Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions: A Tactical Playbook for Managers and Executives

by Keith Rosen

Sales training doesn’t develop sales champions. Managers do .   The secret to developing a team of high performers isn’t more training but better coaching .   When managers effectively coach their people around best practices, core competencies and the inner game of coaching that develops the champion attitude, it makes your training stick.  With Keith Rosen’s coaching methodology and proven L.E.A.D.S. Coaching Framework ™ used by the world’s top organizations, you’ll get your sales and management teams to perform better - fast.  Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions  is your playbook to creating a thriving coaching culture and building a team of top producers. This book is packed with case studies, a 30 Day Turnaround Strategy for underperformers, a library of coaching templates and scripts, as well as hundreds of powerful coaching questions you can use immediately to coach anyone in any situation. You will learn how to confidently facilitate powerful, engaging coaching conversations so that your team can resolve their own problems and take ownership of the solution. You’ll also discover how to leverage the true power of observation and deliver feedback that results in positive behavioral changes, so that you can successfully motivate and develop your team and each individual to reach business objectives faster. Winner of Five International Best Book Awards, Coaching Salespeople Into Sales Champions is your tactical, step-by-step playbook for any people manager looking to: Training develops salespeople. Coaching develops sales champions. Your new competitive edge.

Genres: Business, Leadership, Management, Professional Development, Nonfiction, Buisness

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Kari LaMotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite books on management in general, not just sales. I am a firm believer in coaching as the best way to get the most out of your employees and empower them in their positions (at least in the knowledge-worker industry), and this book contains some of the best examples I have found in how to work with your team.

To be fair, I first learned about this style of coaching leadership years ago from a program called "Principle Centered Coaching", which is pretty much the same idea. The only difference is that in that program, you make a very real difference between wearing your "training hat" and "coaching hat", with there being a heavy emphasis on the latter being more desirable.

In that program, when you are wearing your 'training hat', you can lead your employees to more answers or even give them answers directly, but if you are wearing your 'coaching hat', you can only ask them questions that allow them to explore their own issues/concerns and you can't give them answers without asking permission, or ensuring they understand you are "putting on your training hat". Very tough sometimes I have found!

In this book, I found that some of the examples presented had the coach offering advice or their own personal story as part of the coaching session. For me, probably because I have practiced the principles of the 'Principle Centered Coaching' for so long, I was uneasy about this very big difference in practice. This made the book a 4.5 star read for me, but still excellent enough to round up instead of down. :)

In a nutshell - a must-read if you are serious about growing as a manager/executive. Not something you want to read if you aren't (too much practical advice, and you really need to sink into it and be open to big change to get the most from it). It's a really great read with solid solutions that will work wonders for you if you are able to develop this kind of relationship with your employees. Highly recommended.

[Jaron Dunford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes from Coaching Salespeople Into Sales Champions

What ifs are points in time in the future that haven't happened yet. Whats the emotion that's preventing you from action that is hurting your future.

Fear is trying to teach you something. Responding in a health. That what you fear will happen is always happening in the future. Stay in the present, don't worry about the futures. If you make decisions based on fear it will distort view.

Past present future = 3 points of time. 95% of waking hours are living in the past or future. You're either reacting from a past experience or worrying about an expectation in the future.

You have no control over the past or potential future. Live and think in the moment.

You execute the process that will get the results. You don't do the results.

To generate better results you must either change what you do or change how you think.

Coaching keeps people living up to the fullest potential.

One to one meeting questions: Google One to one meeting coaching sales people

Clarifiers

Foster trust through vulnerability - or in essence to be human. Must be genuine or authentic. Sharing of weakness doesn't bring in consequences.

The coaching edge vs passive aggressive. Get permission to have a tough conversation.
Ask for permission to speak strongly, and share intentions and outcomes.

