Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions

I recently read the book Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions by Keith Rosen.  I thought the author made some good points.  As I understand his approach, it seems to put the burden back on the sales rep, and his way of doing this works well with my sales management style.  This is probably one of the reasons I liked the book.

The author suggests that sales managers spend their time asking questions instead of giving orders.  I found this interesting, so I kept reading.  He suggests that sales managers start by asking what the rep wants to accomplish in life.  What are their goals?  How much money would they like to make?  Why?  This then leads to other questions.  What can the sales manager do to assist them in reaching these goals?  The coaching sessions can start there and get, through multiple coaching sessions, into more and more detailed questions about what the rep needs to do in order to achieve their goals.  What activities do they need to engage in or what tactics do they need to adopt in order to achieve their goals?  And how can the manager help?

I believe that this is an effective coaching strategy.  I was a sales rep for fifteen years and a VP of Sales for about ten years.  I’ve seen sales management from both sides and I think this is an excellent way for a good sales manager to frame the issue.  It really puts the responsibility back on the rep.  This is where it should be.  If the rep is ultimately not willing to step up to the hard work necessary to get the job done then they should find another line of work.  If the rep is willing to step up then the manager should be supportive. 

Either way the sales manager’s sincere desire should be to assist and support the sales reps.

Perhaps that’s why I liked the book.

Hope this helps,

Steve

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