Research Paper: Coaching and Training: How this Blend, Positively Impacts Sales People and Sales Organizations

Research Paper By Samantha Buckley Hugessen
(Sales Coach, UNITED STATES)

Introduction

When sales people think about their job it usually comes down to the numbers. What is the quota they need to reach to keep their bosses happy, what amount of money do they need to make. How many opportunities must they get from marketing, how many sales calls must they accomplish, of those sales calls how many will buy their product and of the ones that buy their product, what will they buy and how much will they spend. What skills does the salesperson need? How to market? How to cold call? They must learn the steps of the sales process. Their sales organizations ‘pitch”? How to “close” the sale?

It all sounds very mechanical and analytical considering the business of sales is about people.  This paper describes the “Why” behind the benefits of “Coaching and Training” specifically to businesses. 

Amherst College describes training as “An educational process” People can learn new information, re-learn and reinforce existing knowledge and skills, and most importantly have time to think and consider what new options can help them improve their effectiveness at work. Effective trainings convey relevant and useful information that inform participants and develop skills and behaviors that can be transferred back to the workplace.

The goal of training is to create an impact that lasts beyond the end time of the training itself. The focus is on creating specific action steps and commitments that focus people’s attention on incorporating their new skills and ideas back at work.

Training can be offered as skill development for individuals and groups. In general, trainings involve presentation and learning of content as a means for enhancing skill development and improving workplace behaviors.

Sales organizations deliver training in a variety of ways.

• Manuals
• Classroom Teaching
• Tutorials online or video
• Shadowing or observing current employees.

I hated every minute of training, but I said, Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.
Mohamed Ali

ICF defines coaching as

Partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. Coaching honors the client as the expert in his/her life and work and believes that every client is creative, resourceful, and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach’s responsibility is to:

• Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve;
• Encourage client self-discovery;
• Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies; and
• Hold the client responsible and accountable.

Coaches are trained to listen, to observe and to customize their approach to individual client needs. They seek to elicit solutions and strategies from the client; they believe the client is naturally creative and resourceful. The coach’s job is to provide support to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that the client already has.

No, I’m not coaching. It’s a huge responsibility to coach somebody
Oksana Baiul

Five steps for effective Sales Coaching

Nearly 90% of organizations will train sales managers to improve their coaching skills this year, according to a recent study by the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) of more than 160 leading sales executives. Progressive organizations recognize that in a down economy, efforts to improve the coaching skills of frontline sales managers have a greater ROI compared to other similar training investments made on sales reps, in terms of their direct impact on overall sales performance.

While the link between effective sales coaching and better sales performance is widely known, the majority of sales organizations fail to realize the full potential of their investments in sales coaching and training. Often times, this means missed opportunities for dramatic improvements in top-line revenue growth, margin enhancement, conversion rates, as well as sales forecast accuracy, and sales representative retention and engagement levels.