Dave Kurlan, of Objective Management Group is our guest blogger today. Dave is author of the top rated business book Baseline Selling, he is an EcSELL Institute Pillar Partner, and is also one of our key instructors at our upcoming Sales Coaching Summit, April 7-8, 2011 in Scottsdale. At the Sales Coaching Summit Dave will share a science-based perspective on how to become a great sales coach.
Enjoy this information!
I'm (Dave Kurlan) often asked about the sales management side of Baseline Selling so I'll include a few words today. In the table below, I've included the four bases in Baseline Selling, the sales criteria for reaching each base, challenges your salespeople must overcome to reach the base. In the last column I've included the sales management and sales coaching functions required to help your salespeople execute the process.
| Base | Criteria | Comments | Sales Management Function |
| 1st | Salesperson got first appointment | The path to first base requires that the salesperson conduct lots of prospecting and pipeline building. |
Motivation (to get started), Accountability (for calls and appointments), and tactical Coaching are all important. |
| 2nd | Prospect Needs What You Sell; They Have Compelling Reasons to Buy; They Have Compelling Reasons to Buy from You; Salesperson Has Differentiated Your Company from the Competition by Building a Strong Relationship Asking Lots of Good Questions, Showing Expertise, etc. |
The path to 2nd Base requires your salespeople to have great listening and questioning skills, relationship building skills, and no need for approval so they can actually execute. |
Coaching (Pre-Call Strategy), Pipeline Management,(base moves) and Motivation (to execute) are important. |
| 3rd | Prospect is completely qualified to do business with you and you are completely qualified to do business with your prospect. |
The path to 3rd base requires your salespeople to ask the tough questions they are often uncomfortable asking. |
Coaching (Post Call Debrief ), Accountability (for complete qualification), and Pipeline Management (base moves) are important. |
| Home | Salesperson got the business. | The path to Home Plate requires the salesperson to make both a needs and cost appropriate presentation or proposal. |
Coaching (Post Call Debrief), Accountability (for only appropriate proposals and presentations), Pipeline Management |
As you can see, sales coaching, albeit different sales coaching , is required for each base. Motivation is most important for getting your salespeople to first base while pipeline management and accountability are crucial along the way.
Here is a fun article titled "5 Signs Your Sales Meeting Is a Waste of Time." Make sure you are using your sales team's time effectively.
