How to pick an Executive Sales Coach: Five Key Principles

Executive sales coaches are a relatively new concept.

When I started out as a sales manager, it was sink or swim. I was on my own. My manager was usually in meetings and didn't have much time for me. They picked me for sales manager since I was a superstar selling. I was also rookie of the year for a Fortune 500 company. I thought I was hot.

I found that being a sales manager was a lot different than selling. It was a whole new ball game for me. There were so many things to learn. It was overwhelming and truly a challenge I never expected. I only wished I could get more help, but was too proud to admit that I needed help to succeed. I worked hard to learn on my own what it takes to be a successful sales manager. Unfortunately, I didn't make my bonus the first year, because of my inexperience.

Fast forward many years. I had a very successful career managing others. I even taught other sales managers at a major Fortune 500 company how to manage and lead. Now as an executive coach, I work with senior level executives to develop their leadership skills.

This past year, I realized that with my "sales" strengths, that I could really help sales managers accelerate their development and effectiveness. I could shorten their learning curve and help them to become better faster.

For the newly appointed sales manager, I could help them make their sales quota their first year instead of them waiting to learn the ropes with trial and error. I could . . .

• build their confidence,
• be a resource to them 24X7,
• answer their questions,
• diagnose their leadership effectiveness,
• help them develop strategies for key accounts,
• keep them accountable,
• make them effective a lot quicker, than they could on their own.

If you are a sales manager, we could work together to make you a better leader and increase your performance. Or, you may consider hiring me to work with one of your high-performing salespeople. In this competitive environment for good salespeople, highly successful ones are often left on their own. You can't afford to lose a key salesperson. That would have a huge financial impact to your sales goals.

Their managers are often coaching the low performers to increase their performance. Successful salespeople might view this as a perk and a way to increase their satisfaction and commissions. They may stick around instead of working for your competitors.

The following are five key principles that I've learned from coaching sales managers and salespeople. Perhaps they will help you select and try and executive sales coach. These principles should help you develop a list of questions to ask of potential sales coaches.

Five Key Principles

1. You can't coach someone if you haven't sold before.

Many coaches today have never sold before. Industrial psychologists, HR specialists, and trainers just don't understand what selling is all about. They have no idea what it's like to feel the joy of closing a sale, face a difficult objection, or have fear of not making their numbers. Reading a book on selling won't make you a successful coach. But selling and carrying a bag for a number of years will help you empathize and understand their challenges.

2. Hire a Executive Sales Coach who has been a sales manager.

Selling and Managing salespeople are two different jobs. Typically the best salespeople get promoted to sales managers. Many new sales managers struggle learning a totally new job. They need to become a leader and a coach themselves. They may be lucky and learn the job quickly, but most struggle and it takes an extraordinary amount of time to be in control and be successful. Companies today are hiring sales coaches to shorten the learn curve for new sales managers. Having a sales executive coach who has faced that challenge themselves, can accelerate the learning curve dramatically. We've seen a significant ROI from hiring an outside sales executive coach to work side-by-side with the newly appointed sales manager.

3. Find a Sales Coach who has run a successful business.

If you are a business owner, manager, or executive you want an executive sales coach that has experience of running a business. That helps them know and feel the success/failure of making a profit, meeting payroll, and the pressures of building a business. Managing a successful sales territory is similar to running your own business. One of my former presidents once said, your sales territory is like running your own business. Your sales coach must have that experience to help the salesperson understand this key principle. Sales managers must help salespeople plan, manage, and run their own micro-business in their territory.

4. A sales coach should have been a very successful salesperson.

Many sales coaches today haven't been successful. The Pareto Principle says that 20% produces 80% of the results. Although there's probably little specific data public data, very few salespeople turn out to be rock-stars in most companies or industries. That's why there's such a huge churn of salespeople in many industries. Many find selling too difficult and just quit.

Sales superstars know how to make their numbers and play the game. Most have been trained by other superstars. It is a lot faster to learn the tips and tricks from someone who has been successful than to learn that on your own. It's also about attitude and having the right mind-set to succeed and keep going until you do. Superstars are usually driven and have the right attitudes and mind sets. Ask questions like:

• How often did you make your quota?
• Where did you rank in your sales organization?
• Why were you successful selling?
• What's your best advice on being a successful salesperson?

5. A sales coach must know how to train and coach sales managers and salespeople.

Great sales managers should spend most their time working with their sales team. Many claim that's the secret to sales success. Managers who sit in their offices and push paperwork are often lucky if their salespeople succeed. Many wonder why their team isn't successful.

Sales managers must become great coaches of others. They need learn what top coaches and leaders do to get performance from others. Sales managers must be encouraged to continuously developing their leadership skills.

An executive sales coach knows how to develop a sales managers as a leader. They will conduct an assessment of the sales manager's leadership skills, assess their strengths and weakness, and create a development plan to increase the sales manager's effectiveness.

Rob 
Executive Sales Consultant

p.s. For a free online assessment and report showing your sales team's Strategic Selling Effectiveness, click here.

How to Get Started . . . 

Call Rob at 513.772.5115
or contact us learn more.

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