Sales Manager Life Savers

Sales Management Productivity Tips

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Top 8 Sales Management Productivity Hacks

Fact: Sales management is the busiest job in the world. Okay, maybe that’s not a real fact, but if you’re a sales manager, you probably feel like it is. Chances are, you’ve got a pretty tremendous and stressful workload. According to the American Institute of Stress, 39% of stress reported amongst employees in the US is caused by an overwhelming amount of work.

So, what happens when you can’t get it all done? For starters: you go home later, you feel less satisfied with your accomplishments, and you add an extra level of anxiety to your plate. Let’s get some of that time back in your day.

Here are our top 8 sales management productivity tips:

1. Make Proactivity the Goal

Start by leaving your reactive self in the past. How? First, we need to identify your priorities. I get it, you received 100 emails just in the time you are reading this blog. But you were not hired to write emails. So, let’s take a closer look at what you were hired to do and what your priority should be. Next, set your daily goal to hit that priority. Setting (and hitting) that goal will make you feel a lot more productive and will make it easier for you to stay on track. Finally, we need to learn how to recognize whether the new things that come our way each day are proactive versus reactive. This will help you say “no” at the right times and help you prioritize the things that you really NEED to get accomplished.

Hint: Reading emails = Reactive. Helping reps with questions that pop up = Reactive. Calling a strategy meeting to help a rep hit their goal = Proactive! Creating a new KPI report = Proactive!


2. Rethink Meetings

Your meeting cadence is the process that organizes your team’s regular interactions. When scheduled properly, the cadence will prevent you from handling a series of reactive “fires” every day. Create the cadence that works best for you and your team. We’ve taken a bit of time to dive into the 8 essential sales manager meetings. Check out this deep dive and learn which meetings are short, which are long, which are 1:1, and which should be done in a group. Read more here: 8 Essential Manager Meetings. While you’re working on your meeting cadence you can also perfect your 1:1 meetings.


3. Live in the Matrix

Have you used the Eisenhower Matrix before? If not, it all starts by asking yourself 2 critical questions. Is it urgent? Is it important? From there we break things down into 4 groups.

  1. Is this a Fire Drill?
  2. An item to Schedule?
  3. An item to Delegate?
  4. Or an item to Trash?

Eisenhower

Let’s dive in a little deeper to see how these questions help us categorize each task. First are the urgent items. Urgent means time-sensitive and goal-related. Maybe the customer is on the phone and needs an answer to close the deal, or maybe the contract department is reviewing your deal in 1 hour and you need to tie up a few loose ends first.

Next are the important items. Important means it is critical to the mission but it is not time-sensitive. These important things can be scheduled out. This might be mapping out a strategy for a certain campaign, or reviewing the team\’s numbers to ensure they will hit goal.

Now, let’s see how the two questions help us categorize our tasks

  1. Important + Urgent = Fire Drill – do it ASAP
  2. Important + Not Urgent = Schedule – put some time on your calendar to complete the task
  3. Not Important + Urgent = Delegate – find the right member of your team to handle this task
  4. Not Important + Not Urgent = Trash – remove it from your plate

 

4. Start Saying “No.” A LOT

Spoiler alert: You’re about to find out that 3 out of 4 requests aren’t urgent OR important. Oftentimes, they’re actually something your rep can figure out on their own. So, we need to get REALLY good at pushing pop-up requests to meetings, delegating to others, and taking them off your plate!

Here’s how we’ll do it:

  1. Identify the proactive tasks
  2. Categorize tasks according to urgency and importance
  3. Properly respond to requests. It looks something like this…

“Hey, (Rep) this sounds AWESOME! But I’m late on a deadline right now, could you bring the story and the call recording to our call coaching session next week?”

OR

 “Whoa, (Rep), I need to stop you a moment. This sounds important and I want to give it the time it deserves. Please put it on the agenda for our 1:1 next week?”

If you’re on Slack, it could sound like this…

  • Manager: What’s up?
  • Rep: Got a minute?
  • Manager: I have 30 seconds right now, or 15 minutes at 2pm. Hit me back then if you still need help?
    • Here we are putting the action item back on them. You’re not saying you will call them at 2pm, you’re saying call me if you can’t figure out a solution to your problem.

OR

  • Rep: Got a minute?
  • Manager: Sorry, in a meeting. Can you reach out to Bob, please?
    • Here we are delegating to someone else to help the rep.

5. Get COACHN℠

I probably spent 3 hours preparing for my first team meeting. From the scheduling, to figuring out what to say, to deciding what I needed, to realizing I forgot really important things, it was draining, to say the least. What I realized is that if I streamlined the process and prepared for each meeting the same way, I could save myself HOURS of previously wasted time (I only say wasted because those hours were not helping my team reach goal).

Through that painful process, we developed the COACHN Model™. This acronym is about to make your meeting preparation SO MUCH EASIER!

COACHN℠ stands for:

C: Clarify Expectations – This sets the tone for the meeting. “Last time you decided to work on your intros and I know we have a few calls scored. Let’s see how you’re improving.” 

O: Observed Behavior – You start first, lay out facts, and list your observations before you…

A: Ask Questions – Great leaders talk in questions. Have them prepared before your meeting.

C: Commit to Actions – Your number of action items should be 0-1, their action items can be anywhere from 1-4

H: How Can I Help – This helps the rep learn to trust you. Growth is good, but we cannot grow unless we can admit that we need help!

N: Next Steps – We are agreeing at the end. “You own this, I own that, we’re going to meet again ______. Will you (rep) please send the invite!”

6. Have One Source of Truth Within the Organization

Use a standard coaching form. Define what “good” is across the company. If people move or shift, you don’t need to retrain or redefine these elements. If you need a place to start, you can grab our Call Coaching Activities here to help you prioritize and plan your coaching sessions.


