Hopefully you recall that I left off in Part I of this discussion by listing and describing four of the most common purposes for working in the field with your salespeople. (If you didn’t catch Part I, you can access it here)

To help you visualize where I’m coming from in Part II, I’ll start with this short introductory yarn:

Sales TrainingIn the Scottish Highlands there was once an old farmer (known as a crofter in that part of the world), who awoke one winter Sunday morning to an unusually deep snowfall.  Not to be deterred, he trudged three miles through the knee-deep snow and sub-freezing temperatures to his local, but remote, chapel for Sunday service. When he finally arrived the only other human in sight was the minister.

The minister suggested, in an inviting tone, that considering the circumstances maybe the pair should just return to their warm and dry homes.

The lone attendee responded to the minister by saying that he was just a simple farmer, but when he went to feed his herd, and only one beast turned up, he didn’t just leave it standing there hungry.

This response caused the minister to feel somewhat ashamed, so he delivered the complete service; including all the hymns, scripture readings, bells and whistles. Nearly two hours later he finished with a proud observation that no matter how small the need, the duty remains. He then thanked the old farmer for the lesson he had learned.

As the two set off for home the minister asked the farmer his thoughts about the service. The old crofter reminded him that he was just a simple farmer, but when he went to feed his cattle and only one beast showed up, he sure didn’t force it to eat what he had brought for the whole herd.

It’s pretty much the same when it comes to working with salespeople. There shouldn’t be any one-size-fits-all sales calls. Frankly there are 3 different types of field training sales calls, and it’s very important for you, as the manager, to tell your sellers which type of calls you’re participating in during fieldwork days.

Coaching Call – During this type of call the seller performs and the manager observes and provides a debrief session afterward.

Training Call – Here the manager performs and the sales rep observes. The boss must be careful to model the proper selling skills, as it’s their job to show the reps a picture of what it’s supposed to look like.

Joint Call – During this type of call both manager and sales rep participate equally, resulting in increased sales and learning. Pre-call planning is required here, so that both parties will know who is responsible for what, when they are in front of the buyer.

Regardless which type call you participate in, here is a 12-pack of field coaching tips that will help you become a more effective manager:

  • Tell sales reps in advance which day you will work with them, so they won’t be edgy or anxious, feeling they were ambushed. Forewarning should insure the rep also has a well planned day for you to observe.
  • Make arrangements to spend at least 4 hours, roughly a half-day with a rep on every “fieldtrip”. Being a “hit and run” sales manager by attending only one sales call won’t make your sellers feel all that special.
  • Ride in the salesperson’s vehicle. This will give you additional opportunities for relationship building and sidebar conversations.
  • Remember that your main purpose is to observe the salesperson and not to solely make sales.
  • During “fieldtrips” participate in various types of calls; cold prospecting, penetrating large accounts, follow ups, etc. This is the best way to determine where reps are competent and where they need additional help.
  • Keep in mind that it’s OK for salespeople to make mistakes.
  • Try to stay in the background and remove the focus from you as a manager.
  • Do some coaching after each call, but limit the conversation to a maximum of two issues.
  • Don’t tell them what they did wrong, but rather ask, “If you had it to do over again, is there anything you would do differently?”
  • Document the results of the “fieldtrip”, then discuss, sign, and file for future reference.
  • Fieldwork is the best use of your time and the fastest way to improve the performance of your sales force.
  • You will learn as much from the sales reps and the customers as they will learn from you.

Following fieldwork days you should be aware that there are two types of feedback to offer your reps, and both are essential.

Sales CoachEvaluative – Designed for the salesperson to clearly understand the current state.

Developmental – Looks to a future state and empowers the rep to stretch to improve. During this process you should attempt to remove as many obstacles as possible.

Evaluative feedback is the grade, and Developmental feedback is the action plan.

With these principles fresh in your mind, why not sit down right now with your calendar and develop a personal fieldwork plan for your sales team. As you assign specific dates to each seller’s name, list their current needs, in order to know what you should focus on during that day.

Realizing that leadership is everything, don’t let ANYTHING get in the way of your fieldwork action plan!

It would be great if you would share a comment below in the Speak Your Mind area about your thoughts concerning management working in the field with sales reps.

Has this newsletter helped you perform better on the job? How about recommending it to your colleagues and friends, especially since it’s FREE?  And by the way, you can catch up on all the posts that you missed before becoming a Selling Point subscriber by clicking here to access the archive vault.

©2014 Robinson Training Solutions, LLC