What is your best sales coaching story?

Coaching to success

Every sales team has a wide variety of performers, from excellent to laggards.  But the challenge is how to keep your bottom line humming the tune of profitability with non-performers on board. 

I was delighted to hear this story of success from a Director of Sales at Microsoft. She had a non-performer on board that she could no longer 'carry.'

She brought him in to have frank conversation on his performance. It sucked, she shared.  He was at risk of being let go within the month. Was this really what he wanted for himself?

He stated he had no intention of being let go from Microsoft. He was ready to accept her help.

She agreed to coach him weekly, help him with the challenges he faced and get his numbers up above the 'yellow line.'  He agreed.   They met weekly for an hour.  He had accountability, he had goals and most importantly he had the investment of management in his success.  He took her up on her suggestions and started to thrive. His numbers improved greatly and he ENDED UP AS NUMBER ONE on the team.

Finding and hiring the right salesperson is tricky, but once hired, companies need to invest TIME and SUPPORT their sales personnel with the right mix of coaching and accountability.

What type of support do you give your sales personnel to help them bring in the sales and the profits?