7. Stop Proving, Start Delegating

It’s time to put your reps in charge. I get it, you want to help them. But you need to stop giving the fish away. Stop solving all of the problems and owning all of the actions. It’s time to teach those reps to fish instead!

Here are 6 easy things you can delegate TODAY:

  1. Grading their own call recordings and creating a list of skills to improve
  2. Sales huddles – Not all of them, but maybe 1 per week
  3. Notes from all meetings (actions, decisions, and deliverables)
  4. Their PIP actions and check-ins
  5. Scheduling follow-up meetings
  6. Team meeting training
    1. This one will require a bit more guidance, but instead of running every training session, let\’s open up a few for peer training. You will need to double-check their work beforehand (no one wants a 2-hour “look at me” session). But if you have a top rep that is CRUSHING prospecting or brush-offs, let them show the rest of the team how they do it.
8. You Cannot Control How Much Other People Care

This was a tough one for me to really wrap my head around in the beginning. But the truth is that there is a reason that you were promoted to manager. There is a reason that other people will remain as a rep. You cannot control how much other people care. When you care more about their job than they do, it will cause numerous problems.

Let me tell you a little story. Back at the beginning of my sales career, I had a rep, let’s call him “George.” Well, George just could not seem to get himself to work on time. I got one excuse after another. There was a part of me that felt guilty that I didn’t have car trouble and that I could afford a new alarm clock, etc. One Thursday during lunch I left work to go across the street to buy George a new alarm clock (I know, I know). That was when it hit me. What the hell was I doing? If George didn’t care enough to figure out how to get an alarm clock on his phone or borrow a buddy’s clock, or heck, go to Goodwill and buy a used one, then why did I care so much? That was my “ah-ha” moment. I was caring more than George and no amount of new alarm clocks was going to force him to care more.

You need to stay within your span of control. You can control your schedule, your reactions to things, and your time. You don’t control your team, you can’t control a pricing increase, you don’t control what the customer’s going to say, you just don’t. You can influence your team’s skill level, activity, and focus, but you can’t control it. There are a lot of things under your concern, but that you can’t control. There is very little you can actually control. So, stop spinning your wheels and stressing out about it. You can provide coaching and help when appropriate, but “George” is either going to make it or he’s not.

BONUS!
  1. Kill all of your notifications! All of those Instagram posts and text messages can wait until your lunch break. These notifications will only distract you and make completing your tasks take much longer.
  2. Time block goal actions on your calendar. Block out checking your email, your phone messages, etc.
  3. Keep tasks in the same place. Your meetings and your time-blocked tasks are on your calendar. But I’m betting you also have a bunch of other things to do. Compile all of those to-dos into one list. Whether it’s an app or a paper list, keep everything in the same place so nothing slips through the cracks.
  4. Set a time for similar actions and tasks. If you have 3 tasks on your to-do list that require emails, complete those tasks during your time block to check emails. If you need to go pick something up, do it at the same time you need to go to the post office. By grouping similar tasks together, your mind will be able to focus more efficiently and complete those tasks faster.

I know this was A LOT of information and your inbox has probably increased by 200 emails now, but if you take the time to start implementing at least some of these sales management productivity hacks that we talked about here, it will make a difference: in both your success and your happiness! You will feel and be more productive. It will just take a little practice!

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sales manager meetings

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8 Essential Sales Manager Meetings to Master

At my very first management job, I managed a little retail pop-up at Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Funny how that experience was SO cool in my twenties, cringy in my thirties, and now just a sweet memory.

In that job, I learned the hard way how important it is to teach yourself (or your team) what a successful meeting should look like. I learned that if you don’t have a plan, agenda, or at least a list, then what you will have is a train wreck. Your meetings will be too long, too short, too impersonal, or too casual. However, with a little pre-planning and strategy, your sales manager meetings can be both impactful and efficient! 

I will never forget my first “team meeting” at the retail store. I prepared for DAYS and my 45-minute meeting went TWO HOURS long. The patient, part-time adults working there were DYING of boredom. Every new manager has felt this pain, right? (Please, tell me I’m not alone). That experience stayed with me as I left retail and went into the bright shiny world of sales. 

In the sales world, there are so many important sales manager meetings. As a fledgling manager, it was hard for me to understand the nuances of each separate type of meeting. 

So, for all of my newbie sales managers (or future sales managers) I wanted to break down the top 8 essential sales manager meetings you need to master and provide a little insight that I wish I had in my early days. 

1. Sales Huddle
Goal:
  • This meeting should be standing room only. The point is to get in, get pumped, and get out (and on the phones!) This meeting starts the day with focus and gets everyone on the same page. It’s also a good place to set the day’s goal – “Today we’re all going to get 5 touches.” And every once in a while, this is a great opportunity to do a quick skill reminder or overview of a new skill!
How Often:
  • Newbie team – Every day
  • Tenured team – 2-3 per week
How Long:
  • Short – 15 minutes or less
Insider Tip:
  • Keep this meeting interesting, mix it up. Don’t run the meeting every time. This is a great opportunity to give those up-and-coming managers a chance to start practicing their leadership skills.
2. Performance 1:1
Goal:
  • The performance 1:1 meeting should be a private meeting with just you and your rep. You will go through all of their metrics, talk about team ranking, discuss performance, set goals for the next month, and address performance issues (if necessary). 
How Often:
  • Once per month, I recommend doing them the first week of the month.
How Long:
  • 30 – 60 minutes
Insider Tip:
  • Resist the urge to make this a 15-minute meeting, even if they’re hitting all of their numbers and you don’t think you have anything to address. If that’s the case, then use this time to build your relationship. Go beyond the numbers. Most Millennials and Gen Z crave connection to their leaders. This is a perfect chance to do just that!

