The #2 Myth to Effective Sales Coaching Is…
This is the second part of the article The #1 Myth to Sales Coaching Is…
In the first article, we discussed the difference between teaching and reaching out. As we discussed, the top sales manager studies and figures out their sales reps’ individual strengths and weaknesses, and adjusts strategy accordingly. Sales coaching as teaching is a myth because sales reps rarely learn anything from that method.
Which leads to…
Myth #2 – Most sales reps can assess their own strengths and weaknesses.
The saying goes, “No one knows you better than you.” Or something like that.
Does this mean that there’s no one else who is a better judge of our own strengths and weaknesses than ourselves? Should sales managers trust their sales rep when he says he has a talent for drawing people in and is bad at compiling periodical reports?
Sad to say, but the answer is a resounding “NO”.
Scientific studies reveal that most people actually do a poor job, a very poor job, of constructing an accurate assessment of themselves. Apparently there’s no such thing as being objective about oneself. Most people tend to stick to other people’s positive opinions about themselves, and disregard anything that says the opposite.
The result is that sales reps normally hold on to their own positive self-assessment even when their sales manager shows proof of their poor or below average performance.
One way to overcome this obstacle is to develop a shared vision of the sales reps’ capabilities. In this way, a sales manager can’t lift the boat out of the water, but he can take the steer and change its course.
If the sales manager can alter the benchmark against which his sales reps judge themselves, then the new measuring stick can really start to make impact.
Here’s what I mean: For example, never compare one sales rep’s performance with “what everyone else is doing”. Instead make a shift towards a standard best practice.
In addition the sales manager can now be sales rep-specific in describing important behavior topics such as “developing customer relationships” and “selling value”. It also puts the sales manager in the critical position to help his sales reps depersonalize criticisms and negative information to make it easier for them to handle.
The road to performance improvement is a difficult road to travel unless both parties, the sales manager and sales rep, agree on where the journey should begin. It is a joint effort with rewards for both parties waiting at the end—performance growth for the sales rep, a job well done for the sales manager and increased sales for the company.
That’s another sales coaching myth busted. Tune in on the next blog post for Myth #3 – Results Must Be Reinforced For Performance To Change.
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