Company’s used to as a matter of course promote the best sales person to the position of sales manager/ coach purely on the basis of their own results and not on their ability to coach and mentor their peers, thankfully this practice in most cases has ceased.

Below I have listed some of the criteria I believe to be important if you are to become a successful sales coach, these are the methods I have used personally very successfully over a number of years

CREDIBILITY
It is important that a sales coach has credibility with those he or she is mentoring.
That means they need to have walked the walk before they can talk the talk. They must have a successful sale background not necessarily have been the best but certainly in the top 10 % of achievers. This may sound contradictory to my previous statement, there is a lot more to being a successful sales coach than being a successful sales person, but you must have a score on the board before you can convince others to follow you.

Of course having a successful sales background is only the start, there are other disciplines required ensure success.

AVAILABILITY
Being available to your team is important, that is being on site when they return from their days selling, having your mobile phone  on and accepting calls regardless if it means after hours contact, being prepared to listen and act if needed, offer counseling and support as required.

I found that by setting aside 20 minutes each day to my team allowed them an opportunity to discuss any concerns they had, knowing they had my undivided attention during that timeframe. I would switch my mobile off and close my office door and it became “our personal” time. Client accounts, potential sales, progress to targets, even personal problems could be discussed knowing that confidentiality was guaranteed.

I found this process a great way to gain the confidence of my staff and even today I have people who still contact me seek advice. I must say it makes me feel worthwhile knowing I am still making a contribution.

MONITORING PERFORMANCE
When setting goals and targets too many organizations forget to monitor progress towards these goals.

In business I always abided by the principal that if you set a task then you must check progress towards it and act where appropriate. Remember “WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS DONE”

I acknowledged good performance and counseled where performance was poor. At all times my people knew exactly what my expectations where both from a results and work ethic point of view. I always held regular sales meetings where results were discussed and again good performances acknowledged.

Charts and graphs can also be useful tools when monitoring performance.

SALES MEETINGS
Regular sales meetings are important as they allow a cross flow of information from the sales manager and representatives. They must be inclusive with everyone being encouraged to contribute. An agenda must be set as this will formalize the meeting.
Minutes should be taken with action points and timeframes for reporting noted. Copies of the minutes must be circulated to the attendees for the action.

I always found that by encouraging the sales representative to report on their week’s activities a healthy competitive spirit would evolve and results would improve

As a manager it is very important never to “put someone down’’ as it may inhibit ongoing discussion by intimidating the other attendees. If there was a disruptive influence within the meeting I would adjourn and have a quite word to the person concerned that normally worked. Sales meeting should always end on a positive note.

I introduced role plays into my meetings with myself as the representative and a nominated person as the customer. I invited people to put forward their most difficult objections wish I would Endeavour to overcome. These role play session are followed by a question and answer session.

FIELD COACHING
Going out in the field with your sales people again build the team spirit and shows the sales person you are prepared to work at the coal face with them. Building their confidence in you as a person who can help them achieve their goals is another upside to field coaching.

You must plan your day well, understanding who is selling and whose observing. Always debrief after each customer visitation.

DELEGATION
Always be prepared to delegate where appropriate as it can be a great training tool. Ensure the task you set is understood and have a timeline in place to complete the task. Make sure you are available to assist if asked but don’t interfere.

Good sales management is about leadership.
Be leader not a manager, people must respect you .
If offered a choice between being liked or respected there is only one choice...
Respect every time.