Here's What Great Coaching Can Do

Don't you love when a plan comes together?

I've been writing about my team of sales superheroes....my Next Step Man and Woman....those sales reps that are not content to take the same answers every other rep gets...so they take the Next Step in order to get a better outcome.

I talked with one of my superheroes on a coaching call this morning. On our call earlier this week we focused on accounts where he STILL had not been able to get a face to face meeting with the key contact, despite weeks of trying.

His current approach was:

I'm a nice, likable guy. I'll keep "building my relationship" with the gatekeeper until they like me enough to get me back to the key contact.

His current result was:

5 sales calls/ no face to face with key contact.

We discussed a change in strategy and I asked him to use a new approach....one that I like to call "Honesty"....it goes something like this.

"Hey Ms. Gatekeeper, good to see you. Is Ms. Key Referral source available for a few minutes? No? Ok, I wanted to let you know that your facility is on my assigned account list. It's my responsibility to work with Ms. Key Referral Source to see if our services meet the needs of your patients. Since I haven't been able to speak to her, all I can really do is come by and continue to ask you if she's available. I know you don't have time for this ........ but I really have no other options. Is there something you can do to help?"

New result is:

Gatekeeper picks up phone, calls back to key contact and says "Rep X is here, I've already put him off a few times, can you take a few minutes to speak with him?" Key contact says "Sure, send him back" and finally we've broken thru!

Aside from the wonderful break thru here, do you see what else we learned? The gatekeeper said (and said it RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE SALESPERSON), "I've already put him off a few times"!!! She told him (without directly saying it), "I was lying all those times when I told you that you should make an appointment, or that you should stop back another time. That's what I tell everyone but today, because you finally talked to me like a real business person....I stopped lying to you".

Now THAT'S a real breakthrough!

Now my sales superhero has not only a new contact, but has a new skill that can be deployed into other similar accounts.

The Next Step is what separates sales leaders from the rest of the pack.....are YOU ready to be a sales superhero too? Great sales coaching available here:

MIchael Giudicissi