 

3. Call Coaching
Goal:
  • This meeting is all about skill-building. Coaching is not about performance or discipline. We are discussing and building new skills. If you’re coaching regularly, then you’re not waiting to find something wrong. You’re either encouraging already stellar behavior or getting ahead of those areas of opportunity. This usually works best if you and your rep listen to the recorded call and score separately before your meeting. Then you come together to compare notes. Using this structure not only builds their sales skills; it helps them learn how to self-reflect. This meeting can be 1:1 or you can do a group meeting up to 3:1. Just be careful, in a group meeting it’s important that each rep still receives individual feedback on their call.
How Often:
  • Newer or Underperforming Reps – Once per week
  • Tenured or High-Performing Reps – Once per month
How Long:
  • 15 – 60 minutes
Insider Tips:
  • You don’t have to find something wrong! Coaching sessions are a great time to boost your rep’s confidence by sharing positive feedback on their calls. You can even dive deeper into their strategies and share them with new reps! (Use our COACHN℠ model to help you in your coaching sessions!)
  • Be sure you chart their progress and present a visual representation of it at least twice per year. Seeing a visualization of their progress (or lack thereof) can increase engagement, both in top-performing reps and in reps that might be underperforming.
4. Pipeline 
Goal:
  • This is a full team meeting. We are talking big picture only in pipeline (forecasting, wins and losses, clarifying needs to meet goal, adjusting expectations, and sharing strategies). To keep yourselves on track, stick to the facts – no stories. If a particular deal or client needs to be drilled into more, book a 1:1 or group strategy meeting only for the people who need to be involved. 
How Often:
  • Newbie Team – Once per week
  • Tenured Team – Once per month 
How Long:
  • Varies based on team size
Insider Tip:
  • Individual pipeline meetings kill your day and don’t do anything to motivate your newer or underperforming reps. It’s going to be easier for Rob to tell you 1:1 that he’s not going to hit goal. Announcing this to the whole team will be a bit more intimidating and can provide a little extra motivation. 

 

5. Sales Strategy
Goal:
  • This is where we look at how deals and performance are trending. We also talk about getting deals unstuck, strategizing how to penetrate accounts, etc.
How Often:
  • Newbie & Mid-Level Reps – Monthly 
  • Top Reps – Quarterly or Bi-annually 
How Long:
  • 15 – 60 minutes
Insider Tip:
  • These meetings work really well in a slightly larger group 3:1. If you are struggling with a particular rep, try pulling in your top reps to help with this brainstorming session!
  • It’s important to have your top reps present their book of business to you twice per year, even if they are continuously hitting quota without issue. Give them love!

 

6. Team Meetings
Goal:
  • This is a chance to get everyone on the same page about general items. It could be reviewing training skills, making team or company announcements, discussing customer success stories, answering product questions, or simply doing team-building exercises.
How Often:
  • Newbie Team – Monthly
  • Tenured Team – Quarterly
How Long:
  • 60 – 90 minutes
Insider Tips:
  • Try to frame company policies, product roll-outs, etc. in terms that are going to be important to your specific team. At least one team member is bored 75% of the time… most of the time it’s because they think that the issue doesn’t pertain to their job.
  • Also, this is another meeting you don’t have to run every time. Have an up-and-coming leader? Let them run with one meeting. Have another department you work closely with? Bring in one of their leaders to provide a new perspective. 

 

7. Rep Career Reviews
Goal:
  • Talk about career goals and make a plan on the skills needed to get them there. Career advancement and development are continuously two of the top elements Millennials and Gen Z are looking for from their employer. This is the perfect opportunity to provide them with the feedback they desire!
How Often:
  • Once per quarter
  • Instead of creating an additional meeting, use one of your monthly 1:1s each quarter for this meeting.
How Long:
  • 60 minutes
Insider Tip:
  • Strive for equal talking time during this meeting. The best way to understand where they want to be is by letting them tell you. 
  • If your company has a standardized annual review doc, use that during these meetings. It’s a great tool to help you track progress.

 

8. Team Training
Goal:
  • Different from a team meeting, this is the place where we answer the “how do I…” questions in greater detail. Track your top skill needs, watch for industry trends, survey your team, and then work with your enablement department. This is a great place to bring in a professional sales training provider (ahem, that’s what we do here at Factor 8)
How Long:
  • Depends on the skill being taught. Consult with your trainer and decide together how much time works best for that particular skill.
How Often:
  • Monthly or Quarterly
Insider Tip:
  • Do not do this all alone! If you have to do the hiring, training, coaching, firing, AND the rest of your job, you will never go home. If you have an enablement team, use them. If you don’t perhaps a training partner is the right move for you. 
  • Have the team do pre-work and homework if you can. The more you can get pre and post-engagement, the higher the retention rate for the training will be. 
  • Applaud improvement, any improvement. The goal here is to build a growth mindset within your organization. If you have a performance-based culture that is only celebrating the “winner” of the staff ranking, then that means that some of your team is “losing,” even if they’re hitting their numbers. People stay in jobs where they feel successful and there is more than one measurement for success.

Now, is this a list of all the sales manager meetings you will be a part of? No, but it’s a good place to start if you need to either begin setting up your schedule or if you need to take back control of it. As a manager, sometimes your day can get away from you while you are working hard to help each member of your team. If that’s the case, use this list to find the right meeting to address the question. How would you spend the extra time you’ll get back each day?

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5 Signs It’s Time to Fire a Sales Rep

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5 Signs It’s Time to Fire a Sales Rep

Is it time to fire a sales rep? We’ve all made bad hires. And we’ve all made wrong assumptions about team members. So second-guessing ourselves on whether or not to cut bait on an underperforming rep is only natural – especially in today’s war for talent.

