In the modern world, coaching is the single best way for a leader to improve a sales team's performance, and doing so is one of the best ways to gain a competitive advantage. However, today's customers have higher expectations than past generations, meaning that while coaching is more important than ever, it is also more difficult.
Modern challenges require modern solutions and as traditional sales coaching methods are becoming less effective, fresh ideas are necessary. Here, we take a look at some new ideas for coaching a sales team.
Traditional vs. Modern Coaching
Research carried out in the United Kingdom by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found that 94 percent of all leaders believe they are coaching staff members during one-on-one meetings. Yet, when employees are asked, only 34 percent say that they are receiving coaching in these same meetings.
This disconnect can be partially explained by a reliance on traditional coaching methods, where a leader takes on the role of expert, points out issues or suggests areas for improvement, and then expects an employee to act on it.
For employees, this directive approach to sales training can feel more like following instructions than actual coaching. It can also create a culture where employees wait to be told what to do all the time, rather than taking the initiative themselves. A more modern approach focuses instead on collaborative discovery.
Implementing New Coaching Ideas
Through this collaborative approach, a leader attempts to make an employee more acutely aware of their own performance - the plus points and shortcomings - allowing them to discover areas for improvement themselves. Essentially, it is about encouraging employees to want to learn, as opposed to telling them to learn.
So how can this modern approach to coaching be implemented?
By adopting a more modern approach to coaching, a sales leader can improve the performance of their team and gain that all-important competitive edge, without experiencing a decrease in staff initiative.
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