Coaching low performing reps is often a tricky conundrum for sales leaders. Overseeing a team of reps with different personalities, abilities and levels of motivation is tough. Balancing individual sales rep management and sales team management requires a strategic approach to ensure your sales team is consistently performing to their maximum potential.
The truth is, only 46% of Sales reps globally reach quota (Sales Hacker), and coaching low performing reps presents a unique challenge. But through targeted efforts, you can make a significant impact on their results. Based on extensive research into top-performing sales organisations, here's a comprehensive guide to effectively coach and turn around underperforming reps.
Lets dive in!
The first step in sales rep management is to find out their 'why' and reignite the rep's passion for the job. Sometimes they lose sight of their motivations amidst all the struggles and stresses that come with working in sales.
Schedule in-depth discussions to understand what initially drew them to a career in sales and what continues to drive them, both professionally and personally. Make detailed notes of these drivers and motivations, you may need to reference them later if you need to boost their morale.
Getting to the heart of each rep's internal motivations and understanding what makes them tick is key to tailoring your sales rep management approach for maximum impact.
If you want to learn more about boosting your teams performance by understanding their motivations, we have an article on Sales team incentive here.
Next, examine the rep's daily and weekly routines and habits through a sales rep management lens. Evaluate how they prioritise tasks, schedule their time, and manage productivity.
The next step is to review the rep's sales processes, call recordings, presentations, and client interactions in detail. Let them know you’re committed to working with them regularly to analyse their actions and find better solutions. Provide constructive feedback and coaching, increasing the frequency of these sessions based on their individual needs.
For reps struggling with objections, focus the coaching on practicing various handling techniques. For those losing engagement during demos, identify ways to make the presentations more impactful.
Have your rep listen back to their recent sales calls and conversations, encouraging self-critique. This exercise can highlight areas where they might not be performing as well as they thought, leading to personal insights and improvements. The more they can self-diagnose, the more likely they will change.
Guide the rep through a thorough self-critique process, not just of overall performance but a minute-level evaluation of their own recorded interactions. Have them identify subtle habits or sticking points themselves, figure out their own weaknesses and set themselves new goals.
We have an article on how to best coach sales discovery calls here.
Dive into the rep's lost deals to uncover valuable sales rep management insights. Have them document every stage of the lost opportunities, the key interactions, and the decision factors. Interview stakeholders to gather outside perspectives.
Get them to create a "loss report" for a couple of recent deals they didn’t win. Reflecting on these losses can help them understand the impact of their actions on their results.
Analyse the loss reports in group sessions, exploring alternative approaches the rep could have taken. Maintain these loss reports to evaluate their progress over time.
The time a rep is deemed low-performing before considering a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) depends on several factors: their tenure, previous performance, job function, and sales cycle length.
Set realistic and meaningful goals with the rep. Progress can be measured by increased activity, generating more pipeline, or improving discovery calls, not just closed deals or hitting targets. Focus on the seller demonstrating they are making meaningful progress. Work closely with the rep to create these specific, measurable, and attainable goals within their individualised sales rep management framework.
These should consider their strengths and development areas, with both qualitative and quantitative progress factors. Maintain an open communication and adjust goals as needed based on their progress. Celebrate any wins to boost their motivation.
Firms where salespeople use the company’s methodology and get consistent coaching see 73% quota attainment. (Spotio)
For reps demonstrating motivation and potential, over-invest coaching time through additional one-on-ones, role-plays etc can be beneficial. However, also realistically evaluate their internal drive and commitment to change.
Prioritise time with reps actively implementing feedback and working towards their goals. For those not showing any sign of improvement after individualised sales rep management, it may be better to shift your focus elsewhere and prioritise those who have a greater growth potential.
While it is important to achieve a balance of fair attention and individualised attention for those who need more support, ensure you also focus your energy on top performers. This is really important for sales team management. Even small gains in performance here can yield to significant gains in quota attainment. Focus on those who demonstrate motivation and promise.
Conduct regular team-wide training and individual coaching. Recognise reps demonstrating best practices to motivate others. Maintain a supportive yet competitive environment, balancing individual and team management strategies.
The key to effective sales rep management is to continually evaluate the effectiveness of your approach. Track goal progress, call metrics, deal pipeline, and closing rates. Analyse which techniques correlate most strongly with improvement.
Pilot new strategies and incorporate feedback systems to understand the reps' experience. Data-driven optimisation ensures the most impactful use of your time and resources.
By following these steps, sales leaders can provide targeted support to low performing reps, helping them realign their motivations, improve their routines, and ultimately enhance their performance. Remember, the key to successful coaching lies in understanding, support, and realistic goal setting.
At MySalesCoach, we help busy sales managers and ambitious reps reach their potential with expert, consistent, personally matched one to one sales coaching.
To find out more about how we can compliment your internal coaching and drive team performance, book a call with us today.