The Five Habits of Successful Sales Coaches

While running an operationally sound store is important, coaching your sales team is more important. Are you a strong sales coach? If not, here are some things you can do about it.
March 17, 2008

By Doug Fleener

One thing I've learned during my many years in retail sales and consulting is that high-performing store managers and owners are extremely focused on being good sales coaches. I see some managers and owners who are good people coaches and have strong business skills, but their stores never reach the desired level of performance because they fall short in coaching sales.

One of the mistakes I made when I first became a district manager was rewarding strong operationally focused managers before those who were more sales focused. While running an operationally sound store is certainly important, I now see that a manager/owner needs to be focused more on coaching sales than on running a perfect store.

Here are some of the activities I see those high-performing sales coaches carry out on a regular basis:

1. They coach each individual — as well as the team — to perform at a peak level. Many managers have a tendency to coach the team as a whole, but unless they work with each individual, the team will never reach that next level.

2. They regularly meet with each individual as well as the team. High-performing managers and owners know that constantly communicating with their team is key to their success. Taking time to meet one-on-one with their team at least once a month pays huge dividends. They use the time to discuss the employee's strengths as well as those areas that need improvement. A mentor once told me that if every employee doesn't know what areas they need to work to improve, then you're not effectively coaching your team.

3. They have a monthly staff meeting that no one would dream of missing. Those meetings are used to improve the team's teamwork and performance by focusing on training and business development. These managers/owners never use this meeting to communicate information that transmitted in a memo or one-on-one. Having the team all together is so valuable that the time should never be used for anything except improving the team and business results.

4. They have their team focused on the behaviors that improve sales performance. The key word is behaviors. High-performing sales coaches know that right behavior drives the desired results. Just talking about the desired results isn't enough — you have to teach people what those behaviors are. I have sat through countless rah-rah meetings where a manger/owner went on and on about making goal but never once said what the team needed to do to achieve it.

In sports, before every game a coach will meet with his/her team and tell them what they need to do to win. They don't just say, "Go win the game!" The players already know that. They tell them how to win.

5. They spend a lot of time on practice and feedback, feedback and practice. High-performing sales coaches never miss a chance to praise employees and tell them what they could do better. They find the time to role play every day until it becomes second nature to the team.

So ask yourself, "Are you a strong sales coach?"

Doug Fleener is president and managing partner of Dynamic Experiences Group, a Lexington, Mass., retail consulting firm dedicated to helping retailers boost their sales and profits. A veteran retailer with more than 25 years of hands-on retail experience with world-class retailers including Bose Corp. and The Sharper Image, he also has owned and operated his own specialty stores. Fleener is the author of the book "The Profitable Retailer: 56 Surprisingly Simple and Effective Lessons to Boost Your Sales and Profits." Contact him at (781) 861-7803 or visit dynamicexperiencesgroup.com.

Profit from Understanding Your Customers' Purchasing Process
Successfully serving your customers requires more than you think. You must recognize where they are in the purchasing process to adequately meet their needs.
To be a successful retail salesperson, you must understand how and why customers buy. Purchasing is a financial decision resulting in the exchange of money for goods. The process itself is very linear. The time it takes to move through this process varies according to each individual and the product or service purchased.
July 21, 2008

If You Build It, Will They Come? Part 5
To make the most of your investment, you need to drive traffic to your Web site. Here are some proven ways to do just that.
Driving visitors to your Web site once you've spent so much time and money is the final step you must focus on to improve the rate of return on your investment. After launching the Web site, if you magically expect new customers to appear on your doorstep, you'll be disappointed. The Web site must be promoted — to all of your existing customers as well as any prospects in your database.
July 07, 2008

Is an E-commerce Web Site Right for Your Business? Part 4
An e-commerce site may be just what your decorated apparel business needs and your customers want, but as in any business decision, it pays to look before you leap.
E-commerce sites typically fall into two groups: the custom-designed site that serves your own business and the company store that serves a business you represent. In this article, the fourth in our five-part series, we discuss the differences between these two approaches.
June 19, 2008

How to Choose the Right Web Site for Your Business
When it comes to Web sites, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The type of site you choose should be based on the needs and budget of your business.
The who, what and when of building a Web site are all interrelated issues that must be considered as you plan for the launch of your site. The complexity of the site you choose will determine who builds it and your timeline from commitment to launch. Your business model, which includes company size, investment funds, customer needs and future plans, also needs to figure into this critical upfront decision-making.
June 09, 2008

7 Keys to Web Site Success
Creating a Web site involves a number of key strategic considerations that can't be ignored if you want your site to be effective.
Once you come to terms with why it's so important to have a Web site and what you want it to accomplish, you can focus on how you will achieve success with your Web site project.
May 22, 2008