For many sales professionals, the words training and coaching are used interchangeably. They are viewed as the same thing, but that's not the case.
They are fundamentally different.
But how? Let's dive in.
What is Sales Training?
Training is when you listen to someone and learn something, usually for the first time. It’s when you're reading a sales book, or watching a video etc.
Training is consuming information.
Training should fire you up. It should give you new ideas.
It’s very important. I’d argue you can’t be successful in sales without training.
However, there’s no accountability with training.
Think about it.
How many times have you been inspired from a talk, a podcast, an event and yet done nothing with your learnings… absolutely nothing?
Happens all the time, right? You just forget about it. You stick with what you know.
Why?
It’s because you’re not being held accountable!
What is Sales Coaching?
Sales Coaching is all about being accountable.
A coach is who you take your ideas to. They’re who you share your goals, plans and dreams with.
They then get into your head and your heart and together, you figure out the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Then, they help you to figure out how you’re going to get there!
If you're interested in finding out more about Sales Team Coaching, we have a deep dive article here.
To establish these next steps and put an action plan in place, your coach will ask you:
- What’s the reason you want to do that?
- How are you going to achieve that?
- How will it fit in with what you’re already doing?
- Who or what will stop you?
- What are you going to do in the next couple of weeks to ensure it happens?
And from there your coach in every session will..
- Remind you.
- Encourage you.
- Push you.
- Challenging you.
- Ensure you’re on track.
- And ultimately, they will hold you accountable to success.
This accountability ensures what you want to achieve actually happens.
It keeps you in the rhythm of success, you stay on the track you want to be on and get to where you want to be.
Without coaching and accountability you’ll soon slip back into your old habits.
The most successful people on the planet have a coach to hold them accountable.
And if you want your sales reps to fulfil their true potential, that’s what they need.
And that’s what Sales coaching is.
It’s not to be confused with Sales training.
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Sales Leaders, do you want to provide your team with regular coaching but struggle to find the time to fit it into your busy calendar?
Sales reps, are you working for a company that’s not giving you as much coaching as you need to reach your goals?
Book a call with us here to find out how you can accelerate your sales career with a personally matched sales coach.
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