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Techniques to Do For Sales Coaching

There are many different coaching techniques you can use to put these activities into play. Generally, your approach should look something like this:

Self-Diagnose through Discovery

Coaches who regularly review rep data and observe activities will typically be aware of a problem before a rep. During this first stage, it’s important to guide to a rep to self-diagnose an issue by asking targeted questions, such as:

• What would you like to explore today?
• What went well about a customer engagement?
• What could be done differently?
• What are the benefits of changing?
• What are the consequences of not changing?

Be sure to focus on the behavior changes you hope to see a rep adopt — items like more remembering to log notes in Salesforce are activity changes and should be addressed separately.

Plan for Future State

Once opportunities for improvement have been identified, it’s time to discuss what the future state will look like. Again, your job is to guide the discussion, not dominate it. Ask questions like:

• What does good look like in this scenario?
• What will it take to get there?
• What will stop you from achieving this state?
• How can I help you achieve this state?

These questions allow the rep to explore their own potential and encourage them to take ownership of changes without fear of failure or punishment.

Create an Action Plan

Next, work with your rep to create a plan of action. Write out the steps the rep will need to take to achieve their desired future state. These include:

• 1-3 immediate actions to facilitate change
• Timeline for progress check-ins
• Expected date of goal completion

Put your action plan documentation in a shared location. You’ll want to revisit this record to check on progress down the line.

Support and Energize

Once you’ve determined your action plan, take a moment to step back and listen to what your rep needs from you to be successful. Now is the time to offer encouragement and positive feedback. Ask your rep questions like:

• Is there anything I can clarify?
• How do you feel about this plan?
• Are there other topics you’d like to address?
• Are there additional areas where I can support you?

Keep in mind: your goal is to encourage behavior change. Feedback, especially when negative, is difficult to receive. The most encouraging and supportive you can be during coaching sessions, the better.

Details to Include in a Sales Coaching Plan

As mentioned above, the sales coaching program that you design to lead your teams should depend on your business goals. However, there are a few key elements that should be present in every sales coaching plan.

1. Onboarding Plan: Let the reps know everything they need to know about joining your sales org, like a training schedule, key people to know, and required tools and resources that will help them succeed.
2. High-Level Goals: Outline what is expected of sales reps in their current position. This can be broken down in goals that are to be met monthly, quarterly, or after a determined period of days.
3. Check-in Schedule: Let reps know when you will be meeting with them to asses their progress towards meeting those goals.

While these are the most important aspects of your coaching plan, the sections you include should go in-depth and provide reps with as much information as possible. Below we’ll provide a sales coaching plan template that can be customized to meet your business needs and help you lead your teams to success.

FAQs

In the following coaching sessions, be sure to use your action plan as a guide to assess progress and make changes as necessary. Check in with questions such as: How are things going? Do you feel like you are making progress? What new obstacles have arisen? What changes do we need to make to our plan? Work together to review progress, offering additional feedback and encouragement as you go. Once the rep had effectively adjusted behaviors, reward them with praise and by sharing their best practices with other team members.