In the technology industry, good salespeople are crucial in the success of selling products and services. Since technological products are usually high-end and technology advances at lightning speed, salespeople are the make or break of the business. They need to sell products and services before the next better specification item(s) hits the market. Some sales coaching issues in the technology industry are taking too long for coaching sessions, sessions not being taken seriously, knowing the new trends and technologies, and missing sales quotas. In order to improve as an organization and as an individual, coaching sessions should be done often and expeditiously. Taking in what is said in a coaching meeting and applying it to the particular corresponding problems or issues can facilitate improved employees’ sales and help with missing quotas.
In chapter 9 of Keith Rosen’s book “Coaching people into sales champions”, he goes on to explain how to facilitate an effective coaching session. He breaks it down into nine simple steps to follow to ensure an organized meeting, although he is the first one to say that coaching meetings should not be too structured. In this chapter, we are introduced to the L.E.A.D.S. coaching model which stands for: Listen, Evoke, Answer/Respond, Discuss, and Support. Participating in more coaching sessions builds a trust factor with personnel. Trusting your coach knows best and knowing that they are there to support you is important for the relationship. Rosen ends the chapter by saying that the frequency of the meetings ultimately depends on the salesperson and how often they feel they need to be coached, unless of course there is an issue that needs to be rectified immediately. (Rosen, 2008)
A growing range of corporations are using sales coaches to assist their sales personnel to develop required skills. The main function of a sales coach is to encourage salespeople to assume responsibility for his or her own development and to support them within the process. Coaching does not need to involve long sessions and can still be conducted effectively in only fifteen to twenty minutes. The amount of coaching time required drops to only one to two minutes once staff get used to the program. The key to short and effective coaching sessions is to target one or two problems at a time. 'Small-dose' coaching involves a gap, expression of perceptions and needs, identification and elimination of barriers, development and agreement on an action plan, and follow-up. The essential skills that coaches ought to possess embodies the abilities to listen, question, relate, and convey self-confidence and a way of comfort. (Richardson, 1998)
Different business methods require completely different configurations of structure practices to attain best performance. Sales department management may be a key to useful activities and may contribute to the productive implementation of business strategies. Based on a study by Miles ...
