We are regularly discussing the value of coaching salespeople to be the best that they can be. In fact, a few weeks ago at our last Sales Leadership Intensive in Boston, Kurlan and Associates, Inc. spent about half the time on this (by the way, due to demand, we are having an encore performance of this event on October 3rd.)
Since coaching is clearly so valuable, why do so many managers fail to make coaching a priority?
The number one answer would probably be something related to "not having enough", but let's be honest, couldn't we say that about any task that we are required to perform as a sales leader? Sales leaders tend to be busy people. Isn't it more likely a case of priorities? Many of the managers whom we assess have affirmations and experiences that don't support effective coaching. They rose through the sales ranks and developed a great sales acumen but did not grow into a great manager. They have certain beliefs about themselves (some real, some imagined) and they might say things like, "I didn't need help. We were naturals. Nobody had to coddle me or hold my hand." See what happens when someone with these intrinsic ideas attempts to coach?
I am not a huge sports fan, but I do know that Larry Bird and Isaiah Thomas were each great players in their own right. That said, what do we know about their attempts at coaching? Certainly less than stellar and many would say poor to horrible. What about the great coaches like Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers? Although they both played in the NBA, they were hardly superstars. They knew how to struggle, learned how to compensate for their lack of skills and understood the value of team. In this case, what we see in basketball is replicated in sales over and over again. Just take a quick look at how some great sales skills might translate into horrible managerial skills:
Sales Trait | Sales Benefit | Manager Deficit |
Impatience | Creates a sense of urgency | Gets frustrated with sales people |
Thinks on their feet | Can wing it in tough situations | Doesn't plan and use a process |
Not afraid to walk | Confidence in front of client | Give up on people early |
Of course, these are just examples and I am not attempting to create arbitrary rules. People can learn to coach, but it takes time. If you are a CEO or VP and have salespeople who need to be coached more regularly and effectively, there is a good chance that your managers simply don't know how. But, they will not tell you that is the problem. They will say it is something else.
