Two Success Factors for Sales Coaching
Posted on 15. Sep, 2009 by B2B Sales Coach in Sales Performance Coaching
There are two primary factors that determine whether or not you (or your sales force) will benefit from sales performance coaching.
Success Factor 1: Openness to New Ideas
The first factor is openness to new ideas. Coaching is about changing behaviors, and changing behaviors is about being open to abandoning something that doesn’t produce the results you desire for something that does produce those results. In order for coaching to be effective, the person being coached has to be willing to step out of their comfort zone and be willing to try something new.
The best coaching candidates are open to exploring new ideas, new activities, and new methods that might help them produce better results. They are willing to believe that even though they have done something in a certain way for a long time, that there might in fact be other ways that produce even greater results.
Success Factor 2: Ability to Take Action
The second factor that determines whether or not sales coaching will help you or your sales force is the ability to take action. One way that sales coaching improves performance is in helping the person being coached to develop an action plan and to hold them accountable for their commitments. But in order for the person being coached to achieve the benefit of coaching, they must be willing to take action.
The best candidates for sales performance coaching are willing to keep their commitments and they are willing to take action. The sales performance coach can help identify new possibilities and ideas, as well as helping to build the action plan that will improve results. But ultimately, the greatest sales performance gains are made by the salesperson who takes action.
