Six Keys to Turn a Sales Manager into a Great Sales Coach
I always wanted to be a coach. My high school coach, Greg DeMarco and my college coach Dave Icenhower (both now no longer with us) were Hall of Fame Coaches and had a tremendous impact on my life.
My oldest brother Bill, is one of the most successful coaches in New York state history. I have often said if I were as successful at my craft as Bill was at his, I would have been on the cover of Fortune Magazine.
These are just three of the people who have influenced my life in a positive way.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad coaches out there giving bad advice to up-and-coming salespeople.
Coaching revenue generators (sales, recruiters, etc.) requires a similar approach to coaching athletes. Why, you may ask? Paraphrased from author, Jack Carew, who said the following about the demands of being a salesperson:
- A salesperson is never psychologically safe.They often face rejections and resistance to their ideas. The words “no” and “not interested” loom ominously on every phone call, email and any customer/prospect can turn them down. A long-awaited contract may be cancelled.
- A salesperson’s job requires focus, endurance and psychological stamina. They must conquer distractions and interruptions. They have to persist until they get a commitment. The company relies on them to bring in the business.
- The Quota/Activity Board Tells Your Story. There is no place to hide. All of their successes and failures are out in the open for everyone else to see and pats on the back are few and far between when they fail.¹
Not much different than being an athlete, is it? So, how do we effectively “coach” the revenue generating “athlete?”
The secret to coaching revenue-generating people is to:
simplify, simplify, simplify.
Perhaps the most complex sport to coach is football, yet Alabama’s legendary coach Nick Saban, has distilled the entire game to encouraging each athlete to simply “win your play.”
- Categories:
- Business Management - Finance/Financial
With 194 percent year over year growth and a 90 Net Promoter Score, Butler Street has established itself as one of the leading consulting, training and research firms to the middle market. Before founding Butler Street, Mike Jacoutot spent the previous nine years as CEO of a national health care staffing company and most recently, a revenue cycle company. Jacoutot brings a strong combination of Lean Six Sigma process skills together with 34 years of sales and marketing experience.
Jacoutot is also the author of "Become the Only Choice." Now in its third printing, the book emphasizes a combination of consultative selling and process management techniques to enable salespeople to sell the way clients buy.
A four-time All-American collegiate wrestler, Jacoutot led The College of New Jersey wrestling team to two national championships. He culminated his senior year by winning the NCAA Division III Championship after three consecutive second place finishes. In March 2015, Jacoutot was inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame. In October 2013, he was also inducted into The College of New Jersey Athletic Hall of Fame along with his 1981 NCAA Division III Championship Team. He holds a B.A. in Management.
