Are you familiar with the old sales axiom telling is not selling? Well, telling is not coaching either.
Confucius had it right when he said, “What I hear I forget, what I see I may remember, but what I do I understand.” He could have been giving advice to sales managers on how to develop their staff.
Learning hasn’t occurred until a sales rep’s behavior has changed. The best way for you to determine if your sales coaching is working is to observe the salesperson—hopefully in action on a series of sales calls with prospects. At the very least, you should participate in interactive role-playing in which you play the customer as the sales rep practices his or her skills.
That will help you judge how well they interact with customers.
