In Part I of this series, we examined why traditional sales coaching often fails: because many managers struggle with it.

This article focuses on why remote sales coaching systems are a better option for reps as well.

Modern Sales Learning and Coaching Tools Are More Flexible

 

Flexibility is the first – and perhaps greatest – advantage of using a modern sales learning and coaching tool.

Managers interact with each team member up to four times more than they could relying solely on ride alongs.  If a rep selling into a given vertical is at a certain stage of the sales cycle known to present roadblocks around a particular compliance issue, a manager sends the rep a video asking to role play the message before they walk into that next call.  The rep gets the chance to practice the message on video and receive feedback from their manager. Without the ability to do all of this remotely, that interaction might not ever actually happen.

Plus, anyone who’s gone on a ride-along knows there’s never enough time for the manager to provide lots of good feedback.  The rep picks up the manager at the airport in the morning, they spend the whole day going from call to call, and then it’s time to drop the manager back at the airport again.  By the time the manager gets back to their desk to type up notes to send over to the rep, they’ve already lost track of the context for half the stuff they jotted down. With video coaching, that same manager can watch a video of the rep in action and leave feedback right then and there while it’s fresh in their mind.

Video Sales Coaching is More Cost-Effective

With video coaching, organizations wind up with a slew of videos capturing great coaching interactions, so sales training and enablement professionals can easily mine them, break them down into digestible “bites,” and serve them up on an automated basis to sales reps at the right points throughout the sales cycle.  That way you actually bypass the need for a lot of the coaching you typically do.

Not to mention the savings on time and travel.

More Accurate Benchmark of Sales Reps Skills

Sales learning and coaching tools also make it easier to accurately benchmark the evolving skills of sales reps, helping them chart their progress three months, six months or 12 months later. For example, because teams can record product demos or sales presentations for feedback and scoring — reps get access to objective audio-visual benchmarks of where they were and where they are today. In short, they receive – and can leverage – empirical proof of their skills development over time.

It’s very hard to get learners to utilize a new skill unless you’ve got the tools to support ongoing skill development. That’s where sales learning and coaching platforms come in. They help sales training and enablement professionals implement and support the training asynchronously – i.e., without having to put everyone in a room at the same time.

A ‘Virtual Coach’ for Sales Coaches

Perhaps most importantly, these tools empower you to simultaneously implement a variety of approaches to front line sales manager enablement. Sales training and enablement teams support front line managers with video-based group sales coaching and one-on-one remote sales coaching with senior leaders to help them sharpen their own coaching skills. Then, if a manager hits a roadblock or experiences challenges, he or she can go back, review the videos, and try again.

A good sales learning and coaching platform is like a virtual golf pro that managers bring to the course. Not only can they view and review coaching lessons while practicing their skills, they can work through their challenges on their own schedule. Never underestimate the importance of coaching your coaches during the training process.

Studies show that a blended approach to training featuring continual reinforcement through in-field coaching can quadruple the ROI of training expenses, from 22% to 88%.  Combining training with coaching is where the magic happens – where you ensure that managers and reps effectively implement the skills they need to win deals and hit revenue targets for the organization.

For more on how Allego facilitates more and better sales coaching, watch this video on how Global Atlantic leverages Allego to support Coaching.