Mentoring and Coaching: Ben Franklin had the Right Idea
Posted on 02/10/2016 in Sales Coaching"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."
~ Ben Franklin
STAR’s Sales Meeting Kits and eLearning training modules can be used as mentoring and coaching tools. These tools work especially well as developmental opportunities for your top performing and high potential salespeople. Managers can select a topic amongst our Sales Meeting Kits and eLearning modules, then ask a salesperson to learn that material and teach a session on that topic at the next sales meeting. This gives the salesperson an opportunity to really learn the material well enough to present it to colleagues.
For example, suppose that one of your salespeople excels at selling on value and you feel that the rest of the sales team could improve in that area. Assign the Selling on Value Sales Meeting Kit to that salesperson, which would provide him or her with everything needed to plan and teach a short skill-building session.
An added benefit is that this also gives that salesperson an opportunity for presentation practice. This works especially well with a high-performing salesperson who may already be a leader on the sales team, but it can also work well with a less-experienced and high potential salesperson who you think is ready for the challenge.
You can also use the Sales Meeting Kits and eLearning modules to initiate a mentoring program. Many companies use some kind of mentoring system for new salespeople. Mentoring, coaching and sales training are all fantastic ways to develop the skills of all members of your sales team.
For example, suppose that one of your more seasoned salespeople excels at handling objections and one of your newer salespeople is really struggling with responding well to objections. You could assign the Essential Selling Skills Handling and Preventing Objections elearning module to your newer salesperson and ask the more seasoned salesperson to mentor the newer salesperson by working with them to brainstorm and practice techniques to help improve his/her comfort level and ability to handle sales objections.
The goal of any mentoring, coaching or training activity is to teach new skills and adjust certain behaviors in order to meet the sales objectives that result in increased sales. A sales manager’s most important responsibility is developing the skills of his/her sales team. Utilizing the talent within the team is a smart way to accomplish the job! The advantages can be seen on both sides of the relationship. The mentor/coach gains confidence, and the mentee or person being coached learns new techniques and improved skills.