Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions

KEITH ROSEN is the CEO of Profit Builders, named one of the Best Sales Training and Coaching Companies worldwide. Keith has delivered his courses to hundreds of thousands of salespeople and managers in practically every industry; on five continents and in over 50 countries. Keith is the author of several bestselling books. As a global authority on sales coaching and the pioneer of leadership coach training, Keith was inducted in the inaugural group of the Top Sales Hall of Fame in recognition for his outstanding contributions in sales and leadership development. Inc. magazine and Fast Company named Keith one of the five most influential executive coaches. Keith was also featured on the award winning television show, Mad Men and was one of the first out of only a handful of coaches who earned the distinguished Master Certified Coach designation credentialed through the International Coach Federation. To get Keith’s ebooks, articles and videos, visit www.KeithRosen.com.

"[The author] has spotted an opening and written one of the best sales coaching books so far, in what is still a small selection." (Salesforce,) June 2008)

• About the Author xiiiAcknowledgments xvIntroduction xviiChapter One The Death of Management 1Becoming an Executive Sales Coach 1But I’m Already Coaching 3Making the Shift from Sales Manager to Executive Sales Coach 3The Missing Discipline of Sales Coaching 5Defining the Role of a Sales Coach 6A Coach versus a Mentor 7Nine Barriers to Coaching a Sales Team 8Consultant, Trainer, or Coach? 12Managers Don’t Have Time to Manage 15Understanding the Commitment to Coach Your Sales Team 17Get a Coach for the Coach 19Five Core Characteristics of the World’s Greatest Sales Coaches 21Chapter Two The Coach’s Mindset: Six Universal Principles of Masterful Coaching 25Management’s Eternal Conundrum 26Hitting Rock Bottom 27You Can’t Coach What You Fear 29The Strong, Fearful Leader 30Universal Principle of Masterful Coaching No. 1: Make Fear Your Ally 32Universal Principle of Masterful Coaching No. 2: Be Present 36Universal Principle of Masterful Coaching No. 3: Detach from the Outcome 41Universal Principle of Masterful Coaching No. 4: Become Process Driven 45Universal Principle of Masterful Coaching No. 5: Be Creative 49Universal Principle of Masterful Coaching No. 6: Become Fully Accountable— for Everything 50The Top 19 Excuses Managers Use to Justify Why Salespeople Fail 51Chapter Three Six Fatal Coaching Mistakes and How to Avoid Them 55Coach the Relationship with Their Story 56Fatal Coaching Mistake No. 1: Believing the S.C.A.M.M.— A Manager’s Most Elusive Adversary 57Fatal Coaching Mistake No. 2: Wanting More for others than They Want for Themselves 63Fatal Coaching Mistake No. 3: Are You Coaching Your Salespeople or Judging Them? 68Fatal Coaching Mistake No. 4: Coaching Isn’t about the Coach 70Fatal Coaching Mistake No. 5: Share Ideas, Not Expectations 71Fatal Coaching Mistake No. 6: Mismanaging Expectations: Are You Preparing Your Sales Team for Change? 73Chapter Four Tactical Coaching 77Who Do You Coach? 77A.G.R.O.W.T.H. Success Indicator to Determine Personal Coachability 78Don’t Coach the Squeaker 80Coaching the Whole Person 80Developing Sales Champions from the Inside Out 81What Do You Coach? Coach the Gap 82Do I Coach Them or Train Them? 84What Exactly Can You Coach? 88The Top 10 Characteristics of Highly Effective Salespeople 89Chapter Five The Seven Types Of Sales Managers 91The Seven Ps 91The Problem-Solving Manager 93The Question is the Answer 97Solution-Oriented Questions 98Chapter Six Ignition On! Now They’re Inspired 101The Pitchfork Manager 101Push versus Pull— A Simple Model of Motivation 103Let Your Salespeople Tell You What Motivates Them 104Ask Your Salespeople How They Want to be Coached 106Motivate through Pleasure Rather than Consequence 107Communicate from Abundance Rather than From Scarcity 108Make Acknowledgment Unconditional, Measurable, and Specific 110Make Your People Right, Even When They’re Not 113Create New Opportunities Rather than Make People Wrong 116Chapter Seven Assumptive Coaching and Dangerous Listening 119The Pontificating Manager 119Eight Barriers That Prevent Masterful Listening 121Listening Through Filters— A Manager’s Lethal Weakness 122Just the Facts, Please 125Encourage Silence 125Focus More on the Message Than on the Messenger 126Listening to Someone or Listening for Something 127Make People Feel They Are Being Heard 129The Presumptuous Manager 131Don’t Believe Everything You Tell Yourself 132Get Out of Your Way and Out of Your Head 133Be Curious 140Chapter Eight Vulnerability-Based Leadership 143The Perfect Manager 143Express Your Authenticity: Become Vulnerable 146Embrace Your Humanity 147Evidence of an Emerging Culture 148Vulnerability and Trust 149The Passive Manager 151Embrace Healthy Conflict 153Call Them Out Using the Coaching Edge 153Take a Stand for Your Salespeople 154Declare What You Really Want for Your Sales Team 156The “I’m Sensing That” Statement 158The Proactive Manager 161A View from the Sidelines 162Chapter Nine Facilitating an Effective Coaching Conversation 169Preparing for the Coaching Session 169The Anatomy of a Coaching Session 170The Coaching Prep Form 171Strategic Coaching Questions 175The L.E.A.D.S. Coaching Model 176The Management Conversation 179The Coaching Conversation 183Going Deeper— Breakthrough Coaching 191How Much Coaching is Enough? 203Chapter Ten The Art of Enrollment 207It’s All about Connection 207Making an Impact 210Leaving Your Legacy as a Manager 211The Art of Enrollment 212Enrollment is a Universal Phenomenon 214Creating the Possibility for Change 215The Six Steps of an Enrollment Conversation 216Case Study: Enrolling Someone to Improve their Quality of Work 218Case Study: Enrolling Someone to Become More Accountable 222The Written Word: Crafting a Compelling Message 226Chapter Eleven The Seduction of Potential 233Potential is the Holy Grail 233The Seduction Begins: The Ether of Potential 235The Hard Cost of Complacency 236You Can’t Build a Business on Potential 237When to Give up and Let Go 239Master the Art of Abandonment 240The Top Trigger Points of Seduction 241Chapter Twelve Develop an Internal Coaching Program 243Identifying a Turnaround Opportunity 244Holding Your People Accountable 248Week One: Introducing the Turnaround Strategy—An Enrollment Conversation 248Week Two: A Minor Setback or Imminent Failure 252Week Three: On The Winner’s Path 257Week Four: A Successful Turnaround 264Designing an Executive Sales Coaching Program 266How to Turn Around or Terminate an Underperformer in Less than 30 Days 270Fire Them and Then Hire Them 277Tips from the Coaches’ Playbook 278Conclusion 279Final Thoughts on Being an Executive Sales Coach 279Appendix 283The Playbook of Questions for Sales Coaches 283The 80-20 Rule on Coaching Questions 313Index 315