Top Performers Rule

This article is based on a conversation with Will Brooks, president of The Brooks Group, a sales and sales-management performance improvement firm. During the last 33 years, The Brooks Group has worked with more than 3,000 organizations in more than 400 industries. Will Brooks is also the author of Playing Bigger Than You Are: How to Sell Big Accounts Even If You’re David in a World of Goliaths (Wiley, 2009). He can be reached by email, by phone, or through his office.
Address: 3810 North Elm St., Suite 202, Greensboro, NC 27455
Phone: 1-800-633-7762
Email: Will@TheBrooksGroup.com

While most sales managers realize that sales coaching is important, they lack a consistent method for evaluating the salesperson’s performance in order to coach effectively. The best way to do this is to create an evaluation form that allows sales managers to assess, while observing the salesperson at work, how well that person executes the different stages of the sales process.

The following is a seven-step sales management evaluation process built around the linked, sequential IMPACT Selling® sales process (Investigate, Meet, Probe, Apply, Convince, Tie It Up) taught by The Brooks Group. The process can be easily adapted to any selling methodology.

STEP #1: Audit the preparation (the Investigate step of the IMPACT Selling® sales process).
In today’s B2B selling environment, the salesperson’s and the buyer’s time is too valuable to waste. Because of this, it’s absolutely essential to be fully prepared and ready to have a substantive conversation before that conversation actually takes place. Prior to the meeting, out of earshot of the customer, ask the salesperson to summarize what he or she knows about the prospect. After you’ve heard that summary, answer the following questions:
• Did the salesperson have adequate knowledge of the prospect’s firm?
• Did the salesperson have adequate knowledge of the prospect’s industry?
• Did the salesperson have adequate knowledge of the prospect’s customers?
• Was the salesperson on time for the meeting and ready to go?
• Was the salesperson dressed appropriately?
• What specific, quantifiable information did the salesperson have?
• What specific, quantifiable information did the salesperson lack?
• How could the salesperson have been better prepared?

STEP #2: Audit the opening (the Meet step of the IMPACT Selling® sales process).
It’s been said that the most important selling skill isn’t closing; it’s opening. The tone of an entire sales engagement is set in the first few minutes, because that is where the process of building trust and rapport begins. After the initial greeting, sit back and watch the sales rep engage with the prospect. While doing so, answer the following questions:
• Did the salesperson explain the purpose of the meeting?
• Did the salesperson develop trust and rapport early in the process?
• Did the salesperson ask for permission to ask questions?
• Did the salesperson ask for permission to record the answers?
• What did the salesperson do well?
• What could have been done better?

STEP #3: Audit the conversation (the Probe step of the IMPACT Selling® sales process).
After the opening, the sales call should evolve into a conversation totally geared toward uncovering exactly what the prospect will buy, when, and under what conditions. By gathering this information, the salesperson will greatly increase the chance of finding a match between what the customer needs and what he or she has to offer. Observe the interaction of the salesperson and prospect while quickly answering the following questions:
• Did the salesperson ask clear and relevant questions?
• Did the questions uncover the prospect’s wants and needs?
• Did the salesperson guide the discussion to the prospect’s problems?
• Did the salesperson identify solutions that the customer might consider?
• Did the salesperson ask in a conversational, nonconfrontational way?
• Did the salesperson avoid prematurely presenting the offering?
• Which questions were the most effective?
• Which questions were the least effective?

STEP #4: Audit the presentation (the Apply step of the IMPACT Selling® sales process).
After the initial conversation, it’s time to recommend a targeted solution to address the prospect’s greatest needs or wants. In some cases, this step of the sales process will take place in a subsequent meeting. In this instance, answer only the first question in this list, then skip to step 7. (You’ll want to do the rest of step 4 and steps 5 and 6 at a later date.) Assuming that the engagement moves forward, answer the following questions:
• If this step was not reached, did the salesperson set a time and date for the next appointment?
• Did the salesperson have a full understanding of the customer’s objectives?
• Did the salesperson have a full understanding of the benefits that the customer desired?
• Did the salesperson refrain from making a recommendation until after a full understanding of the customer’s objectives and desired benefits was achieved?
• Did the salesperson present an effective solution?
• Did the salesperson present the price with confidence?
• What did the salesperson do well in this area?
• What could have been done better?

