Coaching sales professionals. Every manager claims to do it, but few can. Can you ask "miracle questions"?
Coaching leadership can change a lot for the better. For the employee and for yourself. Both become more focused, more effective, life becomes a little easier and more fun. Not to mention ... sales results will improve as well.
The nice thing is that coaching techniques can be used very well in both business and private situations. Becoming proficient in these techniques will make your life a little easier and more enjoyable in both areas.
The miracle question
My own teacher Sergio van der Pluijm wrote a nice blog about a 'wonder question' that always makes the coachée think, when he or she is at a loss for words. A question you could ask in a business as well as in a private setting, but you have to ask it well.
The coachée believes only what he himself says.
The "miracle question" prevents you from steering too quickly toward what you (as manager) would like or see as a solution. In fact, coaching is about the coachée starting to lead himself.
Of course, in a business setting, it is obviously important that what the coachée wants and says does fit with the goals, values and norms of the organization. However, there are many ways to still steer the coachée somewhat within these frameworks. In each case, however, it is important that the coachée does intrinsically feel it is his or her "agenda. In our master class "Coaching Sales Professionals," we discuss this in detail.
Wanting something and also doing something are two different things.
Not infrequently, the solution lies in changing behavior. But before you expect this of someone else, take a look at yourself. How often have you sacredly resolved to do or not do something? And how often were you successful in doing so?
So changing your behavior is no easy task and it is therefore unrealistic to expect your coachée to be able to do this successfully after one or two conversations. Fortunately, there are techniques that can be used not only in the workplace, but also in your private life. Techniques that we gladly offer you in our Master Class: Successfully Changing Behavior.
To lead well is to be able to coach well
The manager often walks around transmitting far too much instead of coaching. Usually with the best of intentions, but unfortunately it is so pointless and often counterproductive. The nice thing about being able to coach well is that life also looks much less like work for the coach himself.
Actually amazing that a lot of sales managers have never taken at least one or two good master classes on coaching. It could make the sales team so much more successful.
