| Do NOT bother with sales skills training | | | | a matter of days. |
| Do NOT waste your time and money hiring a top | | | | The Solution - Coaching |
| notch sales trainer. | | | | So, what must a sales manager do in order to |
| Do NOT invest a single dime in your sales reps. | | | | re-set the thermostat and create a new comfort |
| Do not bother with any of these activities unless | | | | zone? What must a sales manager do to get a |
| you plan to actively coach your sales reps on an | | | | return on the sales training investment? |
| ongoing and continuous basis after the training. | | | | You need to coach your sales reps. It's as simple |
| Training gets your reps started down the road to | | | | or perhaps as complex, as that. |
| sales success but it is coaching that keeps them | | | | After the training, you need to assist the sales |
| on the straight and narrow. Don't kid yourself: | | | | rep in implementing the new techniques. You need |
| coaching is the key to achieving and exceeding | | | | to help them modify their behavior and get them |
| your sales objectives. | | | | to try the new skills. You need to act as a |
| This article will examine at why sales training, as | | | | cheerleader and conscience. And you need to do |
| means of changing sales behavior, does not work | | | | this continuously for a period of approximately |
| and what you can do about it. It will reveal | | | | three to four weeks. After that time, the new |
| specific strategies, skills and techniques that will | | | | behavior typically becomes a habit; the new |
| help modify the sales behavior of your sales team | | | | comfort zone established; the thermostat reset. |
| and help them meet and exceed your sales goals. | | | | (And even then, the siren call to revert back to |
| Why Sales Training Does Not Work- The Sales | | | | old behavior still lingers and haunts the rep from |
| Thermostat | | | | time to time). |
| In order to understand why sales reps do not | | | | The Coaching Dilemma |
| effectively implement training techniques think of | | | | Defined coaching means the process used to |
| a thermostat in your home. A thermostat is a | | | | recognize above and below stand performance |
| device which automatically responds to | | | | and the steps taken to encourage, modify and |
| temperature changes and activates a switch that | | | | improve behavior. |
| controls equipment such as a furnace and an air | | | | Gee, it sure seems simple, doesn't it? The |
| conditioner. | | | | problem with coaching however is twofold. |
| By way of analogy, all sales reps come equipped | | | | Problem #1: First, most sales managers don't |
| with their own internal "sales thermostat" which | | | | coach, they manage. They manage numbers, |
| automatically controls their sales behavior. And like | | | | they manage meetings, they manage their boss, |
| the thermostat set at your home, sales reps | | | | they manage objectives, they manage projects... |
| have their comfort zones when it comes to | | | | but they don't typically coach. Or if they do, it is |
| selling. The comfort zone may be set high for | | | | haphazard in nature. |
| some and low for others. The trick to getting | | | | The real issue here is that coaching is not typically |
| better sales results is to reset the thermostat. In | | | | part of the management process. In effect, it |
| effect, create a new comfort zone. | | | | means that managers must leave their comfort |
| Therein lays the challenge. | | | | zone and reset their own 'management |
| Sales training attempts to set a new sales | | | | thermostat.' This means that coaching is a |
| 'temperature' by introducing new ideas, tips, | | | | challenge to implement. It means change for the |
| strategies and tactics. Sales training means sales | | | | managers too. To be candid, coaching isn't |
| reps have to change certain aspects of their | | | | necessarily fun. Coaching can be time consuming |
| selling behavior and by their very natures they | | | | and it can be frustrating so it is very easy to |
| resist change. Change is equivalent to an increase | | | | revert to the safe and comfortable practice of |
| in temperature and the more the change the | | | | managing 'tasks' and not people. |
| warmer it gets for the rep. As new skills are | | | | Problem #2. To put it bluntly, most sales |
| attempted the heat level continues to rise and the | | | | managers do not know how to coach effectively. |
| rep become more and more uncomfortable. | | | | This is understandable. For the most part, no one |
| When the new techniques do not work | | | | has taught them to be a good coach which may |
| immediately, the reps become frustrated and | | | | explain why they tend to avoid it. |
| discouraged. Often they experience rejection | | | | If they do coach they do so on an ad hoc basis |
| from the client as they try something new and | | | | and typically it is anecdotal in nature ("Well, in my |
| different and the resistance to the new skill set | | | | day, the way I handled that objection was..."). But |
| grows even stronger. | | | | as defined above, coaching is a process and not a |
| With in days, if not hours, the sales thermostat | | | | simple pat on the back or a word or two of |
| automatically kicks in. It responds to the new | | | | feedback every couple of weeks or once a |
| changes and activates a 'switch' inside the rep | | | | quarter at review session. Nor is coaching criticism |
| that tells the rep to go back to their old, | | | | which is often the way it is presented so sales |
| comfortable techniques. Even if those techniques | | | | reps tend to see it as a negative event. In that |
| are ineffective, at least they are familiar. It's not | | | | scenario, no likes it so everyone avoids it. |
| unlike the 'devil you know versus the one you | | | | Here's the issue in a nutshell: many sales |
| don't.' | | | | managers lack a process or an approach on how |
| The sales thermostat is powerful. It is silent and | | | | to coach effectively and change behavior. |
| for the most part, a subconscious phenomenon. | | | | Because they do not know how to coach, they |
| You will discover that sales reps will absolutely | | | | either avoid it or they provide coaching |
| convince themselves that their current method of | | | | inconsistently and/or ineffectively. |
| selling is much better even if their results suggest | | | | Summary |
| otherwise. They will list a mountain of reasons | | | | Because coaching is a repeatable process, we can |
| why the new skills could not possibly work and | | | | define its parts; break it down into components. |
| thereby further justify their return to their old | | | | By understanding its parts, coaching can be |
| behaviors. In some cases, sales reps actually think | | | | mastered one step at a time. Once you have a |
| they are implementing the new techniques not | | | | coaching system in place, your sales training |
| even realizing they have gone back to their old | | | | investment will yield high returns. Implemented |
| ways. | | | | consistently, coaching will not only help you |
| Sales thermostats are hard to combat and this | | | | exceed your sales objectives, it will help lower |
| explains why training can be a waste of time and | | | | your costs by reducing burnout and turnover of |
| effort. The initial glee and enthusiasm of a new | | | | sales reps. You will spend less time and money |
| skill is eventually worn away by the irresistible | | | | recruiting, selecting and training new reps. In short, |
| tendency of reps to return to the comfort zone. | | | | your job as a sales manager or director or |
| Left unattended, your training dollars will be lost in | | | | executive will become that much easier. |