STEP #5: Audit the negotiation (the Convince step of the IMPACT Selling® sales process).
After a solution has been presented, it’s not unusual for prospects to require more information from the salesperson in order to feel confident about making a good decision. This additional information may come from conversations with satisfied customers, letters from existing customers, a product demonstration, or additional meetings with other stakeholders in the prospect’s firm. During this stage of the sale, observe the salesperson’s behavior and answer the following questions:
• Did the salesperson provide third-party testimony and social proof?
• Did the salesperson offer the prospect the opportunity to connect and talk with satisfied customers?
• If a trial or test was necessary, did the salesperson offer it?
• Did the salesperson move the sale to the next step of the sales process?
• What was the next step?
• What did the salesperson do well in this area?
• What could have  been done better?

STEP #6: Audit the close (the Tie It Up step of the IMPACT Selling® sales process).
The close, of course, is the finalization of the transaction, asking for the order while cementing and reinforcing the sale. If the previous steps in the process are well executed, this step is typically quite easy and can even be automatic. Nevertheless, it is still important to pay attention to the way this stage is executed, because it will largely determine the future of the relationship and whether follow-on sales will be easy or difficult. During this phase, observe the salesperson’s behavior and answer the following questions:
• Did the salesperson ask the prospect to commit or buy at the appropriate time?
• If the sale was made, did the salesperson reinforce the decision and set a follow-up appointment?
• If the prospect did not buy, how could this outcome have been changed?
• What did the salesperson do well in this area?
• What could have been done better?

STEP #7: Conduct a debriefing.
Out of earshot of the customer, sit down with the salesperson and, using your evaluation notes as a guide, provide feedback relative to what the salesperson did well and what he or she could have done better. Note (and this is important): The one-on-one briefing should be done immediately after the sales call, while what you observed and what the salesperson experienced is fresh in both your minds. If you wait until the end of the day, the evaluation will be far less effective in actually changing behavior.

FAQs

Q: What is the difference between sales coaching and sales mentoring?

A: Sales coaching involves meaningful, positive interaction between a sales manager and salesperson and is usually effective when done correctly. In a sales-mentoring situation, an organization attempts to pair a senior salesperson with a junior salesperson, hoping the veteran will teach the rookie how to sell. In most cases, the senior salesperson would rather be selling than teaching and will swoop in and close deals for the rep just to get through the “mentoring” process and move on to selling to his or her accounts. This isn’t productive at all. Another threat of forced mentoring is that senior salespeople can end up teaching novices bad habits, such as how to subvert the CRM system.

Q: Should the sales manager intervene if the salesperson is about to lose the sale?

A: Only if the opportunity is critically important to close (e.g., a banner account), in which case there should be an agreement that the sales manager will intervene. Otherwise, it’s much more useful to let the sales call continue to its conclusion and then use the evaluation form to have a constructive debriefing.

Q: When should the sales manager go on a sales call?

A: The sales manager should seek to evaluate an average day unexpectedly, without providing too much notice to the salesperson, not on a day when the salesperson has been given advance notice and is able to cherry-pick his or her best customers to call on. It is also critically important that the sales manager and the salesperson agree on the role that the sales manager will play, how the manager’s presence will be explained to the client or prospect, and whether the sales manager will intervene.

Sales Manager’s Meeting Guide: At Your Next Sales Meeting

Below are 15 practical steps to integrate sales evaluation and sales coaching into your organization’s sales culture.

1. Before the meeting, write down the sequential steps of your sales process. Note: If you do not have such a sales process, then you should create one or use something similar to the IMPACT method briefly summarized in this article. For more information about how to implement the IMPACT Selling® System, contact The Brooks Group.

2. For each step in your sequential sales process, write down a set of questions, both yes/no and qualitative, which will allow you to focus on and evaluate performance at each step of the process. Use the questions in this article as a guide.

