Coaching gets a lot of press and hype because sales performance improves with consistent coaching.
Most salespeople need sales manager coaching, similar to elite athletes who need it from their coaches.
The difference is that elite athletes realize that coaching is essential to compete at the highest level. On the other hand, most salespeople typically haven’t received coaching throughout their careers, so they don’t recognize the value it can provide to their success.
Reasons Sales Leaders Don’t Coach More.
If sales leaders don’t have time to coach their salespeople, the typical reasons are (in order):
- Senior sales leadership is not committed to the value of coaching
- A sales leader’s span of control is too large
- Sales leader doesn’t understand the importance of coaching, or they would take the time for it.
- You have a sales leader that may not know how to coach, as they may not have received coaching themselves.
Reasons Salespeople Don’t Seek More Coaching.
If salespeople don’t prioritize time to seek and receive coaching, the typical reasons are (in order):
- They don’t realize when and in what areas they need coaching
- The salesperson may not be confident in asking for coaching (especially if they are tenured salespeople)
- They may view coaching as a remedial activity instead of an opportunity to hone and acquire new skills.
So if sales leaders lack time to coach and salespeople don’t appreciate the value of coaching, it’s no wonder that the amount of sales leader to salesperson coaching is lacking in most B2B organizations.
No matter how much a salesperson wants or needs coaching, salespeople won’t get coaching unless the sales leaders find time to coach.
How do we help the sales leader find time to coach?
Start by coaching the sales leader. Most companies overlook that most sales leaders need coaching before they can coach salespeople.
Providing sales leaders coaching is not a one-off, short-term initiative. Sales leaders should receive regular coaching to help them address their areas of improvement, but also how to coach their salespeople.
Managing is all about telling and directing toward a specific outcome. Coaching involves exploring, facilitating, and guiding.