The connection between sales coaching and sales success is undeniable. Research shows that top-performing B2B sales reps receive far more coaching than their lower-performing peers.
It’s no surprise, then, that high-performing organizations consider sales coaching to be a key element of their revenue enablement strategies.
But sales coaching strategies and practices that were effective in the past may no longer be impactful. Organizations must adapt their coaching strategies as the B2B sales landscape evolves.
Recently, Mindtickle surveyed more than 600 sales managers to understand their sales coaching priorities, expectations, practices, and must-have technologies. In this post, we’ll share five of the top insights from the survey, which you can use to ensure your sales managers are properly equipped to coach and lead their teams.
Insight #1: 91% of sales managers said coaching positively affects their team’s overall performance
When done well, sales coaching can significantly impact the metrics that matter most, including win rates, average deal size, sales cycle length, and quota attainment, among others. Most sales managers are well aware of the power of sales coaching. Nearly all (91%) feel coaching positively impacts their team’s performance.
Our research also found that overall, manager sentiment about sales coaching is largely positive. That means you likely won’t have to work too hard to get buy-in from most of your sales managers. Instead, you can concentrate on providing your sales managers with the right tools, training, and support to become the best coaches they can be.
Insight #2: 70% of sales managers say the size of their team has grown in the past year
Sales managers are tasked with leading and coaching their teams toward success. But this becomes increasingly difficult as teams continue to expand.
Today, 70% of sales managers indicate their team has grown in size in the past year. The majority (49%) manage teams of six to 10 sales reps; 21% are responsible for 11 or more sellers.
A one-size-fits-all approach to sales coaching simply doesn’t work. Instead, sales managers need to identify the strengths and weaknesses of every seller and deliver tailored coaching to improve performance.
While personalized coaching is effective, it requires significant time and effort from sales managers. This is especially true for many managers with large (and growing) teams. Revenue organizations must ensure their sales managers have the tools needed to pinpoint reps’ strengths and weaknesses, deliver targeted coaching, and gauge the impact of coaching on sales performance.
Insight #3: 30% of sales managers say coaching reps is their most important managerial task
Sales managers certainly have a lot on their plates. Day in and day out, they’re responsible for countless tasks – from administrative work and internal meetings to reviewing calls and helping reps close deals. And that’s just to name a few.
Yet, when asked which task was the most important, coaching their reps was the most popular response, chosen by 30% of respondents. This reinforces the idea that sales managers recognize the critical role coaching plays in sales success.
But while sales coaching is seen as the most important task, administrative work is the most time-consuming. Revenue organizations must identify ways to streamline or automate tedious (but necessary) administrative work so sales managers have more time to coach their teams and focus on tasks that directly impact revenue growth.
Insight #4: At 78% of organizations, direct managers are responsible for sales coaching
The impact of sales coaching is well understood. But who is responsible for delivering coaching that enhances sales reps’ skills and behaviors?
In most organizations (78%), direct managers are responsible for sales coaching. More than half (57%) say level-up managers deliver coaching, while 29% leverage peer mentors.
Direct managers play a vital role in coaching, but they’re often stretched thin. Organizations must identify ways to lighten their load – while still ensuring sellers have the coaching they need to succeed.
Some organizations are leveraging artificial intelligence to achieve this balance. For example, sellers can receive AI-powered feedback on role-plays and sales calls, which they can use to refine their skills and behaviors – without waiting for their manager. Sellers can also engage in AI role-plays with an adaptive AI bot.
Peer-to-peer coaching can also lighten the load on sales managers. With the right sales coaching software, sellers can get tips and best practices from their top-performing peers, which they can use to enhance their skills and performance.
Insight #5: 65% of managers say regularly scheduled calls are the primary trigger for coaching members of their teams
Sales managers are usually responsible for supporting multiple sales reps. But how do they decide it’s time to provide coaching to one of them?
Most (65%) rely on regularly scheduled calls to determine when coaching is needed. The most common approach among sales managers (60%) is to meet with each rep weekly to deliver coaching.
These recurring meetings ensure coaching happens consistently. But sales reps also need support outside of their weekly coaching sessions. For instance, a sales rep might need help addressing tough questions from a prospect but hesitate to contact their manager. Or, perhaps the rep does reach out, but the manager isn’t available for immediate assistance. In either case, the situation can go south quickly.
Be sure to provide your sellers with just-in-time enablement. That way, they can get the information and support they need to keep deals on track – whenever and wherever a need arises.
Start delivering personalized sales coaching at scale
Sales coaching can have a significant impact on reps’ behaviors and performance. But delivering tailored coaching can seem like an uphill battle – especially for managers with large teams.
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By Poornima Mohandas
By Rahul Mathew