It’s only in hindsight we realize we should have done it long ago. When the team mood shoots up, other performance rises, or we hear a few nightmare stories we kick ourselves for not acting on sooner.

But on the reverse, we don’t lose that number when we lose the headcount. Is SOMEbody better than NObody?

I’ve got to go with no. Sure, calls are getting made and a few wins in the pipe, but what could a top-performing rep do with those leads or accounts? How many messes are being made below the surface with the leads, the existing customers, and especially the team. When I hear relief from the team members “left behind” is when I feel the worst about not cutting bait. After all, culture is created by the behavior we accept, not the goals we set or even the high performers.

Here are 5 signs that you’re prolonging the inevitable and need to fire a sales rep:

1. There’s more than a performance issue

When someone isn’t going to make it, there’s typically evidence in more than one place. Call volume is an issue, but they’ve also been late a few times. Close percent isn’t great, and neither is their attitude. Check for behavioral and cultural issues in addition to sales performance. They may not be a clear-cut write-up, but they’re your evidence to double down performance managing the quantifiable issues.

2. There’s a lack of ownership

A friend of mine recently cut bait and replaced someone on their team. When I asked how onboarding the new hire was going I heard, “Well, they’re an adult, so that helps.” This was a (possibly less than eloquent albeit true) summary of what many of us have felt before. If you could be replaced by a $15 /hour babysitter, it’s a sign. If it takes more than one conversation to get something fixed all the way to completion, you’re dealing with a lack of ownership. Could be on a deal, could be about getting to work on time. Maybe it will hit you when you hear your third, fourth, or fifth excuse. The key is to recognize it early, call it out, and get them on your list.

3. One stat rises and another falls

Talk time is up, but dials are down. Quotes are up, but penetration is down. They just can’t seem to get it all going in the right direction at the same time. It’s a great clue they’re either over-employed or don’t care the right amount to give this their full effort. Try to aggregate your performance management here so they can’t sneak by with a “different” offense. Your write-up (or whatever you use) should indicate ALL measures within goal, not one specifically. Don’t waste months chasing different tails!

4. Cover-ups

The very first time you find something in the gray area, something hidden, a half-truth or half-baked answer, you have your sign. Why? Because if you see one (or a half) now, I guarantee you’re going to find 5-10x more when they leave. Look for a customer complaint, a team member’s eye roll, a deal called back by finance, an unexplainable call time or a customer CRM note. If it raises a yellow flag, do yourself the favor of turning that flag red and saving time. 

5. Hiding

Having trouble getting a meeting nailed down? See 1:1 meetings being rescheduled or long delays in getting back to you? You’ve got a hider! Hiders know something is wrong and they’re avoiding the conflict for as long as possible. Folks who are working hard and giving you their best are responsive. Employees carrying some guilt and shame don’t speak up, don’t make eye contact, and avoid 1:1 time with you. If your time together has been pushed more than once, there’s your sign (anyone else hearing Jeff Foxworthy every time I say that??). Please note that hiding may also mean going quiet. When Gallup studies engaged, disengaged, and actively disengaged employees, the ones that cost you the most (actively disengaged) are actually NOT the voice of discontent or detractors in meetings. They’re the quiet ones who have decided speaking up isn’t worth their effort. Look for voices you haven’t heard in a while and check in privately here.

sales
So you’ve come this far and you have 1 solid or perhaps 2-3 “maybe” signs that it’s time to fire a sales rep. What do you do? Address them immediately. When it lingers, it festers and the rest of your team suffers. If you have a performance management system, use it strictly. Talk with HR about making the timeline as short as possible. The key is very clear actions and deadlines to whatever expectations you have.

In addition, see what you can do to coach them up or out sooner. Plenty of employees welcome the opportunity to admit they don’t love the job, but they don’t want to let you down. Together you can decide what might be a better fit and how you can help them get there. Just last month an employee I helped coach out (and helped land the next gig) came into town and stayed with my family. We continue to like and respect each other because we addressed the growing lack of fit, clear expectations on what we needed going forward, and mutually decided on a timeframe to part ways. That’s a win-win.

It probably doesn’t feel that easy right now, but I’m willing to bet it’s because you’re second-guessing yourself on taking action. Re-read my signs above, and if your yellow flag goes even halfway up on more than one, schedule a conversation. Ask how they’re liking their job, how they think they’re performing, and if they see themselves here long term. Share your feedback with specific examples and clear go-forward expectations. It doesn’t have to be contentious, instead, expect it to be a great air-clearing meeting of the minds where you both feel better afterward.

Do your sales reps need more training?

We’ve got your back! Contact us today to learn about our customizable virtual sales training programs
available for reps (and managers).



time-saving tips

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4 Time-Saving Tips for Sales Managers

I’m writing this blog at 9 am tucked into bed with the flu. I started to write it at 7:15 am, but decided on OJ and an episode of American Housewife instead. 

In the 45 minutes I procrastinated, I received 74 emails. WHAT?!

Please be clear that I counted the new emails, scanned briefly, and then shut Outlook. Why? Because if I didn’t this article wouldn’t get written this morning – probably not even by end of day. And because if someone really needed me there are at least 3 faster ways they can get a hold of me.

Email is the new snail mail. It’s where un-urgent requests, FYIs, and sales pitches belong, and if you aren’t treating it that way you and your organization could be wasting precious time. Yes, you get enough emails to keep you busy 4-6 hours/day, and if you ignore them all the time they will pile up (you make good points my dear sweet email lover). Alternatively, answering other people’s requests is probably not the most important part of your job, is it? 

