The sales manager and sales coaching

“What gets measured gets done.” The final words of a client when recently discussing the importance of data analytics when it comes to sales.

For some business development teams, measurement tools and sales analytics come as standard yet for many others it’s simply not a consideration.

Over the last 12 months we have worked with a number of businesses that operate a simple yet highly effective matrix and others that have sophisticated software running KPIs almost daily.

It is more than a truism – ‘what gets measured gets done’ and conversely is it fair to say that if it’s not measured, then it DOESN’T get done?

From a management perspective, it’s impossible to effectively manage a team without measurements/ KPIs / OKRs in place.

Visibility across all measurable activities is critical.

When coaching management teams, it is important to get consensus on what is important from across the management team whilst taking into account the demands placed on the sales team as well as the needs of the customer.

Sales people have often felt that they are being watched and monitored way too closely – almost like the management are trying to catch them out.

Quite a paranoid perspective but I have to admit having personally felt claustrophobic in certain roles when actually the real problem is communication – a failure of management to clearly express the following:
– what the measurements actually are
– why they are important to the business, the customer and the sales person and
– how the sales person is expected to deliver on the KPIs

Without clarity on overall business objectives which inform the KPIs it becomes harder to manage and to deliver.

From a sales coaches perspective, working closely with management teams and with sales teams helps with perspective and ultimately all work is dedicated to evaluating and improving sales performance.

What should you measure as a sales coach to your team?

Key factors that will contribute to successful management and sales coaching include:

1. Communication – the sales vision for the business needs to be communicated beyond the management team. It needs to be communicated in such a way that everything is understood by EVERYONE. Select different formats – not just spreadsheets – make sure that the content is simple, easy to understand in audio, visual and kinaesthetic formats.

2. Agree KPIs – make sure that everyone agrees on their key performance indicators and that there is an understood road map for achievement.

3. Consistency – have dedicated meetings for the sales team and 1:1 meetings that have a frequency that works for the business – ideally weekly if possible or bi-monthly.

4. Format – make sure that the format is consistent at each meeting, tracking actions, time frames and accountability. This is about accountability but the meetings are only a platform for sharing and discussing work that has already been done or work that is scheduled to be done. Agree on a set time frame and work hard to stick to the schedule every time.

5. Pace – productive meetings need energy to create energy. Positivity must be encouraged from everyone – consider change the venue, if possible. Empower the sales people to chair the meetings on a rotation basis. For 1:1 meetings make sure the focus is on the good work that is being. Sales performance is as much about managing attitude and behaviour as anything else  .

Sales-coaching-is-an-important-attribute-for-the-sales-manager

6. Technology – some of the CRM software available today is incredible but not having a suitable system yet for your business is no reason not to measure. Work to your needs – spreadsheets are not ideal but are definitely better than nothing. Make everyone works of the same system and the same metrics.

7. Basic KPIs – some simple KPIs that should work for your team and for 1:1 sales coaching include:
– review of the previous weeks activity
– big wins / successes over that period
– sales won
– sales v target
– sales v year on year
– sales
– sales initiated
– preview of the coming week
– appointments total
– conversion rate
– activity v typical sales cycle
– key challenges
– marketing initiatives / opportunities

8. It’s more than just numbers –  numbers are easy to measure but performance isn’t’ all about what’s easy to measure. Attitude, resilience, time management, prioritising, negotiation are constituent parts of a the sales persons DNA and there needs to be equal focus on these attributes as on sales revenue.

It’s as this point that the sales manager / director becomes the sales coach and trainer.

In order to measure performance, there needs to be an agreed sales process and that’s where your spreadsheet might let you down but numbers and a process alone will not inspire your team to greater things.

Bring sales coaching into your sales team 

To find out how SHIFT CONTROL can help your business, email info@shift-control.co.uk for a free /no-obligation consultation.