Making the Shift from Manager to Coach by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC (Part Two)
Profile and Characteristics of an Effective Sales Coach
1. Walk your talk – model the behaviour you want to see in others
2. Follow your heart, not your head in a coaching session (ie: not just asking from a list of questions)
3. Know when to give them the answer (sometimes they do need you to tell them)
4. Develop our own coaching style and be consistent
5. Be willing to give up your own agenda
Masterful Coaching Principles
1. Embrace fear
2. Be present – get out of your own head
3. Coach from an agenda-free space and detach from the outcome
4. Be accountable for the message and what the other person is hearing (own your communication and adjust if needed)
5. Be driven by the process rather than the results (execute the process which produces the results)
6. Coach for new possibilities versus expectations – subtle but powerful difference
a. Possibility – something that may exist or what could happen – creating opportunities that didn’t exist or were not visible before
b. Expectation – rigid agenda with a specific outcome leaving no room for creativity
Erickson Fundamentals
1. Okayness principle – people are OKAY – there is nothing wrong
2. People already have all the resources to be successful
3. Behind every behaviour there is a positive intention
4. People always make the best choice available to them
5. Change is not only possible, but inevitable
Don’t Believe Everything They Say
Often Client Representatives have a number of ways to justify their behaviour, performance and circumstances.
· Stories
· Beliefs
· Mindset
· Assumptions
· Past experiences
· Blind spots
· Values
Everything will come back to “Reasons or Results” – the choices made in the moment. Effective coaching coaches the person on the relationship to their stories, beliefs to uncover what is really going on.
The 80/20 Rule on Coaching Questions
During any true coaching session, the salesperson should be doing 80% of the talking, and the sales coach should be doing 20%. A well crafted question can cause a tremendous breakthrough when coaching someone. Asking questions is an art form. When you give people the space to digest the right questions, you will open up to new possibilities that neither you nor your Client Representatives have ever experienced before.
What Exactly Can You Coach?
1. The Who – values, passion, standards, boundaries, integrity
2. The Attitude – beliefs, mindset, philosophy, outlook and assumptions
3. The Lesson – What have they learned? Why are the same lessons repeating themselves? Are they getting it?
4. The Ideal Characteristics – the ideal qualities you have defined that encompass a sales leader or manager. (Extroverted, actionable, curious, organized, strong integrity and presence, knowledgeable, comfortable disposition, smart, responsiveness etc).
5. The Skill– Is there any missing discipline or one that needs further development?
6. The Activity– Are they engaging activities that support their goals?
7. The Strategy – How do they plan to achieve the intended result? What resources are needed?
8. The Commitment– Observe their energy level, consistency, enthusiasm and motivation.
9. The Communication – The language, dialogue or communication regarding style, deliver, presence and disposition.
10. The Relationships– The relationships they have with intangible concepts and feelings as well as their stories, beliefs, mindset etc.
According to the Gallop Organization, “Only 20% of employees working in large organizations feel their strengths are in play every day – that means most organizations operate at 20% of their potential and capacity.”