How to tell a salesperson is holding something back from you: google lists

Coaching Conversation form

LEADS Coaching Model
Listen
Evoke
Answer
Discuss
Support

[Alex Devero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a manager and a coach are two distinct roles, which means guiding your employees to success requires being able to easily switch from manager to coach, and back again. Once you’ve mastered this skill, you can overcome your fears and foster authentic conversations with your salespeople to set the foundation for a trusting and thus effective coaching relationship.

[Phuongvu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huấn Luyện Nhân Viên Bán Hàng Trở Thành Nhà Vô Địch Bán Hàng

Quyển sách “Huấn luyện Nhân viên Bán hàng trở thành Nhà vô địch Bán hàng” là một tác phẩm được trao 5 giải thưởng quốc tế dành cho Sách hay nhất và là cuốn sách quản lý bán hàng bán chạy nhất trên trong năm năm liên tiếp.

Bằng việc sử dụng phương pháp huấn luyện của Keith Rosen, Phương pháp được sử dụng bởi những tổ chức hàng đầu thế giới và với khung huấn luyện L.E.A.D.S. , Các giám đốc điều hành, các quản lý nhân sự - sẽ giúp đội ngũ quản lý và bán hàng của m.ình đạt kết quả hoạt động tốt hơn - nhanh hơn.

Cuốn sách này bao gồm các nghiên cứu điển hình, chiến lược xoay chuyển tình thế trong 30 ngày dành cho những người làm việc kém hiệu quả, một thư viện gồm các biểu mẫu và kịch bản huấn luyện, cũng như hàng trăm câu hỏi huấn luyện mạnh mẽ Bạn có thể sử dụng ngay lập tức để huấn luyện bất kỳ ai trong mọi tình huống. “Huấn luyện Nhân viên Bán hàng trở thành Nhà vô địch Bán hàng” là cẩm nang của bạn để tạo ra một nền văn hóa huấn luyện tiến bộ và xây dựng đội ngũ những nhân viên hàng đầu.

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't really a book on sales--it's a book on coaching that just uses sales as the examples. There are very few specific skills for selling well or managing salespeople. But there are a lot of specifics on what makes for a good coaching session.

I didn't learn a lot personally, but that's because I am a master level certified coach twice over (2 separate programs). I've even written my own coach training program. So, I'm not the target audience here.

But there were some good pieces of advice in it, including things like:

Actually, listen, don't just wait for your you turn.

Don't assume: Do you assume that everyone wants to follow up at the same frequency, like a week? Do you assume that they aren't interested because they haven't got back to you? Do you assume that when they ask for materials that what they want is really materials? Do you know why they said no?

Don't settle for the obvious, surface answer. Find out what they really want.

[Mark Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a corporate trainer responsible for training and coaching, (there is a difference as pointed out by the author), sales professionals, I found this to be a refreshing approach. My coaching style was altered quite a bit after reading this book. Previously, I talked and taught a lot however now I ask more questions that will lead the trainee to self-discovery of the changes that need to be made in their approach. There are maybe too many dialogues between coaches and trainees in the book that go on for several pages and are used as examples but still the principles of the topic are covered very well. It's more for managers but trainers will find this a useful and relevant book.

[Steve Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good thing about this book is that sales coaches are the football coaches of the twenty-first century. True professionals will be able to point to the coaches who made all the difference in their journey to mastery. So it’s timely and the author’s basic thesis seems right.

The problem with this book is the writing sucks. The ideas seem solid and useful, once you’ve read and ingested and applied them. The writing makes it hard to read. The writing makes it hard to understand. And the writing makes it too hard to apply and evaluate what the reader learns.

[RENATA BARTEKOVA · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the book and there are some great ideas that I was keen to implement.
However, there is an important principle of Keith's coaching strategies. They are based on 'no ego presented' from the manager's perspective. This requires some work to do.

I found a very helpful approach based on the book from Pete Hamill: Embodied Leadership. I took some coaching sessions myself (with a peak performance coach). To master the approach.
Once completed, I found it much easier to implement Keith's approach in certain situations.

