[Webinar Recording & Recap] Cracking the Sales Coaching Code

Sales coaching and training are hard when you’re pressed for time, you’re pulled in a million different directions — oh, and your team basically went remote overnight.

We’ve got you covered. Recently, we co-hosted a “Cracking the Coaching Code” webinar with Chorus.ai. Becc Holland, Head of Sales Development at Chorus, and Mark McWatters, VP of Sales at Ambition discussed:

1. What to coach your reps on

2. How to drive quota attainment with consistent coaching

3. How to leverage your “unicorns”

4. The top 3 elements every 1:1 must have

Here are our top takeaways — including a few of our favorite video highlights. Plus, get the full recording and slides.

1. Coach your reps on the right things

According to Brevet, 55% of the people making their living in sales don’t have the right skills to be successful. This doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the reps’ talent or skill level; it’s more about the fact that they don’t have the right training or a defined sales process. 

Becc believes that leveraging a methodology, whatever it is, will help you ensure you’re coaching on the right things and giving your reps a path to success.  

• Key Takeaway: Choose a methodology that allows reps to achieve their goals and then make it your own

“You want to be sure that you’re choosing the right method that allows you to know how to handle a proper introduction, reasons for outreach, and even objections.”

- Becc Holland

Keep in mind: you can always tweak or customize the methodology as you go along. Take a look at Mark’s perspective on the adaption of methodology.

“You need to marry a methodology as the foundation. It doesn’t mean you can’t alter what that foundation looks like.”

- Mark McWatters

>>>DOWNLOAD MARK'S FREE COACHING TEMPLATE<<<

2. How to drive more quota attainment through consistent coaching

You have your methodology that you know you want your team to implement. Now it’s time to coach, coach, coach. One immediate question from Mark right off the bat to our audience was: Do you have a standing 1:1 with your leader? And how often does it actually happen? 

While the majority of the attendees did, in fact, have a 1:1 on their schedule, the conversation took a different turn when attendees were asked whether or not those meetings were actually effective. 

Getting into the nitty-gritty of what it takes to have effective 1:1s, Mark outlines 3 core questions:

1. Are your meetings documented? In a place where you both can review your conversations and action plans?

2. Are your conversations data-driven? Do your employees know what their KPIs are?

3. Is the data you’re leveraging tied to quota attainment? 

• Key Takeaway: Discover the key activities for your Sales Reps that work towards your company’s main objectives

Digging into data tied to quota attainment, watch as Mark reveals his top 4 activities he tracks to work towards key objectives for both SDRs and AEs at Ambition.

“Keep it simple - pick your top 4… [and] fall in love with that process cause it’ll ultimately drive you towards your objectives” 

- Mark McWatters

Knowing what your team’s key activities and objectives are is step 1, but knowing how to coach on these to help your employees meet them is what really matters. What should your coaching process look like in order to ensure quota attainment on your team? 

• Key Takeaway: Coach your reps to be resourceful and fully absorb your methodology/think like you

Watch as Becc walks us through her typical process of coaching in her 1:1. Plus, a look into how she develops her buyer personas for her team.

“Your reps are markered on who they are when you’re not in the room. So I’m focusing most of my time on helping them get better so that when I’m not in the room there to coach them, on that cold call, on that email… so they can get to that place themselves.” 

- Becc Holland

>>>DOWNLOAD BECC’S FREE COACHING TEMPLATE<<<

3. How to leverage your unicorns to ignite the fire on your sales floor

The infamous unicorn rep — also known as a sales rep that consistently doubles their quota and a sales manager’s best friend. Every team has one, and every SDR wants to be one. 

So as their leader, how can you make sure your unicorn is using his or her powers for good on your team? And how can you replicate their success with other members of your team? 

• Key takeaway: Create team-based competitions and mold your unicorn into a leader on your team.

Watch as Mark and Becc navigate through how to leverage competitions to help your team’s unicorn influence your “hungriest low performer” and what to look for in your unicorn. 

“A lot of people on your team don’t think they can be the unicorn rep, and that might be true. However, there are parts of what that unicorn rep is doing that you can make repeatable… Let your unicorn rep share what’s working with the team”

- Mark McWatters

Check out the Harvard Business Review article Mark references on Ambition’s competitions for sales team’s here. 

4. The top 3 things your 1:1s must have to accelerate coaching momentum

And finally, the golden ticket. If nothing else, this takeaway is one you’ll for sure want to take with you. Best of all? You can implement it immediately to help make your 1:1s smarter and more effective. 

By following these three things, anyone in a supervisory role can not only create a more effective 1:1 but also become a much more dynamic coach as well:

1. Real-time performance & goal attainment

2. Current initiative progress

3. Commitments & action plans

• Key Takeaway: There are 3 must-have ingredients for an effective 1:1

“You shouldn't have to pull reports to see where your reps are tracking, be sure to have a system where you know where your team’s tracking at all times.”

- Mark McWatters

Want more from Becc and Mark? Watch the full webinar below!

Get the full webinar deck here.

Plus, get even more insider tips by downloading their free coaching templates! Steal them, copy them, make them your own — and launch a revenue-driving, culture-boosting coaching program today.

>>>DOWNLOAD MARK'S SALES COACHING TEMPLATE<<<

>>>DOWNLOAD BECC’s SALES COACHING TEMPLATE<<<