15 Sales Coaching Tips That Actually Work

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Sales coaching is a powerful tool that provides sales professionals with invaluable guidance, resources, and support to help them reach their goals. Read on to learn everything you need to know and more!

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What Is Sales Coaching?

Sales coaching is the process of teaching, guiding, and supporting sales professionals to improve their performance and reach their goals.

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It is an ongoing, personalized approach that helps sales teams develop their skills, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and build their knowledge of sales processes, customer behavior, and effective communication strategies.

Through coaching, salespeople can become more successful in closing deals and improving customer relationships.

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How do you provide your team with the best coaching as a sales manager? Here’s what you need to know!

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Sales Coach vs Sales Manager

You’re probably wondering where managing a sales team ends and where coaching a team begins. While it’s common for sales managers to coach their teams, here is the main difference between the two:

• A sales manager is responsible for sales management, setting objectives and targets for the team, and evaluating results. 
• A sales coach provides guidance and advice on sales techniques, helping salespeople to improve their sales performance. They also help salespeople with goal setting, problem-solving, and motivation. 

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The sales coach typically works with the sales team on an individual basis, while the sales manager oversees the team as a whole.

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Why Is Sales Coaching Important?

Sales coaching is an essential tool in improving both the effectiveness and efficiency of your sales team.

Here are the main benefits of any effective sales coaching program:

1. Improves sales performance
2. Enhances customer service
3. Encourages collaboration
4. Develops skills
5. Fosters creativity
6. Increases motivation

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Let’s take a closer look at what each of these benefits entails.

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1. Improves Sales Performance

Sales coaching helps employees and sales managers identify their strengths and weaknesses in order to perform better. It can also help them recognize opportunities to increase sales.

2. Enhances Customer Service 

Sales coaching can help employees better understand customer needs and develop strategies to better serve them.

3. Encourages Collaboration

Good sales coaches can help build stronger relationships between sales teams, which leads to increased collaboration and better problem-solving.

4. Develops Skills

With the right approach in place, you can help your team improve critical sales skills such as communication, negotiation, and problem-solving.

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5. Fosters Creativity

Sales coaching can help employees develop creative solutions to customer issues and uncover new opportunities.

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6. Increases Motivation

You can help motivate team members by providing feedback and recognizing their successes. This creates a positive atmosphere, which leads to increased morale and job satisfaction.

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Common Sales Coaching Challenges

Sales coaching is not an easy or isolated task. It is an ongoing behavior, where the emphasis is on assisting team members to increase their performance, help them grow, and ultimately, achieve success.

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Just like anything sales-related, sales coaching comes with its own set of challenges, the most common being:

1. Providing effective feedback
2. Improving sales techniques
3. Helping sales reps set goals 
4. Building an effective sales process
5. Adapting to business goals

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Here’s what you need to know about each of them!

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1. Providing Effective Feedback 

Providing effective feedback is a common sales coaching challenge because it requires managers to offer constructive criticism and positive reinforcement in a way that motivates salespeople and enables them to grow.

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Giving effective feedback means you have to put your energy towards carefully analyzing how your team performs their daily tasks. The best way to make sure your feedback is truly effective is by structuring it in a specific, actionable, consistent and balanced way.

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Getting a clear image of how your sales reps are doing means you often have to be present in more than one place at the same time. MeetGeek allows you to have all of your sales calls recorded, transcribed, summarized, and stored in one place.

2. Improving Sales Techniques

Improving sales techniques requires salespeople to develop an understanding of their customer’s needs and preferences and to create a personalized approach to selling.

Salespeople must also understand the current market trends and the competitive landscape to stay ahead of their competition. Additionally, they must learn how to create effective sales strategies and tactics that will drive more sales.

3. Helping Sales Reps Set Goals

Setting goals is one of the most important steps in helping sales reps focus their efforts and determine their success. Without goals, sales reps may not be able to focus on the right activities and prioritize their time and efforts.

To help your reps set goals, consider using the SMART framework. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This framework provides a clear and concise way to set goals that are meaningful and achievable.

Specifically, as a sales coach, you can use the SMART framework to help sales reps set goals that are clearly defined, measurable, achievable, relevant to their job, and have a set timeline.

4. Building an Effective Sales Process

Without an effective sales process, it is difficult for salespeople to consistently deliver results and reach their goals. Identifying and addressing any weaknesses or gaps in the sales process equips your team with the tools they need to be successful. Sales processes need to reflect changing customer needs, market trends, and best practices.

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To make things easier, make it a priority to always test and refine the processes that you already have in place, while also being open to replacing them with more effective solutions.

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5. Adapting to Business Goals

As Spencer Johnson wrote in his book Who Moved My Cheese, “see what you're doing wrong, laugh at it, change, and do better”. Adapting to change is a common sales coaching challenge because the sales process is constantly evolving.

Sales teams must continually adapt their strategies and processes to their business goals to stay ahead of the competition.

