1. Finding your courage to get back on the horse.
Selling is a tough occupation. Imagine your day peppered with rejection, no after no after no and your job requires keeping your courage high while you search for that one golden YES. Selling is like a rodeo ride; it takes a lot of painful ejections before you make it to the buzzer. Imagine the courage it takes every day to go into the chute and saddle up, when you know the outcome might be painful.
In this environment, sales people, from the inexperienced to the veteran, can certainly become discouraged.
If you’re struggling with the emotional impact of the NO, then it’s time to hire a sales coach. A good sales coach is one part motivator and one part best practice instructor. We believe that the adage, “you can lead a horse to water…” is true with sales people. While you cannot make a salesperson sell, you can create an environment in which they want to excel. A sales coach can help your team create a winning sales environment by fostering the courage it takes to ride until that buzzer sounds.
2. It’s all about me.
Being honest, there are probably a number of sales reps on your team struggling with the most basic of best practices: qualifying a target, getting them into the sales funnel, setting ticklers to follow up – and then actually following up. Sales managers often struggle to provide each rep with the individual attention they need to succeed. Don’t make the mistake of trying to manage the skills development of all your sales reps in exactly the same way. Selling is a people business. While you can manage to the overall metrics of your company’s sales goals, you must also capitalize on the life experiences, natural skills and work ethic of the individual. This situation often requires the assistance of a sales coach
Sales coaches can individualize the success of your sales team by creating a personalized coaching plan designed to help them win. Within the larger context of your company’s sales projections, this kind of one-on-one often tips the scales in favor of higher revenue and increased success.
3. Sometimes bifocals make your vision blurry.
We live in the digital world of light-speed changes in market dynamics and customer relationships. If your company is focused on selling in exactly the same way you did it last year, your quotas might be in trouble. Thinking outside the box is mandatory in today’s market, no matter what product or service you’re offering. Consistently winning in this new environment requires a change in the glasses you’re wearing. Sometimes bifocals can help you see clearly, but in today’s shifting marketplace, it often requires distance vision to stay ahead of the game.
Sales coaches provide the perspective that comes with being the outsider looking in. By assessing your evolving market, your product strengths and weakness and the evolution of your prospecting approach, a sales coach can create a unique roadmap, increasing revenue for your sales team and your business.
