When To Use Sales Coaching

It is first important to understand that every sales rep needs their own coaching plan. Unlike general management, coaching is not a one-size fits all deal; each sales rep has different skills and different things they need to improve on. For example, one sales rep might need help identifying priorities whereas another might need help in negotiation & closing. It is these differences that make it important to have tailored/individual sales plans.

Sales managers should be looking at the gaps within their sales team, and then think about which coaching actions are the most appropriate to improve skill sets among the reps. This first step of identifying skill gaps will set the tone for the rest of the planning. Sales managers looking at the individual reps should be paying attention to motivations (are they motivated to perform a specific skill) and proficiency (how well they perform a specific skill), with this information managers can then decide which management action may be appropriate (not always coaching). For example, let’s say you have a veteran sales rep who is very proficient at prospecting but does not want to prospect; we call this attitude deficiency rather than skills deficiency. In this case, low motivation should be combated with counselling rather than coaching, as coaching will not be successful if the desire to be coached isn’t there.

The best case scenario as a sales manager is to have coaching lead to empowerment, with traditional coaching being moved away from over time. Empowerment is when your rep has great motivation as well as skill, meaning you have to shadow them less & can focus on those who need the training more.