Performance Coaching For Salespeople

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Performance Coaching For Salespeople

• Charles Warner

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Performance Coaching

• Athletic Coaches Must Coach Constantly Sales
  Coaches, Too.
• Performance Coaching Focuses On Effective Job
  Behaviors and Activities.
• Performance Coaching Is Positive and Emphasizes
  What People Are Doing Right.

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Performance Coaching For Salespeople

• The Goals Of Performance Coaching
• To encourage people and teams
• To show people and teams how to build on their
  strengths
• To heighten peoples and teams self-esteem and
  self-confidence
• To enhance cooperation, participation within and
  among departments
• To stop and correct inappropriate behavior

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• To Build Trust Between Management and Team
  Members
• To Reduce Fear and Increase Risk Taking and
  Innovation (Security Nurtures Creativity)

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• To Align Individual and Team Goals To
  Organizational Goals
• To Get People To Realize That Their Self
  Interests and the Organizations Interests Are
  Inextricably Bound Together
• To Establish Consequences For Continued
  Inappropriate Behavior

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Performance Coaching for Salespeople

• All Departments Should Conduct Performance
  Coaching.
• Department managers for their departments
  (several managers if the department is large)
• Higher management for department managers

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The Multiple Roles Of Performance Coaching

• Developmental
• Evaluative
• Defensive
• Indoctrinational

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Coaching Avoidance

• Most Managers Would Rather Avoid the Anger,
  Anxiety and Discomfort Involved.
• Timing Of Performance Coaching Sessions Should Be
  Based On Associates, Not Managers, Needs.

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Coaching Meetings

• Quarterly Departmental Goal-Setting and Strategy
  Sessions
• Quarterly Individual Performance Coaching and
  Performance Agreement Sessions
• Frequent, daily if possible, feedback

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Conducting Performance Coaching Sessions

• Managers Must Know Enough About a Job To
  Understand How It Should Be Done.
• Managers Must Observe On-The-Job Behavior (Its
  Like Watching Game Tapes).

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Reactions To Coaching Sessions

• People Often React Defensively To What Are
  Perceived To Be Negative Comments.
• Dont Use the Sandwich Approach.
• Criticism Causes People To Become Defensive
• Transfer blame to others (not my fault)

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Many People Are Defensive

• Ambivalent About Improvement Needs.
• See Coaching As a Threat To Self-Esteem
  (Especially Highly Ego-Centered Talent Or
  Creative People).
• Often people see it as a threat to independence.
• Outright denial

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Games People Play

• Most Common Rationalization Games
• Yeahbut
• Ill try.
• Trying Doesnt Cut It, Doing What Youre Supposed
  To Cuts It.
• Thats great, but what exactly are going to do
  to solve the problem. Tell me in steps 1, 2 and
  3.

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Improvement Memos

• If an Associate Exceeds Expectations, Write a
  Memo To Upper Management..
• If an Associate Is Not Meeting Standards, Have
  Him Or Her Write You a Memo--An Improvement Or
  Performance Agreement Memo.

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Performance Coaching for Salespeople

• Yearly Performance Evaluation Or Review Sessions
• Once-a-year reviews at salary review times are
  worthless, counterproductive.
• Coaches who reviewed players once a year would be
  lose all their games and their jobs.

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• Quarterly Departmental Goal-Setting Sessions
• Departments mission, objectives and strategies
  are narrowed down to key goals.
• Department discusses and jointly agrees on goals
  and strategies.
• Participation in setting goals leads to a
  departments commitment.

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• Brief, Frequent (Daily If Possible) Feedback
  Sessions
• People need continual encouragement and
  reinforcement of the good things they do.
• No surprises at quarterly sessions.
• Must be open and honest.
• What can I do to help?

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Feedback

• Phrases To Use
• I know you want to improve, and if its OK with
  you, I have a few suggestions.
• I know you like to do a good job. Here are some
  things for you to think about that might help you
  do it a little better.

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• Be Tough On Standards, Not On People. - Tom
  Peters
• Before Giving Negative Feedback, Give Positive
  Feedback

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Who Conducts Performance Coaching Sessions

• All Managers
• Associates Need Feedback More Than Contact With
  Top Managers
• They Need It Daily

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Unleash Associates Motivation To Improve

• Management Hires, Coaches, and Communicates
  Values and Goals.
• If There Is a Problems, It Is Usually
  Managements.
• There are no bad soldiers, only bad generals. -
  Napoleon

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Establishing Consequences

• Consequences Laid Out In Advance. If People Do A,
  B Will Happen--Its Their Choice.
• Coaching Is Encouragement, Support, Yes, But It
  Doesnt Work Unless There Are Meaningful
  Consequences.
• If you hold on to ineffective people too long,
  youre being unfair to your organization and,
  more importantly, to effective performers.

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Discipline Without Punishment

• Performance Problems Can Be Divided Into Three
  Categories
• Attendance
• Performance
• Conduct

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Discipline Without Punishment

• Traditional Discipline Systems
• Step 1 - Verbal reprimand
• Step 2 - Written warning
• Step 3 - Suspension without pay/ probation/final
  warning
• Step 4 -Termination

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Discipline Without Punishment

• Discipline Without Punishment
• Level 1 - Oral reminder
• Level 2 - Written reminder
• Level 3 - Decision-making leave (paid)
• Level 4 - Termination

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Discipline Without Punishment

• In Discipline Without Punishment, Its Up To
  Associates To Change On Their Own.
• There has been enough discussion, they know the
  consequences.
• Paid leave puts the onus on them.
• Managers should view DWP as a technique for
  saving people. Each step is an opportunity to
  correct a problem.
• Dismissal is a failure.

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Performance Dimensions For Salespeople (Example)

• Establishing and Maintaining Relationships With
  Customers
• Solving Customer Problems
• Creating Value
• Selling Skills

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Performance Dimensions For Salespeople

• Discipline and Organization
• Positive and Cooperative Attitude
• Creativity and Autonomy

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Performance Coaching

• Coach According To Performance On These
  Dimensions (or ones that you design
  specifically).
• Evaluate According To Performance On These
  Dimensions (or ones that you design
  specifically).

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Be A Coach

• Who Watches Game Films Every Day and Gives
  Feedback One-On-One Every Day.
• Not once a year
• Whos Motivation Is To Teach the Team How To Win.
• By not avoiding a loss.
• Without playing himself/herself.