SALES CALL COACHING:

The Heart And Soul Of= Sales Performance

by Rex Fi= thian, AMCS, CSE

Sales Call coaching i= s a fundamental part of developing superior sales performance. The sales manager’s role is often misunderstood and mismanaged. We tend to think the sales call is ours and the sales person should just pay attention and l= earn a thing or two.

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There are three key points to remember. First and foremost, it’s the sales person’s sales call – not yours. You build the sales person’s respect for you and enhance the customer’s respect for them if you adopt this attitude. What happens when you “take over the call?” You might= get the order, but what happens the next time the sales rep has a challenging situation? Yep, they bring you in to make the call.

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Second, coaching is d= one to improve the sales performance of the next call. If your rep isn’t = well prepared for this call, there is little you can do to make it productive. U= se pre-call briefing to make sure they cover all the bases. After the call ask= questions that help them know how to critique their own performance – when you = are not on the call with them. That’s the goal of effective sales call coaching.

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Third, spend your sal= es call coaching time where you’ll get the greatest return. Here’s= the question: If you only have a limited amount of t= ime for sales call coaching (and you do!) and you could choose between a two percent improvement from your top performers or a ten percent improvement f= rom your bottom performers, where would you spend your time? Yes, there will be several folks in= the middle who may need improvement, but don’t spend all your valuable ti= me with under performers.

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To be effective with sales call coaching, it takes proper sales performance coaching techniques before, during and after the call.

BEFORE THE CALL

Get an understanding = of the purpose of the call and how well the salesperson has prepared. The following questions will give you insight into how well they have planned. =

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“What is the objective of the call?” Allow them to verbalize the action= they want the customer to take as a result of the sales call. You are looking for preparation, f= ocus and determination.

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“Who are the key people?” Does the salesperson know the impor= tant players and what influence they have on the buying decision? Get an understanding of how well the salesperson has developed the relationship. It’s important to know that they are dealing with the ultimate decision-maker.

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“What information will be exchanged?” There are two areas that are import= ant:

1) What information d= o we need from the customer?

2) What information d= o we want the customer to have that will help him decide in our favor?

“What questions should be anticipated?” Listen to what poten= tial questions and obstacles the salesperson has identified and how they are prepared to respond. Ask them to refer to previous experiences with similar objections.

DURING THE CALL

Let the sales person conduct the call. Remember th= at your objective is to improve their sales performance when you are not with them. If the customer asks yo= u a question, reflect it back to the person responsible for the relationship – your sales rep. Don’t be disrespec= tful, but say something like, “You know that’s a great question. John here is one of our most knowledgeable reps about that issue.” Then, t= urn to your rep and say, “John, tell him about what we are doing in this area.” You just made your sales rep ten feet tall.<= /p>

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AFTER THE CALL

After the call is complete, create a positive environment that allows the salesperson to crit= ique themselves – ask, don’t tell. Rememb= er, your objective is to help the salesperson learn to critique their sales per= formance when you are not present. Ask the following:

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“How do you think the call went?” Allow the salesperso= n to critique the meeting and their sales performance. Hear their perspective be= fore presenting your viewpoint.

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“What part of the call was the strongest?” Begin the critique from a positive perspective. Use this to encourage and reinforce the type of sales performa= nce you desire.

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“What part of the call was the weakest?” Make sure that you provide guidance toward correcting or improving the steps in the selling process that are not what you expect. Use the stronger sales performance as a means to bridge to= the improvement you want.

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“What should you do differently based on the experience of this call?” Let the salesperson express their approach on how to improve their sales performance. Add your suggestions and direction in a way that supplements their strategy.

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You don’t have = to use these sales performance coaching techniques on every call you coach = 211; just the ones you want to be better.

About the Author: Rex Fithian, AECS, CSE, is the Chief Sales Officer for RxSales International, a sales performance consulting firm that helps model a progressive learning culture where sales professionals reach their full potential and business leaders achieve sustainable results. = Rex is a member of SMEI Dallas. Contact him at 214 747 7900 or vis= it their website at www.rxsales.com.

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