At the risk of doing yet another blog that draws parallels between sales coaching and sports coaching, there is one quote from the great Vince Lombardi that holds true for both endeavors:

“Coaches who can outline their plays on a blackboard are a dime a dozen. The ones who win get inside their players and motivate.”

If you’re not familiar with Lombardi, he was so successful as the coach of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers in the 1960s that the Super Bowl trophy is named after him.

Lombardi became the GOAT using players who weren’t exceptionally talented running plays that weren’t particularly complicated or innovative. His singular talent lay in preparing his players and motivating them to do whatever was necessary to win.

The reason why this story is applicable to your sales team and how you should train them is simple: Few companies have a Vince Lombardi on their staff.

Ask somebody from HR to handle the team sales coaching and one-on-one sales coaching for your employees and you might get some well-researched plays on a blackboard, but they probably won’t have the sales chops to get inside their colleagues’ heads and truly motivate them.

For that to happen, you need to bring in an expert just as the Packers did when they enlisted Lombardi to bring about a change in the franchise’s sagging fortunes.

 

The Secret Is Out

A recent study from CSO Insights revealed a direct correlation between sales coaching and one-on-one sales coaching and quota attainment. Not only that, it even measured the success rates of salespeople who received exceptional coaching versus those who received average coaching.

When exposed to expert coaching, almost 95% of the reps studied went on to meet or exceed their quotas while that number dropped to below 85% for those who received average coaching.

 

A Tide That Lifts All Boats

From the study, it is apparent that any coaching is better than no coaching but the trick for business owners is to identify and retain highly skilled coaches to work with their employees if they hope to optimize results.

Top coaches like those at the Sales Coaching Institute are constantly evolving to stay up-to-speed with the latest results-driven ­techniques designed to sharpen the core selling skills of even the most elite reps.

By bringing in an outside expert to customize a sales coaching program and provide one-on-one sales coaching to key employees, businesses can lower costs and boost their bottom line.

 

Experience Matters

Sales coaching is a highly specialized area of expertise. When choosing a coach, you need to make sure the coach has the experience to connect effectively with your sales team as no other productivity investment is as impactful as sales coaching.

An experienced sales coach can teach salespeople how to pinpoint a buyer’s motivation, how to create effective action plans, how to persevere in the face of obstacles and most importantly, how to set and achieve goals. With the right coaching, your reps will learn to sustain higher levels of energy over longer periods of time and increase the number of sales they make.

Speaking of increased sales, it should not be the only reason you bring in an outside expert to work with your team. For example, professional development – and the success that follows – is proven to be a key factor in employee retention, job satisfaction, and motivation.

 

Be In It For The Long Haul

Research shows most sales curriculums don’t last much longer than employees’ memories of the initial session. Truly effective sales coaching relies on consistent, long-term reinforcement which is why you should look for a trainer who can provide highly specific one-on-one sales coaching to your managers. This enables those managers to continue coaching their teams long after the coach has gone.

The right coach will help your managers become good mentors and coaches in their own right while helping your organization to accomplish its goals by building a strategic, engaged and complete sales organization.

 

There Are No Shortcuts

While there’s no doubt finding the right coach for your sales team will make your business more successful and your employees happier, it’s important to understand that you have a serious task in front of you.

 

As the great man Vince Lombardi said:

“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”