Training, coaching and

leading
the sales team
Overview
It is incumbent upon every sales manager to try to
improve the performance of the salespeople under
their control. One way this can be achieved is by
training, another by coaching and of course through
superior leadership and motivation. Salespeople may
not know certain things which could enable them to
be more effective, they may not know enough of the
right things or their knowledge may be incorrect or
inappropriate for the changing demands of their
selling job. In these case circumstances, the sales
manager can help the salesperson in their job to more
effective and efficient.
Learning objectives
In this chapter, the objectives are
 To understand why an when training is required;
 to appreciate the basics of good training programmes and
how they might be delivered;
 To be able to evaluate the worth of sales tarining;
 To identify what is meant by leadership and to consider the
different theories of leadership;
 To asses the relevance of different leadership styles in a
sales management context;
 To asses how sales managers can coach slaespeople and
thus improve sales force job satisfaction and performance;
Definitions
Leadership is about people who are able to think and
act creatively in non-routine situations- and who set
out to influence the actions, beliefs and feeling of
others, in this sense, being a ‘leader’ is personal. It
flows from an individual’s qualities and actions.
Coaching is the means by which a manager can enable
people through feedback and encouragement to achive
their objectives by using the knowledge, skills and
ablities of individual to best effect.
Training
Most training should relate to the individual in their
specific job if it is a to be effective. The fact that there
are so many standardised training courses in personal
selling is therefore something of mystery. To be
effective, training requires specialisation with the
individual and the product/ company/job
circumstances in which they operate. Good training is
to be found in company-specific programmes or
individual on-the-job training.
Fundamental to training is consideration of the educational process by
which learning can take place. The principles underlying this process
are as follows:
 There is clear purpose of what the training aims to do for the
individual, how it can apply to their job and what benefits can be
expected.
 The presentation is clear so that the individual can learn and
appreciate what is being taught.
 There is planned repetition to enable the individual time and
opportunity to absorb and practise new skills.
 The development of materials is orderly. This is the basic difference
between learning by training and learning by experience. Experience
is random and uncontrolled. Experience usually directs the
individual to know what not rather than how to do it correctly – a
great man never mistake twice’. In training, the emphasis is on
learning from the other people’s experience than one’s own mistake
 The process proceeds at a suitable pace which is adaptable for slow
pr fast learners to absorb the material.
 The process involves participation by the individual in the learning
process.
The reason for training is to improve performance by
increasing sales, reducing cost and adopting better work
practices. Not all training can achieve these desirable
objectives directly, but they can potentially contribute on
one or more of the following ways.
 Improving the salesperson’s relationship with their
customers by showing salespeople better ways to do
business;
 Motivating the salesperson to develop their skills and
raises morale;
 Reducing staff turnover, which in turn reduces
recruitment cost and the opportunity cost of lost sales;
 Making salespeople more flexible and innovative in
market conditions;
 Reducing the cost of inefficiency by weak territory
coverage or ignorance of company policy or operating
procedures
 Increasing sales volume, reducing supervision costs and
requiring less management control.
Training needs
Training should cover the gap between what a salesperson
needs to know and what is known at present. Individuals
will have varying requirements depending on the
difference in this equation.
This gap will vary when
 New people are recruited;
 A salesperson takes on a new territory;
 New products are introduced;
 New business or new market segments are to be won;
 New company policies or procedures are introduce;
 Selling habits are poor or inappropriate;
 An individual is being considered for promotion;
Where should training be done?
The location can vary between an internal single location, a
centralised external loaction or a decentralised (on-the-
job) location. This provides at least nine options to
consider, as shown in figure 11.2
1. Company specialist in central location. The advantage of
this approach is the specialised knowledge and
experience which can be passed on to new or younger
recruits. It enables company-specific and work-oriented
training to be carried out. The purpose is clearly training,
not selling, and this makes for a less pressurised learning
environment. Against this, the danger of unreality and a
lack of customer-specific dimensions to training may
reduce its effectiveness. Cost are relatively high.
2. Outside expert in central, off company location. Again, the
experience and expertise of the trainer is important but specific
and expertise of the trainer is important but specific customer,
product and company knowledge may be lacking. Older, more
experienced salespeople tend to be hostile to so-called outside
experts. There may also be lack of uniqueness and possible lack of
security with such programmes.
3. Field salespeople in on-the-job location. Selling is doing job
training can only be effective of knowledge and skills are put into
practice. . John Lidstone (1986) suggest the following five step
formula;
1. Tell salespeople what to do.
2. Show them how to do it.
3. Get them to practise what they have been told and shown.
4. Asses what they do and correct/coach where necessary
5. Get salespeople to practise again and again and again.

