Sales training organizations have long struggled with how to achieve long-term behavioral change, and how to prove it. The research brief from Sirius Decisions explains how combining coaching with enhanced measurement can actually deliver the visibility and accountability you need.

Sales coaching is often left up to managers to execute as part of on-the-job training. This has resulted in sub-optimal results, particularly where managers are not equipped with the knowledge and tools to coach or where reps are left to develop bad habits. To help reps bridge the gap between on-the-job realities and the skills and processes they’re taught in formal training, coaching must be offered in two ways:

• Traditional: This is often a one-on-one interaction between reps and their manager that helps to influence behavior through observation and feedback. In order to be successful this requires training, justification and situational application; and

• Unassisted: As managers can’t be there all the time, it’s necessary to align training with the rest of your support structure so that reps can choose the right route to solving their issue on their own. This may include a blend of process or tools playbook or content marketing and competency models.

With training and coaching in place, the next step is to determine an appropriate and accurate way to measure the success of the activity. The Research Brief identifies several ways to achieve this, both from an objective service perspective and also by collecting specific feedback from both reps and managers.

By measuring the impact of training initiatives, coaching can then reinforce the activities more effectively and produce actual behavioral change that has a real impact on sales performance.

A copy of the Research Brief is now available for download Mindtickle.com.