Coaching for Sales Success: How to Turn Average Reps into Top Performers

How many sales professionals believe coaching is necessary for their career success? Our research shows that around 36% of reps hold that attitude. But many reps struggle to make their numbers. Let’s check out how managers can optimize their coaching for sales success.

What do sales reps think about sales coaching?

75% of sales reps say they’re more likely to hit their targets with a coach or mentor, according to Salesforce. Reps and managers know coaching works. But managers are often too stretched to do it effectively for every rep, on every call.

What types of coaching make a difference?

Sales coaching can take many forms. “Sellers who received feedback from an AI coach remembered 50% more information after 48 hours than those who received human feedback,” reports one study.

That data point bodes well, in terms of efficiency. But not every seller excels with AI-​based coaching. This may be because sellers need emotional connection. They can get “motivation, trust and confidence” from their trusted manager. These reps will succeed when they get one-​on-​one coaching.

How to start coaching for sales success

This topic is of big interest to sales managers. Around 47% believe a good manager must possess good coaching skills. They are ready to do the work. They just need to know where to start.

Before they do, they should also know they may have a credibility issue with their reps. For example, around 25% of reps say their manager isn’t motivating. This attitude may be linked to other shortcomings that reps point out about their managers:

• Micromanages 24%
• Shifts blame 24%
• Fails to hold everyone accountable 22%

If you struggle with these shortcomings, acknowledge them. Let the team know you are working on them. They will appreciate your transparency. And they’ll applaud your success if you improve on the performance issues they complain about.

How to use assessment data to improve coaching

Sales managers must use their resources effectively. One of their most limited resources is time. And it takes time to engage in one-​on-​one coaching sessions that can transform a rep with mediocre selling skills into a star.

To streamline the process, managers need to know where to start coaching and what to focus on. Every current employee and new hire in the sales department should take a TeamTrait psychometric assessment. With that information, managers can understand the employee’s work traits, specifically their attitude toward coaching.

Some employees are naturally more open to being coached than others. Sales professionals with a high coachability score will likely show improvement more quickly than peers with lower scores.

What do reps want from sales coaching?

Skill improvement

A significant portion of reps, 31%, are motivated to improve their skills. They have taken training or coursework in the past year with that goal in mind. And they are ready to learn more.

Personalized communication

Managers should check out the personalized communication tips offered by TeamTrait.  Communication style plays a big role in whether sales reps feel they are in a safe space. Some employees prefer an open and direct exchange when being coached on how to improve a sales skill such as discovery.

Customized coaching

The manager might know that discovery is a weak sales skill. Around 21% of sales managers say their team struggles with “identifying the buyer’s most pressing needs.”   More specifically, they’ll know how each employee scores for this skill, based on assessment data.

The Role of AI in Sales Coaching

The AI-​based 1:1 Assistant Coach tool in TeamTrait quickly reviews an employee’s assessment and then suggests the type of coaching that will be most effective. The tool bases its advice on the profile generated for the employee.

For example, if an employee struggles with situational awareness with respect to a prospect, the tool suggests an outline for a manager to follow in a one-​on-​one meeting.

Practice advice starts with explaining what situational awareness is and giving an example of how it helped to save a deal for a co-​worker. Once the employee understands the concept, the manager takes the next step. They ask the rep for a recent “changed situation” example. For example, the prospect might be backing away from the previous enthusiasm about a product.

While the sales rep might feel this changed attitude by the client will lead to a dead end, the savvy manager can coach them to see otherwise. Specifically, they can “re-​frame” the situation as an opportunity.

Conclusion

57% of sales professionals now say the sales cycle is getting longer. As the length and complexity of the sales cycle increase, sales reps need to rely on their skills. The right coaching for sales success will help them close more deals.

Image by Vitaly Gariev on Pexels.