Have you ever heard of a product so good, it “practically sells itself?” I hear this turn of phrase from time to time, and I’m here to tell you: It’s a total lie. There’s no such thing as a product that sells itself. No matter how valuable your business offering is, you’ve got to have people courting customers, forging relationships, and closing the deal.

In other words: A sales team.

Likewise, you need to have some real leadership to ensure your sales reps are functioning at the highest level. So whether your sales team is struggling or you simply want to push them to new heights, I’ve got a few coaching tips that may prove useful.

Getting More Out of Your Sales Team

First and foremost, you’ve got to earn trust. When you sit down to talk with a sales rep, you have to leave judgements at the door, and give them space to talk openly about what’s working and what’s not. If they don’t trust you to listen and offer constructive feedback, the coaching process simply isn’t going to go anywhere.

Facilitate self-inventory. Before you offer feedback of your own, give sales reps the chance to assess their own performance in the field. This helps them build self-awareness, and it keeps you from micromanaging the process too much.

Don’t try to multitask. It’s tempting to offer a sales rep seven or eight different areas for improvement—but this can be overwhelming. It’s far more effective to lead focused coaching, helping your sales rep to work on one issue at a time.

Document your action plan. Work with your sales rep to draft a few specific steps he or she is going to take to work on that focus issue. Writing it down is important, and helps keep both of you on the same page, accountable to the same set of ideas.

Remember that accountability is key. Once you have that action plan laid out, schedule a time to sit down with the rep again and follow-up.

Coach Your Team to New Peaks

Even the most naturally talented sales reps need coaching—so take a minute to ask yourself: Are you providing effective leadership for your sales team? Are you driving them to get better and better all the time?

I’d love to talk with you more about the amazing potential of sales team coaching. Reach out to Dr. Rick Goodman to start the conversation: Reach out at www.rickgoodman.com or 888-267-6098.