Our completely normal instinct to deal with something simple that’s in our line of sight is prioritizing other people’s to-do lists over our own. 

Here are a few best practices and time-saving tips to take back your day:

  1. Get rid of email alerts. Immediately. If we can agree that email is NOT where urgent items live (read: it has an imminent deadline), then quit interrupting your current screen with them. Every time the pop-up happens, a part of your brain goes down the rabbit hole until it finally just can’t resist a quick alt-tab to email to take care of it. It only takes a minute, right? Sure! Until you see the next one and the next one…it’s like trying to eat just one handful of popcorn at the movies. Impossible. If we could resist we wouldn’t be in our inbox right now. Kill the alerts. Be present in your current task instead.
  2. Designate a time for email. There, that may feel better to my GMail addicted friends. 🙂 I do email once a day at the end of the day. True, my assistant cleans it out for me in the morning, so I’m cheating just a little bit. Carve out two hours/day, put it on your calendar, and be strong. It only hurts for a couple of days. You’re not ignoring. You’re prioritizing. You were hired to coach, strategize, lead…not to type.
  3. Set communication expectations with your team. Have a conversation about what you consider urgent and important tasks and requests. Agree on what task/topic requires an instant message, text, phone, call, drop by, or email. Help team members know when you want to be CC’ed and when you don’t (there’s 50 less per day for you) and help them understand that if they email, they can expect a reply in 2-3 business days. If you choose to reprimand them for “bumping their email to the top” and sending you emails about their emails, that one is up to you. It may also be a great time to let them know when you’ll be doing meetings, coaching, and other activities that may not be interrupted with a minor customer issue or system question.
  4. Assess in a week. Getting more done? Finding times where you wonder what you should be doing? Getting more rep coaching done? These are good signs. If you find you’ve chewed off your nails and you’re staying at work late to do all the email, your addiction is more serious and I’m sorry for recommending this cold turkey. Try some of these gentler adjustments instead:
    1. Start the day by cleaning out emails – just book your first meeting within an hour so it doesn’t go long
    2. Try an email cleaner like Unroll.me that will aggregate your junk mail
    3. Consider delegating – if you’re on email alerts, groups, etc. for leads or training, perhaps someone on your team could monitor these and bring hot topics to a team meeting
    4. Eat lunch at your desk once or twice a week and take the extra hour to respond during that time
    5. Find one email/day your can unsubscribe or junk

I cordially invite you to try several of these time-saving tips and join me in the sweet, sweet freedom of being released from email jail. Looking for more ways to get sales management tasks done in less time? This was one of over twenty hacks in our top-rated sales manager course “Own Your Day”, which is now available on-demand at The Sales Bar.

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Coaching Culture

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Do I Have A Coaching Culture?

Last week, I got an email from an old friend and colleague. Together we launched the inside sales team in EMEA for SAP, and we’ve stayed in touch and had a few beers when I’m overseas – you know the drill. 

He emailed and asked, “How will I know when I have a true coaching culture?”

Love this question. Wish more leaders would ask it! Well, I instantly started forming a little “Cosmo quiz” in my head. Take it for me and let me know how you scored – even better, see if you can add a question!

If you’re not making the top half, click here to get a replay of my recent webinar with the Sales Management Association. 

Do I have a Coaching Culture? 
  1. I see managers prioritizing coaching sessions over other tasks and meetings
  2. I see reps asking for more coaching
  3. Managers can recite skills trends, like what newbies struggle with most 
  4. Training opportunities are offered abundantly at all levels
  5. I see new strategies being implemented smoothly and quickly (e.g. we all need to do XYZ on calls)
  6. We have libraries of different kinds of recorded calls available
  7. Reps feel comfortable having a third person in the room/call observing coaching 
  8. Everyone shares the same understanding of what “good” looks like on calls 
  9. Leaders regularly talk about coaching, rep development, and manager skills 
  10. Managers coach after the call, not during

Scoring
(you know I’m making this up, right?)

  • Yes = add 2 points 
  • Sometimes = add 1 point
  • Heck no = subtract 2 points

20 Points: Seriously impressive. If you don’t already have conversational intelligence tools like Chorus, Gong, or ExecVision, your team is worth the investment! You may even be ready to integrate sales skill and coaching scores into balanced scorecards, rep and manager reward & compensation. Chances are, you have more than 55% of your floor hitting quota. Advertise your coaching culture in job postings and keep nurturing it with your leaders and managers. 

12-19 Points: You, my friend, are middle of the pack. Chances are you come up average in floor quota attainment (about 55%), have some managers who are great at it, and plenty of reps who resist it. You may have great intent but be lacking in execution. There’s never really a coaching emergency, is there? Watch the webinar recording and pay special attention to strategy and process tips.

5-11 Points: In a sea of struggle, I’m sorry to say you’re rock bottom. I’m willing to bet there are more issues than coaching with the culture and you’re struggling with high turnover and “whack a mole” management. When we struggle to make the number, a focus on development never tops the priority list. Keep the resume updated, because it will be harder and harder to keep and attract talent.

So what IS a coaching culture? It’s hard to define, isn’t it?

Culture is how an organization feels when you visit it or are a part of it. It’s the company’s personality, right? I think culture is made up of pace (Factor 8 = super fast), formality (super informal), focus (results), attitude (an underdog with confidence) and language choice (you can probably guess, we’re not afraid of the F word at Factor 8).

Most leaders think culture is shaped by company values. To those leaders, I share the quote by Grunter and Whitaker:

“The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate.” 

Think of your top rep, your worst manager, the lazy guy in the next department. They show what is acceptable – it’s the bottom of the grading curve that shows where the curve really is. This is impactful.

