4 Strategies for Coaching Your Sales Team in a Virtual World

It is easy to think of coaching as a means for addressing a shortfall in performance or as a way to drive more from a team. While coaching is effective in these circumstances, managers today should think of coaching as something more. They should think of it as a way to reinvigorate engagement. Research from McKinsey illustrates the value of this idea. In a survey of 800 US-based employees, they learnt that the largest gain (+55%) in engagement across ten factors was seen in “nonfinancial recognition,” or, more simply, “being recognised for my work.” This data has particular relevance today as leaders seek ways to sustain and grow employee motivation at a time when financial resources are limited. Regular coaching conversations help buoy morale in these unprecedented times when social distancing upends traditional communication. Simply: coaching, even when there is no pressing issue, is important because it keeps people connected.

This involvement is a precursor for engagement, which is necessary for any successful organisation. Consider findings from Gallup, which reviewed data from 31 million respondents. The researchers learnt that “employees who are engaged are more likely to stay with their organisation, reducing overall turnover and the costs associated with it. They feel a stronger bond to their organisation’s mission and purpose, making them more effective brand ambassadors. They build stronger relationships with customers, helping their company increase sales and profitability.” These findings are a powerful endorsement for the kind of engagement that comes from coaching. Engagement drives success and therefore achieving it requires an intentional, mindful approach.

Avoid the habit of coaching only when circumstances demand intervention. Instead, consider moments when coaching, or even a less formal conversation will serve as a replacement for the spontaneity of a corridor conversation. This approach demonstrates to team members that coaching is more than a managerial tool — it is a way to renew connections that all too easily attenuate when everyone is engaged in remote work.

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Leverage the Advantage of Analytics

Coaching in a remote work setting is akin to relying entirely on instruments during a low visibility flight. Fortunately, coaches today have a wealth of analytics that are critical in the absence of in-person interactions. The advantage arises from knowing which analytics should serve as a prompt for coaching.

Effective leaders should examine trends like pipeline velocity which illustrates how quickly a sales team is moving an opportunity through the sales cycle to reach closing. This measurement reveals the sales professional’s overall effectiveness because the calculation encompasses qualified opportunities, win rate, deal size, and the length of the sales cycle. Therefore, a detrimental change in any one of these four factors will be reflected in this single measurement. As a result, leaders can quickly isolate the area where success is faltering and help the team address the underlying problem. Data like this is a valuable way to jumpstart the process of learning where the sales process has faltered so that the coaching dialogue can immediately focus on the “how” part of problem-solving.

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Leaders also need to leverage analytics that reveal deal slippage, which is the percentage of committed deals that do not close within the anticipated window. In today’s environment, organisations are attempting to survive on fewer deals. As a result, a customer’s decision to let a purchase slip into the next quarter represents a larger proportion of the expected revenue for the current period. An increasing slip rate also disrupts forecasting capabilities and presents the risk of once viable opportunities getting overshadowed by plans for the next quarter.

While important, factors like pipeline trends and deal slippage are only two metrics on a nearly endless list of data points available to sales managers. Therefore, many are turning to the power of AI to focus on the activities that have the greatest impact on the numbers. AI capabilities are growing at a time when they are needed most. Today, sales managers must address numerous responsibilities like attending daily meetings, responding to emails, and forecasting. AI allows managers to do more with their limited time by providing fast, granular-level insights on what the most effective performers on the team are doing to win the sale. As a result, leaders can leverage this data to help underperformers replicate the activities and approach of the top sales professionals. Simply, AI allows managers to isolate the difference-making behaviours seen in successful deals and thereby disseminate those skills across the team.

It is important to remember that AI is not a substitute for management. To work effectively, AI must be part of a larger plan that goes beyond metrics and measurement. This idea is best illustrated by research from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group in which analysts surveyed more than 2,500 executives about their AI investments. One of the most powerful findings from the data was that “getting the most out of AI requires a team effort.” This led the researchers to conclude that AI should be thought of as 10% algorithms, 20% technology, and 70% business process transformation.

Coaching has become even more challenging at a time when it is needed most. The current setting represents an opportunity for managers to rise to the occasion and reinvigorate teams with coaching that puts the sales professional first, seeks to understand underlying challenges before moving to solutions, and aims to create conversation even when there is no pressing concern.

While a virtual setting adds to the already considerable challenges of coaching, the unusual circumstances of today have also afforded new ways to connect and more flexible schedules. Given the distant and dispersed nature of teams today, the need for excellence in coaching is not as visible as it was prior to the pandemic. Therefore, leaders must keep this core skill at the centre of their thinking as they navigate terrain that is still taking shape.