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15 Effective Sales Coaching Techniques & Tips

We compiled a list of the best 15 coaching techniques any effective sales coach should know:

1. Follow a formal approach
2. Meet frequently with your sales team
3. Focus on sales reps' well-being
4. Take a unique approach to each sales rep
5. Motivate your sales managers & teams
6. Let each sales rep create their own action plan
7. Hold your sales reps accountable
8. Prepare and practice with multiple coaching scenarios
9. Upgrade your sales training sessions  
10. Invest in additional sales coaching programs and resources
11. Encourage sales teams to self-evaluate
12. Monitor sales performance and adjust as needed
13. Learn how to properly provide feedback
14. Share celebrations (& failures)
15. Focus on one improvement at a time

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Here’s how to make the most of each of these tips!

1. Follow a Formal Approach

A formal approach in sales coaching is essential for several reasons. First, it ensures that all participants understand the expectations and goals of the entire process, which guarantees that the coaching is conducted in a professional and productive manner.

Second, it promotes consistency and accountability among all participants. This allows everyone to work together towards a common goal.

Third, it helps to ensure that the coaching is focused on the areas that need improvement, rather than wasting time on topics that are not related to sales performance.

Lastly, a disciplined and structured approach to sales coaching can be easily monitored and measured. All these elements help to increase the effectiveness of the coaching, which ultimately results in better sales performance and improved customer relationships.

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2. Meet Frequently with Your Sales Team

Meeting frequently with your team during sales coaching is critical  to review progress, identify areas of improvement, and ensure everyone works towards the same goals.

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One way to do this is to have weekly team meetings where each team member can update the rest of the team on their progress, any challenges they are facing, and any successes they have had. During these meetings, the team should discuss any new sales strategies, review customer feedback, and brainstorm ideas for new approaches.

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In addition to weekly meetings, it is essential to meet with individual team members regularly to go over their performance, provide feedback, and discuss any changes that need to be made. These one-on-one meetings should also be used to check in with team members and make sure they are feeling supported and motivated.

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3. Focus on Sale Reps Wellbeing

Sales reps are the lifeblood of any business. They are often working in high-stress, fast-paced environments and can become easily overwhelmed if they are not given the proper support.

Focus on helping sales reps to better manage their stress and anxiety, build resilience, and stay positive. Learn how to recognize signs of burnout and how to help sales reps take care of themselves. Provide your team with the resources they need to stay motivated and productive, such as access to mentors and professional development opportunities.

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4. Take a Unique Approach to Each Sales Rep

Every sales rep has different goals, motivations, strengths, and weaknesses that you must take into account when designing a sales coaching program. By taking a unique approach to each sales rep during sales coaching, you will maximize the potential of each individual.

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Ask them how you can help and what they need from you to be more successful and achieve their goals. Offer some suggestions yourself: specific sales tools to optimize their work, additional product training, etc. Focus on the individual’s goals and motivations. Ask each sales rep what they need help with and what they hope to achieve.

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Additionally, learn to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and use this information to design a sales coaching program that will focus on their areas of development while also utilizing their strengths.

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5. Motivate Your Sales Managers & Teams

Motivating your sales managers and teams during sales coaching is essential to ensure effective coaching sessions and to keep everyone engaged and focused.

Sales coaching should be an ongoing process that helps reps refine their skills, and this is only possible if the team is motivated to attend and take an active role in the training sessions.

One way to motivate your sales managers and teams during sales coaching is to emphasize the importance of the training and how it will benefit them. You can also use incentives such as rewards and recognition to motivate them, as reps will be more likely to attend if they know there is something in it for them.

Another way to motivate your sales managers and teams during sales coaching is to create an atmosphere of collaboration and support. Encourage your reps to work together as a team, which will help to build relationships and foster a sense of camaraderie.

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Additionally, create an open dialogue where reps can freely share their ideas and receive feedback from their peers, as this will make them feel valued and appreciated.

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6. Let Each Sales Rep Create Their Action Plan

When it comes to sales coaching, it is important to let each sales rep create their own action plan. This allows sales reps to take ownership of their own development, enabling them to reach their goals in a way that is tailored to their individual strengths and goals.

Sales reps need to be actively engaged in their growth and development, rather than passively follow instructions. To allow each sales rep to create their own action plan, start by helping to define the sales rep's goals. This can be done by discussing the overall business goals, as well as the sales rep's individual goals.

Once these goals have been established, work with the sales rep to create an action plan that outlines the steps they need to take to reach those goals. This action plan should include specific tasks, the timeline for completion, and any resources that may be needed.

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7. Hold Your Sales Reps Accountable

Holding your sales reps accountable ensures they are held responsible for their successes and failures and that they are also taking the necessary steps to reach their goals. 

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To hold your sales reps accountable during sales coaching, start by setting clear expectations for them. Make sure they understand the goals they need to reach, what they need to do to get there, and any deadlines they need to meet. Create a plan for tracking their progress and provide them with feedback on their performance. This helps them stay on track and make progress toward their goals.

