Has it ever taken you a little time to get used to things? When I started to run in track during grade school, I had to embrace miles of running. I really didn’t like the practice part. Too many miles. I loved running sprints. That’s what I did well. In practice, I had to run miles and I did not like that at all. I am a sprinter, can’t I just do that when you need me to? I didn’t like the practice part.
As a manager and leader of a sales team, you are tasked with ensuring the team knows what to do in sales and service. Which means you must train and coach. I love the question, “is training coaching and vice versa?” I believe they are different and completely rely on one another. I think training is a blank slate and coaching is working with what is on the slate. You really cannot do one without the other. They are symbiotic. Yes that dollar fifty word. Google it.
Part five is really about confidence…Brittany and Meghan.
Headline: What will help them excel?
Brittany is young, flat out. Not good or bad, just a reality check. This is her first retail sales job and she has been on the job for three weeks. She has great enthusiasm and is quick to embrace things. She is learning EVERYTHING about the job and you can tell she is getting a little overwhelmed. She wants to do the right thing and everything she faces is very new. She is very natural with people. People like her and you can also see the customer, after a period of time, gets a little impatient with her lack of knowledge. You know she is not there yet. She is starting to doubt herself.
Meghan has been with you for 9 months. She has been very strong in her sales productivity. Lately she has flattened out a bit. You feel the target for the entire store is a bit aggressive. She is capable of hitting numbers. She is in a slump and that is impacting her energy. In fact, the entire team is in a very similar mood. You spend time on the floor and notice the entire team was relying too much on just clerking the customer, not really getting to know their needs. You have observed the missed opportunities to bridge other products and adding on accessories. They are down and they are not looking at all the possibilities.
Both situations need something and training and coaching play a part. Again one cannot exist without the other.
Confidence is key in sales. I know many knowledge rich sales people who lack productivity on the same floor where you have confident sales people who may not have all the answers and still thrive. Wild huh? As managers and leaders, we must look at each team member and encourage the “right” action plan. It can be hard due to all the possible factors you have to embrace…some in your control and well, some not so much.
Brittany is on the right path. She is just not there yet, period. She needs more instruction. She needs to understand that while she is not necessary performing to target, she has value. Point that out. I would be very real with her. I would let her know that while I get she is not there yet (and that is OK), she was hired to hit a certain sales productivity. She needs to know her score. Be objective and share her score. Then, and this is critical, share what she needs to do and in what time frame. And you need to let her know how she can accomplish this and with what support from you. I have unfortunately experienced managers show more empathy than they should and let their team member know “it’s all good”. And it’s not. Your team must always know very clear things… their objective, why they have it, the means to get there and the extent they need to achieve.
Meghan is in a different place. She is in a slump and needs a little lift from you. The more challenging thing is that the whole team needs it as well. This doesn’t complicate things, it actually helps. First off, have a team meeting and make it very known that the numbers are not there. Brainstorm some reasons why. Let your team have an opportunity to vent. However right or wrong their view may be perceived, let them get it out. Do that collectively. Then have one on one sessions with each team member. Make it incredibly obvious you will be working with each team member to develop a plan of action. Remember to bring up what you have observed, focusing on the missed opportunities and how that impacts both the bottom line and their wallet. Meghan needs to know what you have seen and what you prescribe based on what she needs from you. She and everyone else needs to know you have their back.
Do you train or coach a team member to get the “right” change? Really? It depends. We have team members who need just a little win…something easy to win and that builds confidence. And others need something bigger or stronger or in conjunction with everyone else and they rise. Sometimes it is information and sometimes it is a pat on the back.
Cheers