As a sales manager, you know that more than managing your people, you are sales coaching your sales team. A good sales manager knows that sales coaching plays a key role in keeping the sales team on task and motivated. It is also important that as a coach, you make sure that your coaching technique is working and offering the most benefit possible. You need to continually assess and evaluate how you are doing with your sales coaching. There are some questions that you need to ask yourself to do a self-evaluation.

1. Are you managing or leading?

A manager is an administrator dealing with facts and figures. A leader innovates and helps their team to be creative and work together to find original and novel ways to meet objectives and goals. A manager focuses on systems, structure and rules. A leader inspires trust and develops a team that trusts and counts on each other. In sales coaching, you are not looking to control your sales team; you are looking at inspiring them to be the best that they can be.

2. Are you providing training and development?

Sales coaching involves continually developing the talent of your sales team to improve outcomes. You don’t want to maintain the status quo; you want your team to continually evolve to meet the ever-changing demands of the market place You need to provide feedback when things are going well and offer assistance and ideas when there may be problems. You can provide effective training through meetings, one on one discussions, and sales conferences. You want to keep your team fresh and inspired with continual and worthwhile training and development. Good sales coaches know how important it is to have a well-trained team.

3. Are you communicating effectively?

Communication is a two way process. You need to listen and observe as much as you speak. Having regular sales meetings where you do more than spout facts and figures is a good sales coaching. You want your meetings to be interactive and worthwhile. Your sales staff need to feel comfortable asking questions and providing input. The more information that is shared by your sales team, the more effective your whole team will be.

4. Are you setting a good example?

Keeping a positive attitude and being encouraging are very important roles in sales coaching. While it is important to point out problems, it is just as important, perhaps more so, to effectively encourage your sales team. Sales people thrive with positive reinforcement. In addition, it is important that you stay focused and on track. If you let things slide, you are sending the message that this is okay. You want to be a mentor to your sales team. The goal is to be a leader, not a dictator. Show how you want things done by doing things the right way every time.

5. Are you using your time effectively?

As simple as this seems, this can be one of the hardest things in sales coaching. You will be tempted to spend the bulk of your time and resources on your top performers. Studies show, however, that by focusing on your middle ground performers you will gain the greatest return. Your top people do need positive reinforcement, but by focusing your attention on the mid-level performers you will have a much greater impact on your sales by boosting their confidence and, eventually, boosting their sales performance.

In sales coaching, the goal is to build your team in a way that is positive, interactive, and on-going. Good sales coaching should be supportive and challenging at the same time. Your goal in sales coaching is to develop your team so that they are constantly improving their skills to reach your desired goals.