Yes, the top of the curve matters too! But I can cite too many examples of top performers bending rules or operating in ethical gray areas. Can you? Is that tolerated where you are? Encouraged? Maybe even accidentally celebrated?

The thing about a coaching culture is that it implies all the feel-good areas of human performance, not necessarily hard numbers. To me, a coaching culture implies:

  1. A focus on skill development (is training provided?)
  2. Improvement over perfection (is failure celebrated?)
  3. An openness to give and receive feedback (does this happen at all levels?)
  4. A prioritization of people and their career development (are career paths defined?)

Implementing a conversational intelligence tool does not a culture create. In fact, I’ve seen it make cultures worse. Leaders used technology meant to aid development for compliance over coaching and “caught” reps who didn’t say required phrases. Ouch.

Right now, this is more important than ever. The generations we’re hiring have three top priorities:

  1. Opportunities for development
  2. Opportunities for advancement
  3. Access to leadership

Coaching helps check all three of these boxes, and if your team’s boxes aren’t being checked there are plenty of revenue jobs available right now. Attract and keep great talent with a coaching culture.

Want more tips on creating a coaching culture?

Fill out the form below to watch the recording from
our recent session on“Creating a Coaching Culture”

Step Down From Sales Management

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Should You Step Down from Sales Management?

Not sure you did the right thing pulling the trigger for the promotion? Miss your old customers? Not getting done working until dark? Losing your mind babysitting? Have you calculated what you make an hour now vs. when you sold for a living?

We get you. You aren’t alone!

In fact, over 50% of new sales managers don’t stay in their role. Some opt to take a step down from sales management, some are asked to leave due to poor performance. The sad part is that you LOVED selling, right?! Most awesome sellers are ambitious and competitive by nature like you. Of COURSE you investigated moving up! And yes, you probably should be a VP someday soon, but this interim gig of front-line sales supervision stinks.

Nobody cares as much as you do. Not a single week goes by with everyone actually showing up and working a full week. You’re saying the same things over and over. You spend your days fighting fires. It’s impossible to know where to spend your time. Useless meetings crowd your calendar. Remember the days where your own hard work determined your destiny and your paycheck? Where you could carry the number over the line AND win a great trip or bonus? Those were the days…

Now you’re thinking of leaving the company – throwing away all the product and service knowledge and years of experience…not to mention relationships and street cred! AHH!!

So, how do you know if you should stay or you should go (if you’re singing it in your head, you get it)? Only you have the ultimate answer, but in the meantime, I’ve created a fun little quiz to help.

Take the Quiz Below!


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inside sales call coaching

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Why Is Inside Sales Call Coaching Failing?

Call coaching has been ranked as sales managers’ #1 worst skill, according to the Sales Executive Council. Surprised? Me neither. Harsh, but fair.

According to data from Objective Management Group, only 7% of sales managers are capable of coaching their team. This is especially disappointing when you keep in mind that coaching salespeople at least 3 hours a month yields an average of 7% over the goal.

I struggle with inside sales call coaching myself. Why? Because it’s just so much easier to take over the call myself. Are you with me?

Here are some quick tips to help former sellers who are struggling to transition to a coaching role.

Your Inside Sales Call Coaching Isn’t Working. Here’s Why:

Sales management is THE busiest job in the world.

The line at the desk, backlog of emails, and cacophony of instant messages are real. Our best-laid plans go by the wayside as we attack the latest fire, and we take a reluctant loss in the coaching arena.

That means missed sessions, rushed sessions, and I-never-bothered-to-schedule-it sessions. So before we even attempt to execute good coaching, we’re upside down because reps come into our sessions feeling neglected.

Don’t buy it? Check out the study by ExecVision and The Bridge Group that cited managers report nearly 2x the coaching time that reps do!

The majority of call coaching that is happening is informal.

Think about your company’s own processes for a minute.

  • Do you have a call coaching guide?
  • Do you have a call coaching framework that’s mapped to the customer’s journey?
  • Do you have set call coaching appointments, and keep those promises?
  • Do you have a trend analysis where you can see how people are improving their skills?
  • Do you have clear, firm expectations about reps showing up and showing improvement?

According to the trends we’ve seen in the call coaching sphere, most likely the answer is “no.” Don’t sweat it. I’ve literally NEVER seen a team that answers “Yes” to all of the above. And yet it’s this level of rigor that is required to get the big, silver-bullet-level lift of sales results.

A best-in-class inside sales call coaching program can lead to a 10-60 percent increase in quota attainment (CSO Insights). Quite a swing in the results there. I unpack these stats a little bit more in an article for Selling Power.

All of the items above are components of a more formal coaching process that uses best practices. Accomplishing this in the real world will require support from a high-level sales leader:

  • A strategy team
  • Input from multiple support departments, like Customer Success, Quality, Training, and Marketing
  • Process documentation
  • External training resources
  • Follow-up – lots of it!

We just never learned how to call coach.

Truth: Great sellers are crappy coaches. Unless you study coaching techniques, take some skills training, adopt a meeting methodology, and get regular feedback, you’re probably making at least one of the insanely common (but sadly soul-crushing) coaching boo-boos we see daily.

And because we’re not experts, most of us wind up DEAL coaching, not REP coaching.  The result is that reps leave call coaching sessions feeling like crap or confused. Instead, they should walk out feeling like a freaking superhero. (You and I know that confidence sells.)

So now that we’ve convinced you that call coaching is a losing battle, please step back from that ledge. We should still try.

New call-to-action

At Factor 8, we teach The COACHN℠ Model for sales coaching success.

Here’s what it looks like:

1. Clarify Expectations

This is as simple as starting the meeting by saying, “We’re going to start a formal call coaching program where we’ll listen to some calls and talk about it.” Or, kick-off meetings by recapping what you went over last time, and outlining what you want to get out of the session today.

