Sales coaching is essential for several reasons, and there are numbers to back it up. Businesses that implement practical sales coaching experience a 16.7% increase in revenue over companies that don’t.
A successful sales coach can help you boost morale and increase employee retention. In a survey of over 2,000 employees, Better Buys found that employees given opportunities for professional development have 34% higher retention rates.
Sales coaching is the best way to capitalize on the time, energy, and funds you spend on training. Unfortunately, around 70% of sales transformation initiatives fall short of their goals. Online sales coaching reinforces new methods and best practices and makes them “stick.”
The benefits of online sales coaching
Successful coaching requires some effort. While it’s well worth it, as the statistics above illustrate, the process may seem daunting. Plenty of sales training methods are available, so why look into online sales coaching? Because it will make sales coaching more efficient and ultimately more effective.
Efficiency
Unlike other types of sales training programs, online sales coaching is simple. Its flexibility can benefit both the sales coach and the sales rep. For example, tracking your reps’ skill development is essential to monitor their progress. You can streamline this task if you bring your sales training online. You can track metrics, observations, and reflections all in one place.
From a sales rep’s perspective, online sales coaching lets them easily access goals and feedback. There’s no need to be limited to in-person meetings — coaching can take place anywhere and at any time! You can quickly analyze your data to locate coaching opportunities. This ability lets you provide valuable support to your reps at pivotal moments.
Effectiveness
The most important consideration, however, is whether or not online coaching works. Consistency is a substantial part of effective sales coaching, and taking your sales training online will let you and your reps experience coaching consistency that just isn’t feasible with face-to-face-only sales training methods.
On top of that, online sales coaching is personalized and scalable. Sales coaches can work with each sales rep to develop individualized plans, regardless of the size of your business. Tailor-made programs will help your reps achieve their goals, which in turn helps your business.
Sales coaching models
There are many sales coaching models that use a variety of techniques and methods. These models function as a framework for you to use when guiding your reps’ development. By following sales coaching models, you engage in a collaborative process with the reps. Collaboration elevates empowerment, as well as openness to feedback. Here are three descriptions of popular sales coaching models and when to use them.
Performance coaching
How can you help each sales rep improve every day? Asking this question lies at the heart of the performance coaching model. Performance coaching fosters growth and learning in both the new rep and the sales veteran. This model revolves around providing helpful feedback on individual strengths and weaknesses. From there, the sales coach and rep can collaborate on concrete, realistic goals and form a plan to achieve them.
Performance coaching requires excellent communication and listening skills because feedback goes both ways. If a rep approaches you with issues they are experiencing, you can use the performance coaching model to identify and work through these problems. Creating a continuous feedback loop with your reps will build their confidence and improve their performance.
On the other hand, it is just as important to give positive feedback when you recognize a success, however small it may be. Effective performance coaching is not just pointing out mistakes and flaws. Reinforcing skills encourages your reps to use them, and it also shows them that you notice and appreciate the things they do well. It is essential to recognize the unique talents of each individual on your team.
Skills coaching
You can’t always coach from the sidelines. Skills coaching is all about actively helping your reps acquire and practice new techniques, but also requires working towards fine-tuning the skills they already know. Skills coaching teaches sales reps new methods and helps them grow in areas that may need improvement. It’s important to remember that there is always more room for your own growth, as well. Allow yourself to be coached when you are coaching others, and everyone will benefit.
Ongoing training sessions, for example, can be used to teach sales reps new skills. In order to close deals, a sales rep must form strong relationships with the customer. Some skills that will help them accomplish this goal include:
- Generating opportunities
- Asking open-ended questions
- Delivering engaging messages
- Building solutions to fit needs
One-to-one coaching
One-to-one sales coaching, or individual sales coaching, allows you to incorporate the other two sales coaching models into regular one-on-one sessions with your sales reps. These individualized opportunities let you build trusting, positive relationships with your sales reps. To ensure that your one-to-one sales coaching sessions are practical, you must:
- Be consistent
- Listen actively
- Root for your rep
What do the best sales coaches do?
The best sales coaches have certain traits and skills that encourage reps to learn and grow. Effective sales coaching is vital to the professional development of sales reps, the achievement of personal and organizational goals, and the business’s overall success. So what do you need to do to become the best sales coach?
Find coaching opportunities
Following sales coaching models is an excellent way to coach, but it shouldn’t stop there. A professional sales coach will engage with and observe sales reps in the field, constantly searching for opportunities to help them grow. The more you invest in your sales reps and their performance, the more you will see growth and improvement.
Ask questions
Telling your reps exactly what to do isn’t always the best option. You can create longer-lasting changes and promote more profound development by asking them to reflect. What do they think they should do in this situation, and why? The best sales coaches ask questions and guide their charges indirectly.
Have the desire to coach
The best sales coach cares about their business, their sales reps, and their customers. Their goal is to teach reps and help them achieve more every day. To build genuine connections with your team members, you need to create a foundation of trust. You can’t coach effectively without first developing these relationships.
How to deliver online sales coaching and training
Our online sales training platform allows sellers to learn efficiently, practice regularly, and perform optimally. Our product, Skills, takes sales training online to a whole new level — offering personalized, scalable, and ongoing coaching. You can’t ignore the importance of sales coaching and the benefits of online sales training. See it for yourself.
