Butterfly

At the outset of this post I want to introduce you to Edward Lorenz, a meteorologist and mathematician who defined the Butterfly Effect in 1963 as “a tiny change in the initial conditions of something that has enormous long-term implications in its outcome at a later time.” He was theorizing for a way to better predict worldwide weather and suggested that a butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world begins a chain reaction that results in a typhoon in another part of the world at some point in the future. I don’t know what I don’t know about that, nor am I a weatherman, but here are a couple of examples of from history embellishing this concept:

During the construction and testing of the Hubble telescope’s mirror in the late 1980’s, a microscopic chip of paint flaked off a measuring rod that was supposed to make sure the mirror was the right shape, rendering the Hubble unable to take clear photos. As a result, after it was launched into orbit in 1990 it started giving false readings and the mirror wound up being off by four microns; 25 times smaller than the width of a human hair. It took 5 space shuttle mission costing billions of dollars to fix the mirror.

In 1862 a Union scout found a box of cigars at an abandoned campsite. Wrapped around three of those cigars was Special Order 191, issued by General Robert E. Lee. That order contained detailed descriptions of the movements of every army in his brigade. Stonewall Jackson distributed copies to all his commanders, one of whom was General Daniel Harvey Hill, who wrapped his copy around his cigars and forgot about them. That mistake greatly attributed to the South losing the Civil War.

I would like to compare this slow, intensifying progression of events to recurring sales coaching. Obviously sales coaching means different things to sales reps in different industries. I don’t want to pretend that I am a coaching expert in every market segment, so let me clarify that my 45 years of selling, managing, training and coaching has been primarily in blue collar service businesses. So if you sell environmental services like pest and termite control, or HVAC systems, or home security products, or replacement windows, etc. etc.; this article may be very important for your financial future.

Although the benefits of sales coaching are indisputable, many businesses are still hesitant to invest in this recurring training activity. I don’t intend to provide a long laundry list of reasons for sales coaching here, but I will emphasize a half-dozen advantages that clients of my inexpensive weekly online 30 minute sales coaching sessions typically receive, culminating in the following results:

1. Improves Communication Skills

When coached properly salespeople will learn face-to-face soft skills that will help them increase revenue and commissions. In my coaching practice I cover topics such as empathy, temperament-centric conversations, likeability, active listening skills, and avoidance of weasel words; all of which help salespeople who want to move up the vendor pyramid toward eventually becoming a trusted adviser.

2. Increases Sales Revenue

Prior to discussing the assigned coaching topic for each session, we spend the first 5 minutes reviewing an online scoreboard where each sales rep has posted the dollar amount of proposals and sales from the preceding week. This public focus on activity acts as a “rising tide that lifts all boats” and helps to stir the competitive juices of the participants. This is a side benefit, albeit an important one to my topical coaching.

3.  Invigorates Manager Involvement

Managers are asked to attend coaching sessions with their sales teams so that they can reinforce what is covered. They are asked to follow up during the week with discussions, role play sessions, and Q&A’s with their folks. This multiplies the effect of the abbreviated amount of time spent with me.

4.  Inflates Average Size Sales

Sales coaching not only helps your team close more business, but instigates larger sales as well, due to the increased confidence that salespeople gain. Additionally, by emphasizing the bundling of multiple services, average size sales tend to ratchet upward as customers are better served by more competent reps who are unafraid to propose everything prospects actually need.

Coaching

5. Instills Prospecting Strategies

Because I work with blue collar sellers who typically are responsible to self-generate their own leads for several months of the year, my coaching is structured to be season-specific to ensure the participants are totally supported both curriculum-wise and emotionally. Over-wintering the sales folks is critical to maintaining low turnover during the off-season.

6. Integrates Ideas from Non-Competing Reps

As an example, one of my online coaching groups consists of 14 reps from 7 franchises of the same nationwide company, located in 5 different states; which provides a grouping of sellers with no head-to-head competition among its participants. That said, these folks are much more willing to share ideas and strategies with one another during discussions, realizing it won’t cost them any commission dollars; and so what comes around, goes around. There’s that rising tide again!

Relating back to the introduction to this post, as the sales coach I continue to flap my butterfly wings each week for 30 minutes at a time, as the participants improve, morph, and change into stronger, more productive commercial and residential salespeople that eventually become unrecognizable from where they began.

————————A Franchisee Speaks————————

“When running small franchises you have to wear a lot of hats, so by having both my locations participate in Doug’s weekly sales coaching sessions, based on his book Sell is NOT a Four Letter Word, I stay focused on one of the most important parts of the business. I also enjoy listening to the folks from other states share what they are doing to become more successful in sales. So both Doug’s book and his weekly coaching are well worth the time and money.” Bill Wert –Tallahassee & Gainesville, FL.

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