Sales Coaching Strategies for 2022

Most organizations measure their success through their sales. Sales can make or break a company, as this is what all marketing efforts boil down to at the end of the day. Unfortunately, sales representatives making these sales are often individuals given the least amount of coaching and skills.

However, since they are at the forefront of the process of making sales, training and coaching sales reps should be the number one priority for every company. Although most companies provide training sessions to their sales reps, these are too few and too far between. Without proper coaching and monitoring, it may take a sales rep many months before they get the hang of things and start improving their performance to meet established standards.

Sales enablement and its processes can help sales reps improve their performance by leaps and bounds. With sales enablement and coaching in place, a little bit of effort can result in large profits as sales reps experience dramatic improvements in their performance.

But what exactly are sales enablement and sales coaching, and why are they so popular? This article will help you answer fundamental questions about new sales practices and sales improvement organizations such as Spinify that are taking the industry by storm. 

What Is Sales Enablement and Sales Coaching?

Sales enablement is a dynamic process involving all segments of a company that deals with customers. These include sales, marketing, field services, and even customer support. Sales enablement provides necessary tools, resources, structure, guidance, and support to organizations to effectively engage buyers and improve sales performance. 

Sales enablement providers need to know what resources are required to enhance the organization’s sales operations and what actions will be required to support these practices. Sales coaching is a part of sales enablement. It can be seen as a process that helps organizations and individuals experience rapid advancements in their processes and produce improved results. This allows organizations to set better goals, take appropriate actions, and make informed decisions rapidly, and work to their full capacity utilizing all their resources to achieve results.

In sales, and from the point of view of sales enablement specifically, sales coaching helps sales representatives engage more buyers, make better deals, improve revenue generation, and grow in an individual and team capacity. 

Although sales training exists, they experience a fast rate of decay. Around 87% of the content taught during training courses is forgotten within the first month of the training. Without a robust structure to continually monitor sales performance, provide feedback and inculcate proactive and positive sales behaviors, organizations are bound to fail.

Now that we know a little more about sales coaching, we can dive into some of the strategies that fall under it, which can help organizations improve their sales performance. 

What Are Some Effective Sales Coaching Strategies?

Although Sales Coaching is a broad term, it contains strategies that can help significantly boost sales performance and provide measurable results. 

Observation:Assessment:Coaching

Having an effective and consistent sales framework is an excellent strategy to improve the sales force. Numerous frameworks are being used by organizations in this regard. However, a few stand out.

The 70:20:10, Observation:Assessment: Coaching model by global sales and productivity director at Workday, John Dougan, is a framework that breaks down coaching into an easy-to-follow procedure that can be incorporated into organizations to boost sales activities. This framework is adaptable and produces measurable results. 

10% of the model is focused on providing active training to participants and teaching them new strategies. They are given information worth 15 minutes in various formats, including written, video, and audio. This exercise explores common scenarios that the sales rep might experience during their daily work but is ill-equipped to handle. In addition, it teaches them important problem-solving skills under supervision that can be then utilized in the field. 

The next 20% of the model is dedicated to socialization and assessment. After two weeks of studying the material, participants regroup and discuss concepts with their colleagues in a 90-minute meeting. This gives them the chance to socialize and network confidently and discuss their findings along with discoveries made during one-on-one coaching, learn from their peers, and expand their base. Helping sales reps monitor and assess their own standings as well. 

The last part of the cycle, Observation, comprises the largest component of the model. The 70% indicated in this framework helps participants form capabilities that will help them navigate various circumstances and be practiced every day. By regular practice and observation, sales reps will develop new capabilities that will help improve their performance. 

The cycle is repeated monthly so that a clear pattern of consistent growth in problem-solving can be seen that slowly expands to scenarios outside of what was taught while using the same methods. 

Using Data To Improve Sales Coaching

A concrete way to change how sales coaching is done is to introduce technology to the sales mix. Data can help you identify profitable practices and practices that may cause hindrances or are of low value. It can also be used to measure and even enhance the performance of individual sales representatives.

Robust customer relation management systems show individual and group metrics that can then be evaluated and compared to measure performance. This is imperative as sales coaching strategies differ depending on the level of the sales rep. Moreover, data can also help you analyze the effectiveness of your programs and is a fool-proof way to form performance reports for upper management.

Sales Gamification

Sales gamification is one of the best methods to monitor and improve team performance through simple gamification of measurable components. However, it is essential to use a trusted organization as there could be data security issues. Spinify helps organizations improve team performance, overall and even in individual areas such as team engagement and morale-boosting through gamification.

All you have to do is pick a metric to be measured, such as sales, gamify it, and include fun games, leaderboards, and rewards for your team to follow and take advantage of. By encouraging teamwork and healthy competition through gamification, sales reps perform better without constant stress.

In addition, achievements and team morale can be boosted with badges and rewards. The best part about gamification is that it can be viewed and logged into even when the teams work from home, improving overall organizational productivity. 

Conclusion

Sales coaching is essential for companies to grow their revenues effectively and efficiently. By coaching their sales workforce, organizations ensure that they are well equipped to handle all challenges thrown their way during fieldwork. However, coaching can only be successful when strategies are practiced consistently and measured performances.