Sales managers often fail at coaching for four main reasons: they see coaching as a low priority, confuse it with training, claim they don't have time for it, or experience self-doubt. However, coaching is crucial for improving sales team performance. To be effective coaches, managers must make coaching a clear priority, understand how it differs from training, find small amounts of time each day to coach, and get comfortable providing feedback to reps to help them improve.

1. FOUR REASONS
SALES MANAGERS FAIL
at COACHING
AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!
Mark Wayland
The Last 3 Feet

2. Speaking Australian
• Good Morning ………. G’day
• You’re Welcome ……..No Worries
• Amazing ………………Crikey
• A …………….…………………B
• G’day G’day
• Thanks for coming along today …No worries
• I’m looking for 2 or 3 Crikey moments … So am I
• Yeah, no worries

3. THE BIG PICTURE

4. Context – Big Picture
– 3 x What’s Led to the Situation
Concept – What’s the Idea?
– 4 x Sales Managers Fail @ Coaching
Content – What You Can Do About It
Questions
Close

7. Change in Sales Management
EFFECTIVENESS
TIME

8. Why This? McKinsey:
The #1 driver of sales team performance is the
quality of their manager.
Clever managers who coach well drive 19%
more sales.
Daniel Goleman (writing in the HBR) says that of the six
different leadership styles he’d identified
coaching was the least used of all –
while pointing out that “although the
coaching style may not scream ‘bottom-line
results’, it delivers them.”

9. Why Now: Survey by DDI: 1300 workers in US, UK, OZ,
Canada, China, Germany, India, S.E. Asia
34% “only sometimes or never consider their leader effective”
37% “rarely or never motivated to give their best by their leader.”
60% “my boss damages my self-esteem”
50% actually want their boss’s job (why is there a lack of leaders?)
Survey by the Hogan company (UK) Respondents were most likely
to describe their worst boss as:
Arrogant : 52% Manipulative: 50%
Emotionally Volatile: 49% Micromanaging: 48%
Passive Aggressive: 44% Distrustful of Others: 42%

11. Your Role………

13. Weight Loss –
a Metaphor for Sales Management

14. The reality is, according to the TV’s Biggest
Loser’s Michelle Bridges,
“80% who go on a diet will lose less
than 10% of their weight AND be back
where they started OR heavier 5 years
later.”
Actually that number is 95%, not 80%.
(*Sydney Morning Herald Pg9, Jan 9, 2012)

15. Reuters Health Report (17th Jan 2012) said
“(US) government researchers found that in
2009 and 2010, about 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 6
kids and teens were obese.
The rates represent no change from 2007 and
2008 figures, and only a slight increase among
specific demographics over rates from the late
1990s and early 2000s.”

16. Why the Lack of Change?
Identification of Issue: We all understand the
importance/ the need
Information: We have more than enough data
Programs for Change:
How many diets/ exercise/ weight loss programs
do you know of?
coaching/ management/ leadership
Results: Dismal

17. WE ACT FIRST
OFTEN IGNORING THE CAUSES -
BiG PICTURE or CONTEXT

19. Three Causes (Context):
1.“Management Thinking” Pedigree
2.The Role “Human-ness” versus Employee
3.Emphasis on Measurements for “Success”

20. 1. PEDIGREE

21. THE INVENTION OF MANAGEMENT 1

22. THE INVENTION OF MANAGEMENT 2

23. THE INVENTION OF MANAGEMENT 3

24. 2. HUMAN-NESS
Human - Industry/ Company - Role

25. HUMAN-NESS
Outer Layers:
The Role
Middle Layers:
The Industry/
Company
Inner Layers:
Human-ness

26. Human-ness
Adventures in Paradox

28. 3. You Can’t Manage
What You Can’t Measure

29. Leading The Sales Lagging
Indicators Process Indicators
of Success of Success
Product versus Knowledge

30. FOUR REASONS SALES MANAGERS
FAIL @ COACHING
1.They See Coaching as a Fuzzy Priority
2.Coaching is Confused with Training
3.They Don’t Have the Time
4.Coaching Self-Doubt or Risk Aversion

31. 1. Coaching is A Fuzzy Priority

32. THIS IS WHAT "BAD SPELLING"
LOOKS LIKE

33. THIS IS WHAT “POOR JUDGMENT"
LOOKS LIKE

34. THIS IS WHAT COACHING SHOULD
LOOK LIKE

35. Coaching is a part of your Management
supervisory responsibilities –
to improve the performance of others.
Coaching?
That’s just “soft management”, isn’t it?

36. 2. Coaching is Confused with Training
(and other developmental roles)

37. And with the Sports Coach
that they see in movies and on TV

38. 3. They Don’t Have the Time

39. How to Be a Great Sales Coach
5 Minutes at a Time
mark@theLast3Feet.com.au

40. 4. Coaching Self-Doubt OR Risk Aversion
THE COACH’S NIGHTMARE

41. When in Doubt
Do As I Would Have Done
KOL
Doctor Specialist Pharmacist
= Network = 30
2 GP Nurse
Sales Rep
Sales Rep
©The Last 3 Feet P/L

42. Sales Rep Performance – What can possibly go wrong?
Health Authority
Politicians
Drug & Payers Nurses
Marketing Committees
& HCPs
`
Finance Guidelines
Protocols
SR Compliance
Funding
KOL’s &
Formularies
Prescriptions Medical Bodies
Pharma Diagnostic Testing
Company Advocacy
Awareness
Public Opinion
GPs &
Specialists
Media
Patients &
Groups
©The Last 3 Feet P/L

43. If You Don’t Have This
Don’t Bother

44. Bring Back the Why =
Understanding/ Uncovering 2 things
1.Their Need to BE THE SAME
(join the Group/ Team/ Tribe)
2.Their Need to BE DIFFERENT
(be Ranked in the Group)

45. Coaching, in it’s simplest form, is a conversation
What people want?
notice me like me “touch” me
do what I say miss me if I'm gone
Ask. Talk about their needs.
What do they focus on…. talk and do.
How do they respond/ behave in different situations

46. Last Words:
You’re accepted as a MANAGER
when the COMPANY says so
You’re accepted as a COACH
when the TEAM says so

47. Change is Subtle. Persist

48. Thank You
But wait…….there’s more

49. FOUR REASONS
SALES MANAGERS FAIL
at COACHING
AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!
Mark Wayland
mark@theLast3Feet.com.au
How to Be a Great Sales Coach 5 Minutes at a Time
4 Reasons Sales Managers Fail at Coaching