On-the-job tarining occurs in realife situations under actual market

condition . A possible weakness may be the lack of expertise in
the trainer. Another weakness is that good and bad habits can be
learned
What methods of trainingt shpuld be used?
The possible options are as follows;
1. Discussion groups. These can take a variety of forms and
potentially offer the most frequent training opportuinity at
regional or national sales meetings or specially convened
training sessions. The use of discussion topics, case studies
or idea-generating sessions helps individuals improvement.
While such groups are difficult to lead, control and evaluate,
they also create team spirit and purpose.
2. Lectures. Lectures are a traditional way of teaching large
number at low cost. They are useful to convey factual type
information but suffer from poor retention of information by
participants and the inability to adapt to dynamic dissimilar
situations which characterise the selling job.
3. Programmed learning. Developing on the previous
approach, many sales trainers and companies are finding
programmed learning to be a cost-effective training
approach. This enables quantity of materials to be given to
new existing salespeople at their own pace. The format
use a sales manual divided into relevant sections, for
example, product knowledge and sales skills.
4. Role playing. With this technique, are artificial sales
situations are constructed to educate salespeople in what
not to do in a given situation. Different options are
possible, such as using drama at sales meeting to create
interest, provide entertainment and make important
training points. Play-acting of this type can be a problem
for some people but useful to highlight common
weaknesses in sales presentations. Role playing, using
video recording and playback, is now widely used as a
learning technique.
The aim is exactly the reverse. Role-playing works by
 Defining the sales situation, for example, to get a new
product accepted by an existing customer;
 Establishing the situation, for example, time of call, the
individual you are addressing and relevant circumstances;
 Casting a buyer and a seller- roles will be later reversed;
 Briefing the participant (separately) on what their objectives
should be- buyers can be told to raise specific obstacles or
objection;
 Playing out the sales situation;
 Discussing and analysing the situation. Reshow the
interaction, ask for comments for against, develop learning
points, for example, be more businesslike, identify
opportunities to close, be specific on objectives and so on.
5. Observed sales calls. Most managers and trainers use form of
‘kirbside conference’, but very few are trained or skilled in the
technique. The problem is often to much emphasis on
specific strengths or weaknesses, mostly weaknesses. To be
effective as training method, it requires some skill
preparation, purpose, observation, analysis and coaching by
the trainer.
Evaluating sales training
At the outset of this chapter, it was claimed that the purpose of
training was to improve performance. This being so, it is
necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of sales training. The
costs of training are measurable and specific but the result
less so. Improvement can be measured on a variety of
dimensions:
 Sales – for example, value, volume, number of orders, average
order size and new customers;
 Activity - number of calls, journey time and distance reports
submitted;
 Costs - expenses, expense ratio and commission rates.
Theories of Leadership
Trait theory – There has been much discussion and debate over
what makes a leader great’. Historically, the emphasis was on
the born leader with attempts to identify differences between
leaders and followers and between great leaders and others.
Power theory – Power, or the ability to influence, is also seen as
part of leadership since it gives the sales manager authority
over salespeople. Power, according to French and Raven
(1959), can arise in different ways;
 Legitimate power, base on the individual’s position in the
organisation, for example, sales managers have this power
 Reward power, based on the manager’s ability to reward
subordinates, for example through pay increase, rpomotion
or other recognation
 Coercive power – which comes from the capacity to wothhold
rewards or punish, such as by dismissal;
 Expert power – based on the subordinate’s acceptance of the
leader’s expertise, skills, knowledge or special abilities;
 Referent power, originating in the leader’s inspirational or
charismatic qualities.
Behavioral theory- studies of people in their work situation
have provided new alternative ways in which leadership style
can affect subordinates. This has given to rise to behavioral
theories if leadership which have sound theoretical concept
to aid understanding, but again the emperical evidence
questions and validity.
The theory of contingency demonstrate the complexity of the
leadership problem. The appropriateness of the sales
manager’s leadership behaviour will in turn depend on the
subordinate, the situation and the manager’s own behaviour.
It can also depend on the personality and history of the
organisation.
Keusel (1971) identifies six deadly diseases that can afflict a
salesforce
1. Complacency, especially among older or longer-serving
salespeople. The senior person on the first name terms with
the managing director who knows the business, but is not
developing new business, new product sales or new
accounts is a problem. Rekindle interest, special incentives
and job enhancement are needed to break the mould.
2. Staleness. Like complacency, repetitive are habit-forming
so that sales presentations can be routine and stale. Sales
managers can motivate by coaching, training and
information bulletins to enable salespeople to take
alternative approaches with their prospects.
3. Gun-shyness. Salespeople calling on regular
customers(service selling) or calling on non-customers can
suffer from an inability to get orders or obtain commitment
from buyers. Sometimes negative responses act as a
deterrent rether than a spur.
4. Scepticsm. Salespeople quickly learn of customer
dissatisfaction and competitive superiority yet, to be
effective, they have to believe in themselves, their product
and their company.
5. Indecision. role conflict and ambiguity are part of the
selling job. Management can reduce these problems by
giving clear and consistent decisions. Salespeople respond to
strong decision-taking by managers.
6. Competition. especially the low-price variety. The weak
salesperson always blame price, yet it is seldom the only
feature in a buyer’s decision. If it were, salespeople would not
be necessary anyway. Salespeople should sell benefits rahter
than features, they should be customer problem-solving, for
example, on quality, reliability, image and so on.
Summary
How to get the best out of the people you employ is the management
challenge. One way is through training to improve individual sale
force productivity. Good training has a specific purpose, is
planned and is aimed at the individual. Various people, location
and content can be used. To be effective, training requires
behavioral aspects if buyer-seller interaction to be developed.
Another way is through effective leadership but this quality is
difficult to define and operationalise. Effective sales managers
require leadership skills to guide, coach and develop salespeople
to perform better. Various theories of leadership - trait theory,
power theory, behavioral theory and contingency theory – help
our understanding but do not adequately explain how leadership
works or is most effective. Different styles, democratic, autocratic,
consultative, paternalistic and laissez-faire, seem to work more
effectively in some situations than in others. A combination of
conceptual, human, relation and technical skills are important in
sales leaders. The ability to coach individual to perform to their
best in a coherent way is part of this mystique. More evidence is
required to explain the cause and linkages in this process.