21 Sales Coach Best Practices from Sales Experts

<b>Focus on the middle 60%:</b> Sales managers often skew their coaching efforts dramatically toward the very best and worst sales reps https://hbr.org/2011/01/the-dirty-secret-of-effective

<b>Lead your people, don’t manage them.</b> Show you care about them and have a strong passion to see them succeed. Remember — it’s not about you, it’s about your people. http://ow.ly/QHXL30eXja0

<b>Using CRM data to track improvements</b> once a training program has been implemented is the best way to measure the success of your program http://ow.ly/IVUs30eXeS9

<b>Learn each salesperson’s drivers</b> and target each rep's motivation https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/sales-coaching

<b>Communicate corporate goals:</b> Knowing they’re contributing to the company’s success is motivating and gives them non-monetary fulfillment. https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/sales-coaching

<b>Not all employees are motivated by the same things.</b> Develop top performers by combining different rewards that will keep all of your staff motivated. http://ow.ly/kCub30eXkvJ

<b>Create personal rewards:</b>People know in advance what must happen for them to earn a bonus, and they know how big the bonus will be. http://ow.ly/1VHN30eXkTr

<b>Lead by example</b>: Be a role model, to be the kind of person that everyone else looks up to and wants to be like. ~ Brian Tracy

<b>Share the same definition of what good coaching is:</b> Observation and feedback, certainly, but also strategy development, creating opportunities for practice. ~ Scott Edinger, Edinger Consulting

<b>Spend time in the field</b>: Ride with them to the appointments, ask them questions about their plans for the call, give them feedback on what they did right ~ Matt Sunshine

<b>Create a feedback loop</b> that becomes part of your day-to-day management routine. Don’t let your annual review be the only time you discuss performance with your employees. ~ Vishal Shah

<b>Explain the why:</b> Communications change behaviors. The best sales managers are clear about expectations and value. http://ow.ly/fZQC30eXgHa

<b>Coach the middle 2/3 of reps</b> who have both the room for improvement and the incentive to be top performers. ~ Shelley Cernel

<b>Deciding who coaches</b> is just as important as committing to coaching in the first place, and the answer can differ depending on the organization. http://ow.ly/7sjV30eXdWz

<b>Block out an hour weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly:</b> Meetings become routine, which will help both parties prepare and take the meeting seriously http://ow.ly/rN6A30eXepG

<b>Effective coaching programs address the different needs of employees,</b> regardless of their age or experience – bridging the gap between sales training and field experience http://ow.ly/42SW30eXf

<b>A formal mentoring program</b> or even an informal buddy system, helps your new hires hear success stories and winning strategies directly from your rockstars http://ow.ly/TrVO30eXgm4

<b>Provide rewards</b> to those who engage in coaching and consequences for those who opt out. http://ow.ly/wbvS30eXhuA

<b> Let the employee do the talking</b>. The biggest mistake managers make is they do all the talking during a coaching session and not enough asking or listening. http://ow.ly/it0C30eXhXE

<b>Execute:</b> Sales coaches help sellers develop habits to reach their goals, get the most from their time, and help sellers maintain current, written & public action plans. http://ow.ly/51ns30eXiRm

<b>Hold your rep accountable</b> Effective coaches understand once a plan of action is in place their role is to hold the sales rep accountable http://ow.ly/OQUY30eXlVg