When salespeople start to slip, these keys will help put them back on track.

When a salesperson hits a slump or simply loses a bit of motivation, one-on-one coaching is often the best way to help that rep regain the focus necessary to succeed.

These situations often arise when salespeople slowly drift from the fundamental sales techniques and processes that made them so successful to begin with.

When that happens, use these coaching tactics to help salespeople regain their confidence, while motivating them to go out and close deals with a renewed sense of purpose:

• Join the salesperson on a sales call, or (if possible) have him or her tape a few sales and prospecting calls that you can review. Then complement the rep on what he or she is doing well, and provide advice on what could be done better.
• Pinpoint exactly where each person’s problem lies. Spending an entire coaching session focusing on closing won’t make a difference if what a salesperson really struggles with is cold calling.
• Prepare a list of points to address. Once you know the areas where a salesperson could use some improvement, jot down how you plan to address each one. That way your training session stays on point and you cover everything you set out to.
• Know what your main objective is. What do you want the salesperson to do differently as a result of this session? What is the one key area you think the salesperson needs to focus on most? How will you gauge or measure the session’s effectiveness? When and how do you plan to follow up?
• Have the salesperson focus on one fundamental sales principle at a time. Asking a person to focus on three or four different fundamentals will only confuse and demotivate him or her. One of the objectives of any coaching session is to ensure the salesperson walks out feeling good about the job and motivated to get results.
• Start the session with praise about something the salesperson did well during a sales call (e.g., “First, I just want to mention that I thought you did a great job of … “). This boosts the salesperson’s confidence and makes him/her feel as if you’re an advocate and there to help.
• Ask the salesperson to repeat which fundamental he or she plans to focus on and what the goal is going forward at the end of each session. Then set a firm date and time to follow up, and — depending on the situation — provide meaningful incentives or consequences to ensure the salesperson stays on point.

Tags: closing, coaching, fundamentals, management, motivation