Starting a new sales coaching program? Here’s what to look for in the first 90 days.
Ask a dozen salespeople about “Sales Coaching,” and you’ll probably get a dozen different ideas on what “Sales Coaching” could look like! If you’re thinking about hiring a coach, what should you expect in the first few months?
When you invest your time and money into sales coaching, you want to be sure you’re getting the most out of it. To ensure your first 90 days are a success, look for these four features of an effective sales coaching program:
- A coach who partners in your success
- A detailed plan of attack
- Accountability—and adaptability
- Real results in your bottom line
The ideal solution ticks all of these boxes. Let’s examine them in more detail.
A Coach Who Partners In Your Success
First and foremost, a sales coach should see themselves as your business partner. Their #1 goal is to help you win. To be effective, sales coaches must be invested in their client’s success.
The ideal partner is someone who aligns with your strategy, your goals, and your style—that’s why picking the right coach is so important.
At Skillway, one-on-one sales coaching always begins with a free “jumpstart” session to help identify your specific needs and pair you with a sales coach who aligns best with your goals. Taking time to understand the past, present, and future of your sales business ensures you’re getting a perfect fit.
A Detailed Plan of Attack
If you want results, your sales coaching program needs a strong foundation—a detailed plan of attack. Personal and professional growth requires unique approaches for each individual, and an expert sales coach will customize a strategy specific to you. “Cookie-cutter” solutions simply don’t work!
In your first coaching call with Skillway, your sales coach will work with you to identify the challenges you face and design a strategy to reach your goals. These goals vary from person to person and will determine what your sales coach will tackle first. For example:
You feel burnt out and need to get your head back in the game.
We’ll start with a plan to help you create your personal vision, outline your goals and business strategy, and use one of the dozens of topics Skillway has designed to get you fired up and enthusiastic about what comes next.
You want to grow your sales revenue.
We’ll analyze each part of your sales process with you to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Based on this, we’ll select the right topics to address those areas—which may mean increasing your closing ratio, growing referrals, or improving lead generation.
You want to recruit more salespeople.
Together, we’ll analyze your current team, create a growth plan, outline a recruiting strategy for the appropriate number of new hires, and establish a timeline for results.
You want control over your time and better work-life balance.
We’ll analyze where your time is going every day and explore which time-management strategies will work best for you. We’ll help you identify the parts of your day that could be used more efficiently and work on skills—like delegation—that will free up your time and let you take back control of your workweek. You’ll also learn why we don’t like the term “work-life balance” (we prefer “work-life blend“).
Accountability—and Adaptability
If you have previous experience with sales training or coaching, you might remember the feeling of having a pile of material dumped in your lap—and then being left to fend for yourself! A sales coach shouldn’t expect you to magically figure everything out on your own.
Experienced sales coaches understand that it takes time to implement new ideas. They also realize that every salesperson is different! Even if a technique is effective for you now, there are always new challenges around the corner that could require a totally different approach.
On every call, your Skillway sales coach will discuss your past action items and how things are going. What are the speedbumps you’re facing? What works? What doesn’t work? Because your Skillway coaching program is always customized to your needs, your coach can adapt to every obstacle—and help you overcome it.
Real Results
“What does success look like if sales coaching works for me?” It’s one of the most important questions you can ask at the beginning of a coaching program.
Your reason for hiring a sales coach—whether to grow revenue, find motivation, or be more productive and efficient—is the basis for judging success. Depending on your goals and the length of your sales cycle, you should expect to see measurable results after 60 to 90 days of sales coaching.
A Skillway sales coach helps you establish milestones based on your goals, but they also keep track of your progress. They’ll know when you need extra motivation to stay on target—and they’ll celebrate with you as you CRUSH your sales goals!
Are you ready for a customized sales coaching program that delivers real results? Schedule your FREE jumpstart session today. Contact us to learn more.
