Coaching salespeople into sales champions: a tactical playbook for managers and executives

About the Author

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1. The Death of Management

Becoming an Executive Sales Coach

But I'm Already Coaching ...

Making the Shift from Sales Manager to Executive Sales Coach

The Missing Discipline of Sales Coaching

Defining the Role of a Sales Coach

A Coach versus a Mentor

Nine Barriers to Coaching a Sales Team

Consultant, Trainer, or Coach?

Managers Don't Have Time to Manage

Understanding the Commitment to Coach Your Sales Team

Get a Coach for the Coach

Five Core Characteristics of the World's Greatest Sales Coaches

Chapter 2. The Coach's Mindset: Six Universal Principles of Masterful Coaching

Management's Eternal Conundrum

Hitting Rock Bottom

You Can't Coach What You Fear

The Strong, Fearful Leader

Universal Principle of Masterful Coaching No. 1: Make Fear Your Ally

Universal Principle of Masterful Coaching No. 2: Be Present

Universal Principle of Masterful Coaching No. 3: Detach from the Outcome

Universal Principle of Masterful Coaching No. 4: Become Process Driven

Universal Principle of Masterful Coaching No. 5: Be Creative

Universal Principle of Masterful Coaching No. 6: Become Fully Accountable-for Everything

The Top 19 Excuses Managers Use to Justify Why Salespeople Fail

Chapter 3. Six Fatal Coaching Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Coach the Relationship with Their Story

Fatal Coaching Mistake No. 1: Believing the S.C.A.M.M.-A Manager's Most Elusive Adversary

Fatal Coaching Mistake No. 2: Wanting More for others than They Want for Themselves

Fatal Coaching Mistake No. 3: Are You Coaching Your Salespeople or Judging Them?

Fatal Coaching Mistake No. 4: Coaching Isn't about the Coach

Fatal Coaching Mistake No. 5: Share Ideas, Not Expectations

Fatal Coaching Mistake No. 6: Mismanaging Expectations: Are You Preparing Your Sales Team for Change?

Chapter 4. Tactical Coaching

Who Do You Coach?

A.G.R.O.W.T.H. Success Indicator to Determine Personal Coachability

Don't Coach the Squeaker

Coaching the Whole Person

Developing Sales Champions from the Inside Out

What Do You Coach? Coach the Gap

Do I Coach Them or Train Them?

What Exactly Can You Coach?

The Top 10 Characteristics of Highly Effective Salespeople

Chapter 5. The Seven Types of Sales Managers

The Seven Ps

The Problem-Solving Manager

The Question is the Answer

Solution-Oriented Questions

Chapter 6. Ignition On! Now They're Inspired

The Pitchfork Manager

Push versus Pull-A Simple Model of Motivation

Let Your Salespeople Tell You What Motivates Them

Ask Your Salespeople How They Want to be Coached

Motivate through Pleasure Rather than Consequence

Communicate from Abundance Rather than From Scarcity

Make Acknowledgment Unconditional, Measurable, and Specific

Make Your People Right, Even When They're Not

Create New Opportunities Rather than Make People Wrong

Chapter 7. Assumptive Coaching and Dangerous Listening

The Pontificating Manager

Eight Barriers That Prevent Masterful Listening

Listening Through Filters-A Manager's Lethal Weakness

Just the Facts, Please

Encourage Silence

Focus More on the Message Than on the Messenger

Listening to Someone or Listening for Something

Make People Feel They Are Being Heard

The Presumptuous Manager

Don't Believe Everything You Tell Yourself

Get Out of Your Way and Out of Your Head

Be Curious

Chapter 8. Vulnerability-Based Leadership

The Perfect Manager

Express Your Authenticity: Become Vulnerable

Embrace Your Humanity

Evidence of an Emerging Culture

Vulnerability and Trust

The Passive Manager

Embrace Healthy Conflict

Call Them Out Using the Coaching Edge

Take a Stand for Your Salespeople

Declare What You Really Want for Your Sales Team

The "I'm Sensing That" Statement

The Proactive Manager

A View from the Sidelines

Chapter 9. Facilitating an Effective Coaching Conversation

Preparing for the Coaching Session

The Anatomy of a Coaching Session

The Coaching Prep Form

Strategic Coaching Questions

The L.E.A.D.S. Coaching Model

The Management Conversation

The Coaching Conversation

Going Deeper-Breakthrough Coaching

How Much Coaching is Enough?

Chapter 10. The Art of Enrollment

It's All about Connection

Making an Impact

Leaving Your Legacy as a Manager

The Art of Enrollment

Enrollment is a Universal Phenomenon

Creating the Possibility for Change

The Six Steps of an Enrollment Conversation

Case Study: Enrolling Someone to Improve their Quality of Work

Case Study: Enrolling Someone to Become More Accountable

The Written Word: Crafting a Compelling Message

Chapter 11. The Seduction of Potential

Potential is the Holy Grail

The Seduction Begins: The Ether of Potential

The Hard Cost of Complacency

You Can't Build a Business on Potential

When to Give up and Let Go

Master the Art of Abandonment

The Top Trigger Points of Seduction

Chapter 12. Develop an Internal Coaching Program

Identifying a Turnaround Opportunity

Holding Your People Accountable

Week One: Introducing the Turnaround Strategy-An Enrollment Conversation

Week Two: A Minor Setback or Imminent Failure

Week Three: On The Winner's Path

Week Four: A Successful Turnaround

Designing an Executive Sales Coaching Program

How to Turn Around or Terminate an Underperformer in Less than 30 Days

Fire Them and Then Hire Them

Tips from the Coaches' Playbook

Conclusion

Final Thoughts on Being an Executive Sales Coach

Appendix

The Playbook of Questions for Sales Coaches

The 80-20 Rule on Coaching Questions

Index