les team members so that the sales results could be achieved.

In my experience, the most significant difference in coaching a sales person for personal improvement and enhanced performance is a combination of process and content coaching. Let me explain the difference between process and content from a sales managers point of view.

To coach a sales person effectively there must be a clearly identified starting point, which is an individual sales busines

At one time there was a long-standing belief in many sales organizations that coaching of sales representatives was a fundamental sales management responsibility. Moreover, every professional sales trainer you spoke to, every textbook you read and every sales manager who had several years of experience would verify that coaching was a fundamental spoke on the sales manager success wheel.

In the early years of my sales career it was a mandate from upper management to sales managers throughout their respective organizations to learn coaching skills and employ them regularly. Furthermore, it was a requirement that they share the wealth of experience and knowledge gained with those throughout their respective teams. As a by-product incredible loyalty to sales managers became a hallmark of sales teams where the managers themselves took an active and participative role in sales team skill set development.

By contrast today, in the field skill set development is, at best, hit and miss leaving many sales people unclear how their performance is being evaluated. Little wonder sales force turnover is a reality.

One of the criteria for stabilizing a sales organization is for the sales managers to employ a set of coaching skills with their team members. The truth is every successful sales manager has learned the hard way – mostly by trial and error, often at the expense of sales effectiveness and productivity. Today’s sales manager may be of the mentality that their entire role is to supervise sales team members based on a process. (The fact of the matter is that sales managers do not really manage sales, they really are supervising the activities of their sales team members so that the sales people themselves generate sales.) For several years sales supervision has tended to be ensuring a methodical step-by-step approach was taken by sales team members so that the sales results could be achieved.

In my experience, the most significant difference in coaching a sales person for personal improvement and enhanced performance is a combination of process and content coaching. Let me explain the difference between process and content from a sales managers point of view.

To coach a sales person effectively there must be a clearly identified starting point, which is an individual sales business

ement to sales managers throughout their respective organizations to learn coaching skills and employ them regularly. Furthermore, it was a requirement that they share the wealth of experience and knowledge gained with those throughout their respective teams. As a by-product incredible loyalty to sales managers became a hallmark of sales teams where the managers themselves took an active and participative role in sales team skill set development.

By contrast today, in the field skill set development is, at best, hit and miss leaving many sales people unclear how their performance is being evaluated. Little wonder sales force turnover is a reality.

One of the criteria for stabilizing a sales organization is for the sales managers to employ a set of coaching skills with their team members. The truth is every successful sales manager has learned the hard way – mostly by trial and error, often at the expense of sales effectiveness and productivity. Today’s sales manager may be of the mentality that their entire role is to supervise sales team members based on a process. (The fact of the matter is that sales managers do not really manage sales, they really are supervising the activities of their sales team members so that the sales people themselves generate sales.) For several years sales supervision has tended to be ensuring a methodical step-by-step approach was taken by sales team members so that the sales results could be achieved.

In my experience, the most significant difference in coaching a sales person for personal improvement and enhanced performance is a combination of process and content coaching. Let me explain the difference between process and content from a sales managers point of view.

To coach a sales person effectively there must be a clearly identified starting point, which is an individual sales busines

today, in the field skill set development is, at best, hit and miss leaving many sales people unclear how their performance is being evaluated. Little wonder sales force turnover is a reality.

One of the criteria for stabilizing a sales organization is for the sales managers to employ a set of coaching skills with their team members. The truth is every successful sales manager has learned the hard way – mostly by trial and error, often at the expense of sales effectiveness and productivity. Today’s sales manager may be of the mentality that their entire role is to supervise sales team members based on a process. (The fact of the matter is that sales managers do not really manage sales, they really are supervising the activities of their sales team members so that the sales people themselves generate sales.) For several years sales supervision has tended to be ensuring a methodical step-by-step approach was taken by sales team members so that the sales results could be achieved.

In my experience, the most significant difference in coaching a sales person for personal improvement and enhanced performance is a combination of process and content coaching. Let me explain the difference between process and content from a sales managers point of view.

To coach a sales person effectively there must be a clearly identified starting point, which is an individual sales busines

effectiveness and productivity. Today’s sales manager may be of the mentality that their entire role is to supervise sales team members based on a process. (The fact of the matter is that sales managers do not really manage sales, they really are supervising the activities of their sales team members so that the sales people themselves generate sales.) For several years sales supervision has tended to be ensuring a methodical step-by-step approach was taken by sales team members so that the sales results could be achieved.

In my experience, the most significant difference in coaching a sales person for personal improvement and enhanced performance is a combination of process and content coaching. Let me explain the difference between process and content from a sales managers point of view.

To coach a sales person effectively there must be a clearly identified starting point, which is an individual sales busines

les team members so that the sales results could be achieved.

In my experience, the most significant difference in coaching a sales person for personal improvement and enhanced performance is a combination of process and content coaching. Let me explain the difference between process and content from a sales managers point of view.

To coach a sales person effectively there must be a clearly identified starting point, which is an individual sales business plan. A superb sales manager knows this well in advance of any account and territory review because it offers a template from which to function during coaching sessions. When a mutually agreed upon business plan is generated by a sales person, then completion of objectives is the step by step monitoring the sales manager takes with each rep. Within the plan are the goals, objectives and activities of the sales person the sales manager will supervise. Without a sales plan or template of expectations, each will find it difficult to measure accomplishment because the “what to do” has not been established.

The key here is that a formal and written “game” plan be developed from which the sales rep can follow and function and the sales manager can observe progress against each objective the sales person lists. This is the “what” will be done.

Encapsulated in the process portion is coaching where the manager assists the sales rep in completion of each objective. The sales manager may assist in determining if the sales rep can execute the objective alone because of successful prior experience or if other assistance is required. In the later case, this can be accomplished by discussing real world scenarios the sales person is currently facing with their accounts. If so the sales manager can model the skills that will be used by the sales rep so that in the future they can perform on their own.

The sales manager can work with the sales person in implementing the plan by providing the content, or the “how to do it” if you will. The goal is to optimize and maximize the sales persons’ skill set to deliver the greatest sales and revenue. The sales manager can provide valuable insight for the sales rep in how to approach, prepare and implement strategies and tactics not just for the customers and prospects, but also for the individuals w