2. Observe Behavior

This is the step where you actually give your opinion to the rep.

One simple formula to avoiding hurt feelings is saying, “I heard you did this on the call, and it seems like the outcome was this.” Keep it factual and nonpersonal.

3. Ask Questions

Ask at least five questions during the call coaching section.

The goal here is self-discovery for reps. The more they have time to answer questions the more the light bulb will go off and they’ll start learning things on their own. This doesn’t happen as readily when managers are simply telling reps what to do.

4. Commit

Wrap up the call with takeaways for your reps to work on before your next coaching session. Reference one of the questions they answered before, saying, “I really loved your suggestion; why don’t we work on that for next time?”

5. How Can I Help?

Offer your help! This can seem awkward at times, but there are some great ways to do it.

Try it by using one of these lines:

  • “Why don’t we role-play right now?”
  • “Do you want to give it a try?”
  • “Would you like me to review some more calls?”

This lets reps know that you care and are dedicated to their success.

6. Next Steps?

Assign tasks for your reps to practice before the next meeting.

Be sure to set them up for success by telling them exactly what you’d like to see. Here’s an example: “Send me three calls during which you think you put this into practice really well, and we’ll review next time.”

Stick With It!

Following The COACHN℠ Model reminds me to do all the important parts. Most important among those is asking questions and getting commitments.

Please note: Nowhere in this model did we say, “Here’s how I used to do it” or “Use this script!” Call coaching is tough. I hope these tips were fun and easy to implement. We’ll keep talking about this and how we can improve our techniques. Smart sales managers don’t give up on-call coaching.

Make a goal to get better at this each year. Buy some books or check out some on-site or online training like The Sales Bar to help you get there.

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Is Sales Management Right for You

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Is Sales Management Right for You?

Recently, one of the awesome women in #GirlsClub shared that she wanted to move all the way up the sales ladder before trying management. She wanted to be credible to her future team. She had also learned the hard way that just because she could DO sales didn’t mean she could TEACH sales. I was so freaking proud of her at that moment. She knew her strengths and she was not blindly reaching for the promotion. It also gave me pause.

Do we need to do every role in sales before managing? I didn’t. I sold for a short time and then leap-frogged into sales (see my story here). 

Truth is, management is not a fit for everyone – regardless of your sales prowess. In fact, maybe because of your sales prowess. I’ve seen top reps make horrible managers and “B” reps be amazing coaches.

It’s really more about your natural behaviors and values than skills. Our (amaaaazing) Marketing Director at Factor 8 is very actively NOT seeking a management role. My bestie says the same thing, “Hell no! Life is better when I’m in charge of my own destiny and not in charge of anyone else’s crap.” My bestie may have a mouth like mine. 😉 

So if you’re wondering, “Is sales management right for me?”, start by asking yourself a few questions:

  1. Am I a natural teacher? If you love mentoring the new kid, lending a helping hand, and being shadowed, this is absolutely your first clue that management is a good direction.
  2. Does answering lots of questions annoy me? If your daily highlight is being the go-to person, it’s another good clue. (In contrast, my bestie says, “Stop freaking Slacking me! Figure it out yourself! What am I, your mom!?” Not so much someone who’ll love management…) 
  3. How important is control to me? This one’s a double-edged sword. Most great managers have a high “D” factor in the DISC assessment or “A” factor in Predictive Index. Those behavior traits that say things like, “driver, in charge, authoritative, assertive” (in my case…competitive, pioneering, sometimes arrogant. Wait, what?!) When you strive to lead, actually having the title really helps. You feel more in charge of your own destiny and less likely to go crazy based on what “they” are doing above.

Flipside: As a manager, you actually have LESS control over your daily life, workload, task list, end results, and paycheck. You’re basically being judged by and paid on the average performer on your team. If that last sentence gave you hives, keep driving your own sales car; don’t trade it in for the sales school bus.

If you’re still not sure if sales management is right for you, join me (or watch the recording) for a free session on “Tips To Get Promoted To Sales Manager” where I’ll share my top tips to help you determine if management is meant for you and, if it is, how to get that promotion.

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5 Quick Tips for New Sales Managers

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5 Quick Tips for New Sales Managers

My first year in sales management was rough. I try hard to celebrate that sweet, young thing instead of cringing, but it’s hard some days. I remember some doozy mistakes:

  • Motivating over email. I had 2 reps on my new team that hit the end of their ramp and went against quota before anyone else. Chris and Melissa (no kidding, 23 years later). I thought they might need some boosting, and I never saw them as they sat way on the other side of the office as I did. So I sat down and crafted a long letter.

Go. team.

There were so many things wrong with that email!

  • Shall we talk about coaching? I was terrified. To be clear, I had no experience selling what they were selling, no experience managing, and had never call coached in my life. Yeah, saying I avoided it like the plague would be an understatement. Except for my tenured guy, Noonan. I always tried to coach with him because I’d learn something. Guess who REALLY didn’t want my novice help? (he’d applied for my job) 

Bingo. 

  • Meeting management. Looking back I think I managed everything ad-hoc except for our team meetings. Those would go on for HOURS because I crammed everything into one. I’d prepare for DAYS. I’d still go long. THEN the guest speaker would come in.

Nightmare.

Yeah, these are real stories. It took me about six months to figure out the job and for my team to excel. And we did. We became number one in the division in those 6 months. Most days I think they did it in spite of me! And because I still feel the embarrassment, frustration, and exhaustion in my body as I type this, I’ve spent my career trying to fix it for others.