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8. Prepare and Practice with Multiple Coaching Scenarios

Preparing and practicing with multiple coaching scenarios helps sales representatives become better at their job. It allows them to practice different techniques and strategies they can use in different situations.

This also helps sales representatives become better prepared for challenging conversations and gives them the tools they need to address potential objections and close sales. To prepare and practice with multiple coaching scenarios, you should first identify the key skills and techniques your team members need to improve.

For example, if the sales rep needs to work on their ability to ask effective questions, you should create a few scenarios that will allow them to practice these skills. At the end of each coaching session, provide your team with strategies and techniques to help them improve their performance in each scenario.

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9. Upgrade Your Sales Training Sessions

This is an essential part of teaching reps how to identify customer needs, create presentations and demonstrations, handle objections, and close deals. Your sales training should also include best practices, techniques, and strategies for prospecting qualifying leads, and following up with customers.

To upgrade your sales training, tailor the training to the individual needs of each rep. It is also important to create a learning environment that is supportive and encouraging, and to provide reps with the opportunity to practice their skills in a safe and non-judgmental setting.

10. Invest in Additional Sales Coaching Programs and Resources

Investing in additional sales coaching software and resources can provide tangible benefits to your sales team. It helps reps become more knowledgeable about your company’s product, develop better customer relationships, and ultimately drive more sales.

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Sales coaching and training programs can provide your team with insights into customer needs and preferences, identify areas for improvement, and help your team develop new skills or refine existing ones.

To ensure the success of your sales coaching, invest in the best resources and programs that fit the needs of your team and your budget. This prepares your team to succeed in their roles and increase your sales.

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11. Encourage Sales Teams to Self-Evaluate

Encouraging sales teams to self-evaluate during sales coaching is an effective way to help them become more conscious of their performance and hold themselves accountable.

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To do so, provide them with clear expectations and goals. Allow reps to create their own customized self-evaluation process. This helps them focus on their individual needs and develop strategies that serve them.

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12. Monitor Sales Performance and Adjust as Needed

To monitor sales performance and adjust as needed, you need to have a sales review system in place. This should include metrics such as conversion rates, average sales price, and close rate. Also, track the number of calls made and the number of face-to-face meetings.

Once you establish these metrics, review the performance of each sales rep on a regular basis. When sales reps are not meeting their objectives, provide feedback and guidance.

For example, if a sales rep is struggling to close deals, you may need to focus your coaching on strategies to increase the close rate.

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Meetings play a crucial part in the sales process. However, monitoring every single meeting that your sales reps take part in is impossible. With a virtual AI meeting assistant like MeetGeek, it is easier than ever to assess your sales performance. MeetGeek records, transcribes, analyzes, and summarizes your sales meetings — automatically! 

13. Learn How to Properly Provide Feedback

Feedback is a crucial part of the learning process because it allows the salesperson to understand their strengths and weaknesses and make necessary adjustments. When providing feedback, be specific and provide tangible examples of successes and areas of improvement.

Aim to be positive in your delivery and focus on the positive aspects of the salesperson's performance. Be consistent with your feedback and provide follow-up coaching sessions to ensure the salesperson can improve/knows what to improve.

By taking the time to properly provide feedback during sales coaching, you can ensure that your salespeople are given the necessary tools to reach their goals.

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14. Share Celebrations (& Failures)

Sharing celebrations and failures helps build an atmosphere of trust, encourages learning, and provides an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved and what can be improved.

To share celebrations and failures during sales coaching, focus on creating an open and honest dialogue with the sales team. Ask questions that allow your reps to talk openly and sincerely about their accomplishments and failures. Be straightforward about your own successes and failures to encourage your team to learn from your experiences.

Always recognize and celebrate the successes of your sales team. Celebrating successes not only encourages further growth but also helps to create a positive and supportive atmosphere within the team.

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15. Focus on One Improvement at a Time

Focusing on one improvement at a time ensures that the coaching is effective and that the entire team has the best chance of success.

When coaching a salesperson, it can be tempting to try to address multiple areas of improvement at once. However, this approach is not likely to be effective as it can be overwhelming for the salesperson. Focusing on one improvement at a time allows you to start with the most important areas that need to be addressed. 

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Create a plan for addressing each area. The plan should include specific goals, strategies, and deadlines. Provide ample time to practice the skills needed to reach the goals set out in the plan. This way, each salesperson is able to effectively focus on their goals and make progress in their development.

Start Your Journey to Successful Sales Coaching!

By following these 15 techniques and tips, you are on your way to becoming a great sales coach and creating a new generation of sales leaders in no time!

And while you’re at it, try MeetGeek for free to see for yourself how an AI virtual meeting assistant can upgrade how you do sales coaching by automatically recording, transcribing, analyzing, and summarizing all of your coaching sessions!