How did you spend your day today? If you’re at your computer reading this now, there’s a good chance you fit the statistics around how managers spend their time. Managers today spend way more time on internal-facing activities than they did in the past.
Managers today spend more time on internal-facing activities than they did in the past.
This additional internal time comes largely at the expense of coaching time, which used to be 20.3% of time and is now only slightly more than 14%.
The benefits of coaching your people are sound, the most powerful evidence being the 19% lift in results directly attributable to effective coaching. But do you really have the time to coach? The answer is YES if you reframe your thinking about how you spend your time.
BUT, you say, “I coach my people all day, every day.” True, you are likely talking to your sales team regularly to discuss deals, review pipeline progress, or simply to check in. But are these really coaching conversations? In terms of the amount of time you need to spend coaching, more is not necessarily better. Instead of worrying about spending MORE time coaching, rethink how you currently spend the time you DO engage with your team. It’s about the quality of that coaching time, not the quantity.
Consider this: every contact with your sales team is a “coachable moment.” Some coaching moments will take less than a minute; others may take longer, such as coaching over the course of several days in the field to develop skills and see performance in action. No matter how long, or what the topic, each conversation can be a coachable moment where you impact their ability to execute and perform more effectively.
Of all of the coachable moments you can have, there are five areas where employing a conscious approach can have the biggest impact on sales performance. Ask yourself, am I helping them to better define and/or execute around their:
- Territory (prioritized plan for where to go)
- Account (where to grow, maintain, and defend business)
- Pipeline (how to fill and flow)
- Lead and opportunity (conversion and deal efficiency)
- Skills and behaviors (what to do and what to say)
Once you identify which performance area you are coaching to, then infuse every coachable moment with a little, or a lot, of these actions:
Establish a clear coaching objective. Think of the end goal of this coachable moment like a good sales call objective, which describes: what action will the customer take that lets me know I’ve advanced the sales process? Instead, reframe the question as a coach: What action will this salesperson take at the end of our conversation that lets me know we’ve advanced their performance or development? This will prevent you from thinking that spouting advice and answers on a call is the equivalent of coaching; get the salesperson to commit to DO something different. Then your coachable moment gains traction.
Ask more questions than you answer. Let’s steal from another sales behavior to capture the root of good coaching: ask more questions than you answer. Inquire to learn, not just to solve the problem. This means asking questions about how the person is thinking, feeling, and doing about the situation. Don’t stop at the first layer of information; keep digging by “asking 5 why’s” to determine the root causes of the behavior and performance.
Collaborate on a solution. Have you ever had an employee call you and ask you for the answer to the same question, several times a week or month? This is a sign that you need to stop giving them the fish and teach them to fish. After asking them questions to identify the area that they need help with, engage them in a discussion on how they might handle the situation. If they need guidance, you can then still offer it; if their solution is sound, reinforce and build confidence.
Set a follow up plan. Sometimes this will be a mutually discussed and agreed upon date and time and set of deliverables. Or it can simply be making a note on your calendar to follow up with a quick email, text, or call to check progress on the outcomes of your coaching moment. No matter whether formal or informal, follow up. Just because the rep leaves the conversation with a plan doesn’t mean they will act upon it or execute effectively. Following up not only shows your commitment but lends support to execution.
The next time you connect with one of your sales team, ask yourself, “is this a coachable moment?” Tailor your coaching to each seller and situation to build self-sufficiency, competence, and confidence in their ability to execute effectively and drive performance.