How Sales Development Coaching Methodologies Have Evolved

Sales training has been around since the late 1800s. After the industrial revolution brought new, more efficient ways for factories to build products for the masses, salesmen began to pop up everywhere. It wasn’t long before sales training programs followed. These programs taught salesmen “tricks” like how to stand, how to hand over a pen when closing a deal, and other effective body language skills.

Early Sales Development Coaching

In the early 20th century, sales developed its stereotype. Early trainers such as Tom Hopkins, Arthur Sheldon, and Elmer Wheeler taught the art of salesmanship with coaching seminars and training classes on how to sell when the customer says no, and Wheeler popularized the phrase, “Don’t sell the steak, sell the sizzle!” in the 1930s. In the same decade, Dale Carnegie published his successful book, “How to Make Friends and Influence People,” which many executives and sales professionals continue to cite to this day.

Sales training in the 19th and 20th centuries went through a number of style fluctuations from decade to decade. The selling method (snake oil selling) in the 1800s was based on misrepresentation and the idea that you can say anything you want about a product, as long as it seals the deal.

Pyramid selling (identifying and targeting decision-makers) began in 1886. From there, trust-based selling, mood or emotion selling, brand selling, and many more techniques started to develop, increasing the complexity associated with the trade. Each distinctive method had its proponents, who capitalized on selling the method to sales professionals across an increasing number of industries.

Technology Enters the Space

As early as the mid-1950s, vinyl records were being released to help salespeople learn the art of the trade. Cassettes and videos soon followed, helping professionals identify methodologies, techniques for closing a deal, and understanding the psychology of the sales interaction. Now, sales professionals have their choice of media for learning more about the industry. Sales organizations and coaches offer classroom experiences, online learning, podcasts, articles and blog posts, and one-on-one coaching. Some focus on a particular aspect of sales, while others offer tips about handling the sales experience.

Over the years, sales training evolved to encompass more than tricks of the trade or one particular sales method. The industry combines a rich history of methodology to blend art and science. Today, sales training improves techniques, skillsets, and sales style development. It focuses on individualized sales styles and constantly fluctuates. Success looks different from person to person. There are as many successful approaches to sales as there are sales development coaching books on the market today. A successful coach has the intuition and sales expertise to unlock the potential of each sales representative that comes in for training.

CLICK HERE to learn more about SALES COACHING

Additional Resources:

• The Evolution of Sales Training
• The History of Sales Methodologies – Why Some Work and Others Don’t

Beyond Sales Development Coaching: How Managers Can Continue to Nurture the Sales Team

Many sales managers put their sales team through sales development coaching to strengthen their talents. Development coaching builds your sales team’s confidence, motivation, and the ability to achieve set goals. But the process can’t end there. Managers should continue to inspire and teach their sales teams long after the coaching program is over to improve team performance.

Talk with Sales Coaches

Sales managers can learn a lot about team members from coaches. Understanding what makes each member click is the key to driving progress over time. While some sales professionals may seek coaching on their own, others complete a training program on behalf of their companies. In either situation, an open dialogue among management, coaches, and trainees can enhance team performance on the whole. For instance, if a trainee needs encouragement from management, performance may fall after the coaching period if he or she doesn’t receive that positive energy and motivation from a manager.

Avoid Over-Managing

As a manager, the best way you can help your sales team is by playing to each individual’s ability and skills. Avoid making too many hard-and-fast rules that may not work for team members in favor of general guidelines that provide encouragement and support. Sales managers should also strive to be empowering and positive influencers, rather than deprecating power figures. Many sales professionals work best when congratulated for a job well done and constructively guided through difficulties.

A successful sales manager will be just as intuitive as a sales coach is in many ways. Those who can identify and cater to their team’s needs ultimately will build a low-turnover high-performance sales team.

Communicate Often

Communication keeps the whole sales process well oiled. Listen and aim to understand your team, identify and proactively address worrisome behavior patterns, and keep goals and expectations clear. Sales managers often walk a fine line between meeting sales goals and ensuring that team members are performing at their best. Keep pressure at an even level by recognizing achievement and maintaining an open dialogue about the team’s sales goals, key performance indicators, and individual responsibility.

Successful sales managers wear many hats. They may be a psychologist, friend, data and strategy scientist, coach, and educator. Working on each one of these skills can improve the performance of a sales team long after the sales development coaching program is over. Retain talent and drive revenue by focusing on team dynamics and recognizing those who work hard to improve their performance every day.

Additional Resources:

• How to Manage a Successful Sales Team
• 12 Best Practices That Help Sales Managers Make Their Teams Successful
• How to Become a Great Sales Manager from 10 Sales Experts

How Effective Sales Development Coaching Works

Sales development coaches are talented individuals. They have the ability to both “read” and cater to their trainees. Their customized approach to training improves results because they can discover and capitalize on trainee talent and motivation. There are several styles of coaching for sales development. Whether trainees are on the lower or higher end of the sales-ability spectrum, development coaches know exactly how to encourage growth in their performances.

Sales development coaches use some of these more common approaches to sales development, from the Association for Talent Development:

Tell (provide lots of direction)

Individuals who may not have much natural talent and may require some push and motivation to see results. Coaches can improve sales techniques in these individuals by providing specific directions and using incremental goals to feed motivation. As a coach, observing how these individuals complete tasks is crucial to understanding how they respond to different motivating factors.

Explain

Individuals who benefit most from the explanatory approach tend to have some natural talent but need to understand the reasoning behind their job to remain motivated. They benefit from a dialogue during the training process and need to understand the background of the sales process before they can perform at their best.

Encourage

Naturally talented sales representatives who are somewhat naturally motivated may need only an occasional pep talk to keep performing at a high level. These individuals can get the job done on their own, but really shine when a leader is around to boost confidence.

Empower

Individuals in this style category tend to be company rainmakers. They are self-motivated and have a natural ability for sales. These trainees can go far in their careers with the right guidance. Coaches can help empowerment clients by offering confidence-boosting recognition and helping them learn how to leverage their talent with an ever-expanding sales skillset.

Sales development coaching requires an innate ability to see these different sales types and how an individual’s skillset will fit best into a particular sales culture. The typologies are basic, and a truly talented coach can mix and match qualities from each type to match an individual’s needs.

By teaching an individual from his or her unique learning style and in a way that complements aptitude, a sales development coach can encourage significant improvement in a relatively short time. Ultimately, coaching helps trainees and sales organizations sell more. Sales professionals can work toward a more-fulfilling career path and companies can identify and appropriately place sales representatives in the workplace for a higher rate of return.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Sales and Business Development Coaching

Additional Resources:

• Four Sales Coaching Styles
• The 3 Key Elements to Killer Sales Coaching
• Sales Coaching Styles: Matching Ability with Motivation