3. Make enough copies of the resulting evaluation form so that each team member has at least three copies.

4. Open the meeting with enthusiasm. Explain that the team is going to work on a method that will help you coach more effectively, which will result in more sales and higher commissions. Explain that the exercise will require role play, and request full and enthusiastic participation.

5. Hand out copies of the evaluation form. Briefly go through your sales process and the types of questions that you’ll be using to evaluate performance. Explain that this is a tool to help you help the team, not a form of punishment. Make it completely clear that these evaluations have nothing whatsoever to do with compensation and salary reviews. Explain that this is a coaching tool – nothing more, nothing less.

6. Break the group into teams of three and have each team select which member of the group will be the “customer.” The other two will play a sales rep and sales manager calling on that customer.

7. Have each group decide the “identity” of the customer. Suggest using a customer (or a composite of customers) who will be familiar (or at least understandable) to most of the team. That way, all can assume that some research and preparation have taken place.

8. Have the “sales rep” go through a typical sales call, while the “sales manager” keeps track of the progress of the sales call on the evaluation form. Let the exercise continue for 10 minutes. At 9 minutes, make an announcement that the customer is needed in a meeting and to wrap up the call.

9. Have the “sales manager” in each group provide feedback to the “sales rep,” based upon the information on the evaluation form. Let the groups spend 3 to 5 minutes on this.

10. Gather the groups together and ask for feedback about the process. Confirm that the process makes sense and the questions are useful. Make adjustments based upon input from the team, if appropriate.

11. Ask for a volunteer. Tell the volunteer that he or she is going to be a customer and that you are going to make a sales call. Tell the other team members that they are going to evaluate your performance using a copy of the evaluation form.

12. Go through a sales call, spending at least 5 minutes. Do not worry about trying to be perfect; this is about learning how to coach, not a demonstration of your selling prowess.

13. When you have completed the sales call, ask the group to provide feedback on the sales call. Discuss what you did well and what you could have done better.

14. Explain to the team members that you will be accompanying them on sales calls (or spending time in their offices if they’re doing inside sales) and using the evaluation form to help provide better coaching. Make a commitment to keep the process positive and upbeat.

15. Thank the team for participating, and end the meeting on a high note.

Quick Tips for Your Next Training Session

Here are six key guidelines for effective sales coaching:

1. Evaluate your salespeople regularly to help you understand exactly what strengths and weaknesses they bring to their selling efforts and better motivate each individual to achieve his or her best.

2. Insist that your salespeople learn and use a linked, sequential sales process. Research shows that salespeople who follow a linked, sequential selling process stand a better chance of getting the sale.

3. Go on joint sales calls with your salespeople. Follow up immediately after each call with a debriefing session. Provide good, constructive feedback in real time or as close to real time as possible.

4. Keep coaching separate from performance appraisal and salary reviews, ensuring that feedback and course correction are given in a developmental context, not a punitive one.

5. Facilitate problem-solving discussions related to specific sales issues. Help your salespeople learn from one another, and create a culture that rewards the sharing of best practices.

6. Find ways to engage with your organization’s customers. Get out there and visit customers yourself, and ensure that your salespeople are in touch with their customers, even when those customers aren’t buying.

Quick Tips for Your Next Sales Meeting

When you develop a coaching mind-set and make coaching an integral part of every day’s activities, everyone wins. Here are three key reasons to make sales coaching a priority:

1. A sales manager’s active participation in the field is what drives up a sales team’s performance. The 2010 Sales Performance Optimization survey by CSO Insights described sales coaching as “the number one key to improved performance.”

2. Although your time, effort, and resources are best invested in your “A” salespeople, a study by the Sales Executive Council found that “B” and “C” salespeople can improve productivity and revenue by at least 17 percent when they are coached consistently.

3. Great coaches have a fundamental belief that their real job – no matter what other responsibilities they may have – is developing their salespeople, collaborating with them to reach ambitious goals, and helping them beat their own previous best efforts.