Factor 8 management curriculum is literally job training for sales managers. Not leadership training with a few sales role-plays, it’s how to do the freaking job. Like I wish someone would have taught me. It’s one of the key 3 ingredients in the over 100+ promotions we’ve earned with our #GirlsClub communities! Here are a few nuggets we teach and share. If you’re a new manager or an aspiring one, I hope you’ll take one (or a few) of our online management courses or programs. They’re bite-sized versions of our Fortune 1000 corporate programs.

Tip 1:

Get your house in order. A manager’s cadence is akin to a rep’s sales process. It’s the dance steps, the framework, the skeleton on which you’ll hang your management suit. Get it locked down. We teach about six essential manager meetings:

  1. The performance 1:1
  2. The sales huddle
  3. The quarterly review
  4. The team pipeline meeting
  5. The sales strategy meeting
  6. The team meeting

Each of these has different goals, timelines, and preparation actions, but once you lock these in you’re halfway home to getting a hold of your day. If you’d like to see your family or some daylight hours during your first year, believe me, this is key!

Tip 2:

Delegate everything you can to these meetings. Keep the line away from your desk and work through needs in their appropriate meeting. It’s like getting file folders for all the crap on your desk. Be clear:

Sales Reps are like water. We will ALWAYS flow to the path of least resistance. 

Asking you to help or do it for me will always be easier than me looking it up or figuring it out. Resist, dear friend, resist. Fish. Teaching. Eating. You get it, right? Remember, daylight hours! When we spend all day with a “line at our desk” (remote equivalent: Slack blowing up), we feel GREAT we helped people all day and we had some answers, but then we get to keep working all night to do our real job.

Tip 3:

Get really clear on your job role. You’re going to WANT to solve everything for your team because this validates you. We all feel nervous in these new roles and it’s hard to immediately strike the right balance of power. New leaders are either baby tyrants or mother hens. Leading through telling or leading through helping. Find the middle ground. On two sides of the paper, fill them up. Now you know what NOT to do.

Tip 4:

Stop doing your old job. The Peter principle is a real thing. It means you’ll keep getting promoted until you reach your limit of competence. Translated, that means until you quit learning the new job and we find you still doing your old job. Don’t fizzle out at the first leadership rung. No, you can’t keep any accounts. No! Uh-uh! Zip! None. Give it to a rep on your team and help them be great instead.

Tip 5:

Celebrate failures and wins. Every week come together as a team to talk about the week’s highlights. It keeps you all focused on the W’s, motivated to do it again, and builds unity. Keep it short, but be sure it also includes failures. The best sellers and managers see sales as a sport in which they’ll continuously improve. That means failing. No’s. Lost deals. Hang-ups. For you it means upset. Missed opportunities. Stepping in it with your boss. Share these with your team too. If you can vulnerably share your journey to being the best leader you can be for them, they’ll cheer you on your journey.

So will I.

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mastering call coaching

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Tips for Mastering Call Coaching

Call coaching is literally THE hardest new skill for sales managers. Yes, it’s a new skill even if you’re not a new manager. Why? Because as a seller – hell, as a HUMAN – our job is to take action to get results. We are “me” focused and “results” focused. Coaching flips this on its head as we’re told to be “rep” focused and skill improvement vs. deal focused. Let’s be clear, you guys…

THAT.

ISN’T.

NATURAL.

And the better you were as a seller, the harder it was as a manager. Great sellers are competitive, a little selfish and needy (c’mon, own that), and ruthlessly devoted to the “W.”

DOWNLOAD: Call Coaching Tips To COACHN Success

In fact, the very best skill coaching (aka call coaching aka just coaching) is NOT focused on the deal. It’s about the rep’s development first and foremost. Focusing on the deal over the rep is where we get in trouble and make common coaching mistakes like, “The Laundry List” and “Be Like Me.” Why? Because we’re impatient to get the win, to save the deal, to bank the commission. Let me summarize in caps, as that makes me feel like I’m really driving the point:

GOOD CALL COACHING IS NOT DEAL COACHING.

If you can enter into the meeting 100% not caring if they win or lose the revenue and only if they feel better about themselves and are excited to improve, then you get it.

You’re also some sort of superhero because that’s basically impossible.

OF COURSE, you care about the “W”. You’re in sales!!

So, herein lies the rub, folks. This is exactly why The Sales Executive Council ranked call coaching as sales managers’ #1 worst skill. Because…

CALL COACHING SIMPLY ISN’T NATURAL.

Over my years in sales leadership and training leadership, I’ve developed a lot of hacks to fix this situation. For example, I only use call recordings of past deals. This prevents my natural sales animal from emerging and ripping the headset off a sweet, well-meaning newbie and taking over the deal (and thereby completely deflating if not scaring my employee).

I also have a GREAT way to take notes during the call to help me vent my frustrations, but still appear supportive and encouraging to an underperformer (admit it, that’s hard).

There’s also a rule of thumb to NEVER break on what to coach, plus:

  • How many things to coach at once
  • How often to coach each rep
  • How to track it so improvement happens
  • How to make time to do more coaching

It’s a complex challenge we face in doing more and better coaching on the job. And going virtual didn’t help. Alas, it’s a worthy pursuit. Frankly, I feel a bit like the Captain Ahab of sales call coaching. I’ve evolved, improved, and added to my training solution pretty much every year for the past ten years. I keep searching for new and improved silver bullets to make the transition easier and faster. And we’re getting there, folks. We’ve created a comprehensive and effective program that changes behaviors and results (contact us if you’re interested in our sales call coaching training).

I would be remiss if I did not mention the call coaching framework we created here at Factor 8: The COACHN℠ Model. It ensures reps and managers have the most efficient and effective coaching sessions possible. Check out the image below (and save it to your desktop!).

COACHN

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