who are poised to take their next step in 2015. Those are the ones who you
want to invest in. Invite them to SKO. Build out a plan for training them and turning them into A Players
ASAP.

A Players Youre clearly going to bring these team members to SKO. The next step is to make sure you
are getting the most out of them. Make sure you are giving them enough work and responsibility. Are they
in the right territories? Are they leveraging their own personal brand? At this point A Players should be very
involved in Social Selling. Get all you can out of these guys, because you dont come across them all that
often.








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1) Create a specific scorecard to determine which players on your team make the cut:

Assess Competencies Do your sales team members hold the attributes required to reach the 2014
performance objectives? In other words, do they have A Player competencies? This type of team is what
will allow you to make your number in 2015. Examples include: Selling skills, selling knowledge, intelligence,
and people skills.

Explore Accountabilities Do your sales team members have the qualities (e.g. character, culture,
chemistry, goals) to mesh with the business and thrive in the role? Some people are skilled, but may not fit
with the culture. This may be okay in the short term, but is tough to sustain. The real A Players will meet both
the Competency and Accountability criteria.

2) Immediately conduct assessments of your entire sales organization using the scorecard youve created
(Competencies & Accountabilities). In order to determine their roles for 2015 (either inside or outside the
organization) you need an unbiased and objective analysis. You may want to engage a third party expert
who can do this for you.

3) Plot your A / B / C Players on a Grid in order to get a visual understanding of who is performing and who
isnt. See the Grid below as a sample. Youll end up with clear As, Cs, and two different varieties of Bs.


4) Terminate the C player today. As I mentioned above, the time for coddling is over. Youve determined
these players arent capable. What will change in 2015? Likely nothing. They get terminated, and the level
of the team elevates because of it. Plus, its likely they arent happy with the situation currently either.

5) Reallocate the C player territory to your A players. The A Player is a fine-tuned machine capable of
greatness. Put them into the absolute best territory. It has the most potential and they deserve it. Theyve
earned the opportunity to shine. Let them seize the day and help you make your number in 2014.

This process clearly indicates to your sales team that you wont tolerate under-performers (C Players). Your
A Players are going to welcome the new opportunities they can add to their pipeline this year. Make no
mistake about it this dramatically improves your chances of achieving the 2015 goal.