I've got 99 problems, and coaching your sales team ain't one.
I have 99 problems, and coaching a sales team ain't one.
I have helped 70+ startups build and scale sales teams, and I'm sure that coaching your sales team is your most critical activity for growing your revenue.
No coaching = No revenue. It's as simple as that.
But with limited resources and time, especially in early-stage startups, how do you effectively coach your sales team?
There are a few ways you can implement it right now.
The main three frameworks I use are:
Role Plays
Recordings
Live Shadowing
Role Plays
I love role plays.
I usually run role play with all new hires or a new team I'm taking on.
Role-plays should be a must before getting into live calls.
Pick a sales cycle topic you want to role-play (i.e. discovery, demo, closing) and book the meeting.
Send the role-play instructions in advance.
Run the role play; you act as the prospect; your rep is the salesperson.
As soon as it ends, ask your team member to provide feedback.
What went well?
What could have gone differently?
When they finish, share your feedback - I love the start/stop/continue framework.
Things you should start/stop and continue doing.
After this session, you want to run another role play and another until you graduate them to go live with real prospects.
Recordings
AI is playing a massive role in this aspect.
Since the launch of Gong.io, I have to say sales leaders have become way better at coaching.
We can listen to calls at scale, get insights and data, and provide valuable feedback to our reps.
However, tools like Gong.io are expensive (starting at 6/10K / year).
There is a cheaper (free) option that doesn't give you much insight but still records and summarises your calls. I use Fathom (no affiliation), but millions of AI note-takers exist. Free or paid.
Install it on your Zoom / Gmeet, create a Slack channel called #sales-recordings, and share your recorded calls.
As a leader, go in there, review some calls (2X speed) and leave your feedback. (always using start/stop/continue).
Live Shadowing
Time-consuming, yes, but there is nothing better than joining calls with your team.
You will get the whole lot:
the anticipation before the prospect logs in;
live struggles;
the good news;
the sentiments;
I still love it.
Unfortunately, since I'm fractional, I tend not to show up but to help my teams with role plays and call reviews.
But if I could or if I'd been a full-time sales leader, I'd jump right away at live shadowing.
You can stay silent or not - you can interact if you want and help close.
There is no better feeling.
Bonus point
And always trying to do it from a neutral place.
By definition, coaching someone has to be neutral. You don't want to say, 'You did this. You could have done that.'
You should use "It seems that you are having trouble getting the right decision maker on the call - what shall we do differently?" instead.
Come from a neutral place, and nobody should get defensive.
I love coaching and being coached.
That's my real superpower, I guess. 🦸♂️
Thanks for reading this far. I will see you all next week.