[Carlos Xavier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super boring for the most part and super useful at the same time. Is very focused at sales dynamics and gives very good tools to develop salesmen. Still I can’t get past the issue that he makes something so passionate and thought provoking like coaching and make it so boring.

[Anton Sigurdur · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a quick and easy read. Nothing groundbreaking here but some thoughts I could take away and play with and adapt to my team. Glad I read it and definitely a read for first time sales managers when they start out.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book give me some pretty good insights to use for my job. It felt long at some points, but all self-help books field, long at some point. Me personally, I could not relate to the role-playing exercises, but overall I am glad that I read the book and I have plenty of takeaways and bookmarks.

[Avishkar Surana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The books has somewhat detailed. Too many pointers.
WIIFM: Details about how to be a listener.

[George Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Changed the way I look at sales management and how to get the most out of people. A must read for any sales manager.

[Jean Janus · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good practical playbook for someone who already coach sales people. Keith Rosen describes very well all the types of attitudes that people who are coached can have.

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this took me almost 3 years to read, it formed the foundation of my sales and management style. It's a bit dense and full of business euphemisms, but Keith Rosen knows his stuff. The appendix of questions at the back is worth the price of the book alone.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Information packed , so at times it could be dry. The quality of content however more than made up for that.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful tools!

Great insight - usable tools for creating a strategy for success! Highly recommend to any level manager to keep on their desk

[Mitchell Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of useful principles, frameworks, and questions that can guide anyone to successful leadership. A useful
Handbook for dealing with any difficult interns on Al situation.

[Jill Speight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for coaching a sales team

[Oliver Koukoulis-Fribbens · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some good takeaways from this book, however, it isn't the most engaging read unfortunately.

[Toni Kokkonen · Rating 3 out of 5]

More about coaching and managing people, less about sales and processes. Quite US focused, long hours, layoff underperformers... Some very good points though.

[Ray Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This points put forward a very convincing argument why coaching is needed, and also is a very practical handbook on how to coach.

I would encourage salespeople to hire a coach on their to give them a true advantage.

My experience is when a company hires an outside coach it is very hard to maintain clarity of direction. The methods are best applied to make the manager as a coach if at all possible, managing as a coach is one of the best management methods , so I also consider this a management book.

[Colin Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an informative book. As a complete coaching novice I was certain that upskilling myself to be able to coach other sales people was going to be a long journey. In one concise, eloquent book I have found a wealth of knowledge, how to and other useful information. Having read this book I am more confident in offering value to the people I coach.

I would recommend this book to anyone that needs to lead sales teams, even if you don't intend to coach them (you REALLY should though), from CEO's down to small business owners.

[Robin Brenizer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this high marks because it is rare to find a book on sales coaching that offers so many specific examples. We are regularly hired by corporations to design and facilitate coaching workshops with sales coaches and managers. I will be recommending this book. In fact, I just bought it for one of my clients.

[Dan Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great reminder about the fundamental of sales, the formulaic application of sales tactics to yield results, and the people who you need to get you there. A good read on how to work with your sales team to achieve top sales numbers.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read 15-20 coaching books and about the same number of leadership books in the past 10 years, and this is easily the best one of the bunch. Practical & very meaty content, and an absolute must-have for anyone who coaches salespeople. Thanks, Keith!

[Dave Applegate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hands down the best book I've read to date on coaching / management in general not just sales. Rosen does a stellar job taking a lofty topic and breaking it down into easy to understand and highly actionable steps. Rosen changed my management / coaching style drastically.

[Nat · Rating 2 out of 5]

The narrative rambles on and belabors every point. The sample dialogs and example conversations are entirely unrealistic. They are crafted to fit the point rather than reflect how employees and managers actually interact. It seems like a long winded version of corporate common sense.

[Alexia]

i'll get back to this one

[Chris Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK for night reading. Good narrative to prove sales points!