Coaching can help generally in the workplace, and not just when leading sales teams. From a management point of view, it’s a great skill or ability to have, regardless of the team you are leading.
Here, Richard and Graham look at how knowing the way
to coach properly can be invaluable in helping develop your people, including sales
teams.
The first thing to know about coaching is that many people misunderstand what it is. Mention the word and their first thought is possibly about a sports coach, shouting at their team from the sidelines, imploring them to do better. Or they see it in a negative context, imagining a formalised session with their manager in which coaching is a remedial tool to improve their failing performance.
Although
coaching can sometimes be about improving poor performance, equally it can be
about helping someone who’s good to get even better. It assumes that the person
has some understanding of their role, as well as a certain level of skill and
experience. Coaching should unlock the potential of the individual.
Coaching
helps give structure, focus and clarity to people who know they want or have to
do better. It helps them to move forward by using the knowledge and skills they
already have. This can be done by asking questions that cause a deeper level of
thinking. If a member of your sales team tells you “I want to get better at
sales”, narrow it down for them by asking “What aspect of sales do you want to
get better at?”. If, for instance they reply “Lead generation”, ask “What
aspect of lead generation?”
Once
the questioning has helped someone find their focus, a good coach will then help
them open up their thinking by asking more questions: “So now you know what you
want to do, let’s think of ways you could do it.” Get creative and try not to
tell them exactly what to do. It’s sometimes tempting for managers to say “When
I did your job, what I did was…” or “If you look at so-and-so, what they’re doing
really well is this…”. Instead, explore options and draw on what the individual
knows or is good at.
A
good coach encourages people to think for themselves, rather than telling them
what to do, which will limit their thinking.
The
next essential part of coaching is to ensure that the person is going to take
ownership of what’s been discussed. How are you going to make sure they will
put things into action, that they have bought into it? Check their motivation
and confidence. Ask when they are going to start? What’s the first action? What
specific things are they going to do?
Finally, always offer follow-ups: “What can I do? How can I be of help to you?” And remember, coaching doesn’t have to be formal. It can be as simple as a five-minute chat after a meeting, or in the canteen over coffee. If someone starts a conversation with you and you’ve asked them some questions which have helped with their thinking and their actions going forward, then you’ve coached them.
