How do you opt for the right sales coaching?

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Coaching a team means going further than training its members. One sales coach is in fact not content with transmitting knowledge. He or she ensures that their application generates results and pleasure.

Why coach a sales team?

In times of economic uncertainty, the success of sales teams depends on their ability to update themselves with sales tools and reassess their internal functioning. Well-designed sales coaching plays a critical role in helping salespeople engage more contacts and respond to customer issues effectively.

Also, because of their different backgrounds and professional experiences, the members of the team never have the same level. These disparities inevitably compromise collective performance. The other goal of coaching is therefore to have a sales force whose working methods are homogeneous.

In addition to allowing the team to maintain an optimal level of expertise and performance, these programs allow:

• In the medium term, of reduce the number of lost or untapped opportunities.
• In the long term, to reduce the length of the sales cycle.

These are great ways to increase sales engagement in addition to increasing productivity. Thanks to these programs, the sales force becomes able to deal with changes that would otherwise have destabilized it.

How do you coach a sales team?

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If you have decided to coach your sales team in addition to managing them, several books and online courses exist to help you transmit the knowledge gained from your experience effectively.

However, if you prefer to use external stakeholders instead, several options are available to you:

Training organizations: advantages and disadvantages

Thanks to training organizations, businesses can discuss and question their business practices in complete confidentiality. This approach encourages critical thinking and encourages the adoption of better sales strategies. The company's business practices can be discussed and challenged in complete confidentiality.

• Advantages:

1. Save time and energy: Outsourcing the training of your sales team allows you to focus on your core activities while letting the training experts take care of the process. That also avoids internal design and organization efforts, which can be costly in terms of energy.
2. Dynamic pedagogy: Organizations promote methods of teaching interactive and stimulating training, allowing a better assimilation of knowledge by salespeople. Sessions often include scenarios (real in the case of Akimbo), role plays, case studies, and many other stimulating approaches that facilitate learning and knowledge retention.
3. Customized training: A good training organization will know adapt its program according to the needs of your team commercial and specific challenges in your sector of activity. This will allow you to obtain concrete results and a better match with your company's goals.

• Disadvantages:

Since the coaching offered is different from one organization to another, they will not have the same limits. However, we can mention the financial costs: some organizations do not allow training to be financed with OPCOs.

Independent coaches: pros and cons

Independent coaches are individuals who specialize in commercial coaching. They offer their services to training organizations and businesses. They can intervene on an ad hoc basis or for several months.

• Advantages:

As freelancers, they are generally more flexible. They can adapt to the schedules and constraints of the company for the planning of coaching sessions.

Their varied experience often allows them to offer creative solutions adapted to your unique business challenges.

• Disadvantages:

The lack of recognition or reputation of an independent coach can present a risk. You'll need to check their credentials, past results, and reputation. in the industry to ensure that they are genuinely qualified and reliable.

Communication and clear expectations are also crucial when working with independent coaches, as they might not have the internal resources of a larger training company.

Also, they are generally engaged with multiple customers and their availability may be limited. So there are times when it comes to getting coaching sessions.

In-company coaches: advantages and disadvantages

• Advantages:

An in-house sales coach has the advantage of knowing the company well, its specificities, needs and priorities. He really follows the sales teams and supports the manager over the long term. The fact that employees know him well can also be a positive point!

• Disadvantages:

It can be difficult to meet all the conditions (technical resources and time) to reach the training objective. Also, the person will not have No outside perspective on activities and may in fact be less creative.

Online sales coaching: pros and cons

There are a lot of online business coaching platforms out there. These courses support salespeople via various modules.

• Advantages:

They have the advantage of being flexible. Sales representatives have access to it without geographical constraints. They can adapt coaching to their schedule. The associated costs are often more affordable because there are no travel expenses.

• Disadvantages:

To follow online coaching, it is essential to demonstrate self-discipline. There are few or no direct interactions and non-verbal communication. Participants should be motivated to follow the recommendations themselves. They have fewer opportunities to get feedback on how the lessons are put into practice.

Sales coaching workshops

Sales coaching workshops provide an opportunity to develop business skills through practice at events. This makes it possible to boost the life of the team without investing in the long term. So it is a good first step towards coaching the sales team.

Interventions can take the form ofexercises Or of simulations and are more effective and stimulating when it comes to real cases.

This workshop format promotes interaction between participants and speakers and can also be a team building activity. It promotes exchange and long-term advice between peers when sessions are organized regularly.

What should you expect from a good Sales Coach?

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To transmit his lessons, a good coach must be a teacher in addition to being up to date on Methods and tools most effective ways to work. He must have human qualities that facilitate collaboration between individuals.

Her skills

He must have strong sales skills

• He masters the techniques of sales, negotiation, and customer prospecting.
• He is used to using CRM tools and can advise which ones are best for the business.

Its qualities

The leadership, theRelational ease And thecustomer focus are the fundamentals for carrying out a coaching mission successfully.

The best business coaches are:

• equipped with a good Sense of listening And good analysis skills. They are watchers and take the necessary step back to objectively assess the strengths and areas for improvement of each salesperson.
• excellent communicators, able to transmit their knowledge in a clear, concise and motivating way.

They know how to unite a team: they motivate and inspire salespeople, while helping them develop their confidence and competence.

They know that if the participants do not feel integrated and involved, the coaching results will be zero. They therefore work on the relationship between each other and encourage mutual aid.

Taking into account the company's commercial development strategy

To determine the objectives of his commercial coaching, the coach must understand and integrate the development strategy commercial of the company.

Understanding of business development goals and priorities.

He must be able toalign your coaching activities on the overall strategy of the company while integrating the skills and behaviors of the teams.

Sales coach monitoring allows for regular evaluation of progress in relation to business goals. This consideration promotes collaboration and adjustment between managers and salespeople.

What should you put in your grid for predicting the effectiveness of sales coaching?

A prediction grid for coaching effectiveness is essential to choosing the right coaching for your sales team. Here are our tips for structuring it:

• Provide a section that concerns the starting point of the team
• Include a section that mentions the final goals to be achieved
• Include a section that mentions the goals to be achieved as you go
• Provide a section that concerns the constraints of your company and team
• Provide a section on the skills and qualities of the coach

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