Are you using Sales Coaching as a Synonym for Discipline?

“Marc, get your rear end over here.” Yep, I knew what that meant, and he usually said something other than ‘rear end.’ It meant that I messed up big time. In all honesty, I knew that I had messed up before he even said something. But now I knew that he knew. He, being Dad, of course.

Let me explain what messed up means. I messed up when I rode my bike to a friend’s house and as I pedaled away, Dad said, “Be home before dark.” So, when I wheeled in the driveway, and the street lights were on at about nine p.m., I messed up. And he was, as expected, at the end of the driveway and said: “Marc, get your rear end over here.”

I was blessed with an awesome and loving dad who spent unlimited time with me having fun, working hard, learning, and just spending time with me. Father’s Day is a great time to reflect on how lucky I was to have him as a father. But when he spoke those words, it meant I was going to pay the short-term consequences for my bad behavior. Usually a raised-voice scolding. But, on rare occasions, when deserved, a spanking.

So what do you say when your reps mess up? Do you say, “We need to do some coaching,” or “Time for a coaching session.” Do your reps hear, “Marc, get your rear end over here?” Do your reps interpret coaching as a negative thing? In many organizations, the word coaching can mean “negative feedback.” It’s easy to give public praise when reps close a deal. And we all know that when you have something critical to say, it’s best to say it privately. But if coaching sessions usually focus on the negative or are in response to something that was not done well, you are giving coaching a bad name.

When coaching becomes a synonym for scolding, your reps will feel like they are being singled out and will likely be closed to your input and feedback. You are sending a message that the only thing that gets your time, attention, and effort is the rep’s bad performance. If this situation is similar to what goes on with your team, you are missing the opportunity to get more out of the limited time you have to coach.

Although sports analogies are overused in sales, it holds true that great coaches give a lot of positive feedback get the most out of their team. There are a few key elements you can employ to make sure your coaching is seen as positive by your team. Coaching is a major investment of your time, and your reps should view it as a reward. So make sure you get the most out of it by doing these things.

Before Coaching

Invest in those with desire: You don’t have time to coach everyone. So don’t try. Focus on your reps who have shown by their actions that they want to improve. You should still meet with everyone, yes. But spending time to observe your reps and to coach takes time. Give your time to those who deserve it most, want it, and are most likely to respond.

Schedule time: Ensure coaching sessions are not a reaction to something bad. Prompt, direct feedback when mistakes are made is part of managing people, but coaching is one of those things that is important, but not urgent (Stephen Covey’s Quadrant 2). The only way important, non-urgent things happen is by scheduling them. Whether it’s a day to ride along on sales meetings, just a 30-minute session listening to recorded calls, or something in between, schedule the session in advance with the rep, and make sure you are both prepared.

Think SEED to prepare: Just like a good sales call, you need pre-coaching session planning and preparation. Coaching is an opportunity to plant seeds for future growth.

Strengthen relationships – A meaningful coaching session will help keep you connected to your reps and ensure a solid rapport.

Encourage – Selling is tough. Remind your reps that they are appreciated and that their hard work is paying off.

Embrace the need to change – Be prepared to help reps connect the dots. Be able to show how their effort to improve a specific behavior will help improve their results and achieve their goals.

Develop a plan to improve – Don’t conclude a session with a generic, “work on your questions.” A good golf pro/coach will end a session with a drill for improving a student’s swing, grip, stance, etc., for a student to complete at the driving range before the next session. A good sales manager/coach does the same thing for the rep.

During Coaching

Reveal your motive: Be clear. The purpose of the session is to help the rep. It is not for you, so don’t make it about checking their sales numbers to make sure you hit your numbers as a manager. Focus on the rep and what they do. Then leverage your training and experience to help them be better.

Let them go first: After the meeting, sales presentation, recorded call, or pipeline report, it’s important to let them go first. “How do you think it went?” Let them talk and share their perspective so you know how your thoughts compare. Ideally, reps should coach themselves after every call.

Start with the positives and then add on: At the beginning of a coaching session, reps may be critical of themselves and say things like, “The call was pretty good, but I should have …” Feel free to cut that conversation short. Redirect the rep to reflect on what they did well so it can be repeated in the future. Let the rep know there were good things that are important to point out. As they share, give more examples and specifics when you agree with them. But, if a rep says something you disagree with as a strength, don’t put the brakes on. Just acknowledge that you heard it and move on. Say, “OK, what else?” When they are done with their self-assessment, be sure you have added something. Ideally, it’s something from the meeting, but you can add other strengths as well. This reminds them you are looking for good, not just bad, and helps ensure they are receptive to feedback and most likely to take any actions items and assignments seriously.

After Coaching

Check on action items: Follow up with the rep on the activity you assigned on its due date. You and your rep spent all the time and energy on meeting and coaching. Doing the developmental activity and getting better is the whole point. Don’t do all the work to buy ingredients, mix all the ingredients for cookies, and then leave the batter out and forget to cook them. They will be ruined, and you’ll have to start all over. Following up communicates to the reps that they are important, and coaching is really about helping them improve.

Get their feedback: Did the coaching help? Are the reps seeing improvement? Why or why not? You are not there to make a speech and move on. Coaching is about doing your best to diagnose and develop. So get some feedback from the rep. Ask them if they saw it as helpful.

Without creating a debate on childhood discipline, it was clear to me that whether he was teaching, coaching, or getting me ice cream, my dad’s motive was always about one thing:  helping me. I listened and improved. Thanks, Dad. Oh yeah, and my sons thank you, too.