Every Company Needs a Sales Manager Coach to Soar

When sales teams struggle with unqualified leads, missed goals, and lost opportunities, smart sales executives often turn to a sales manager coach for a fix. While coaching lower-level salespeople has big benefits, it makes sense to start with the manager in charge so her renewed motivation can inspire the folks under her towards greater performance.

This article will cover 5 traits every good sales manager should have, and how sales coaching helps sales managers execute for development.

Trait 1: Goal Orientation

 Sales manager coaches help managers define objectives. They also increase energy, focus, and commitment. Once the goals of the sales manager and her team are thoroughly worked out, they will perform at a higher level and be less likely to experience mission creep. Furthermore, when a coach helps pinpoint a manager’s mission, the manager becomes enthusiastic about action plans, overcomes obstacles, and takes ownership over completing goals.

Trait 2: Good Communication

 It is paramount for managers to communicate well up and down the hierarchy. They are counted upon to keep management informed regarding performance, while forwarding the company line to the boots on the ground. They are also often the group “therapist” for their salespeople, and must therefore be good listeners. A sales manager coach who employs good communication skills can inspire the same in the sales managers he or she works with.

Trait 3: Independent

 Sales managers should not rely on branch managers or division heads for their day-to-day decisions, but should be able to work autonomously and make most of their own business decisions. Coaches can address this by increasing job knowledge, which in turn increases confidence. This can be as simple as opening up the employee handbook and getting the manager familiar with established policies for dealing with issues, rather than having to consult a senior authority.

Trait 4: Desire to Learn

 A sales manager coach assesses managers’ skill levels, and encourages them to take ownership of their own development. Coaches use an outside perspective to make managers aware of strengths and weaknesses they were unaware of prior to receiving coaching. Furthermore, coaches are able to help managers understand that to realize their true potential, they need to constantly work on their sales and leadership knowledge. It never ends.

Trait 5: Motivation

 Unfortunately, meeting quotas and compensation plans are not always the best motivators. A coach is responsible for finding out what the real motivators are for each manager. Once operating at peak motivation, managers challenge themselves to succeed. Motivation support from a good coach allows a manager to sustain high levels of energy and action over longer periods of time.

If you want to get the most from your managers, consider Asher and become familiar with the types of coaching services we offer. Businesses that have partnered with us are reaping the benefits of individualized sales manager coaching, which complement all of our other business development services for each company we serve. We’d love to add you to our list of satisfied clients.