Being a good sales coach isn’t easy. You have to help your salespeople when the rejection overcomes them. You also need to let them know when they are doing a great job. Hopefully you have successful salespeople who take responsibility and who reach their sales quotas and who are self motivated. However, at times, the role of a salesperson can be a lonely and depressing one and, as an involved sales coach, you can help.

If you have managed salespeople or sold for any length of time, you recognize the repetitive nature of what this role entails.

Salespeople must find prospects, call on gatekeepers, get to the decision makers, ask questions to uncover the issues, solve the problems, make a presentation, lose the sale or close the deal and deliver the goods.

The scenario plays out much the same time after time. Yet each time is somewhat unique- different personalities, different company issue, policies and practices present new obstacles. Perhaps it is the small differences that keep salespeople interested in the phone call. Each circumstance presents a new challenge.

Thankfully, there are those wins that really cause a salesperson to celebrate. And the wins should be celebrated with all who contributed.

But there is still work to do- new prospects to uncover and more sales to be sold. After all is said and done, the salesperson must be ready to “suit up” and go sell once again!

If a salesperson wins, celebrate. Congratulate him and any who contributed and then help him move on; there is new work to do. Learn to leverage the momentum of the win and keep your salespeople excited about the next sale.

Of course, we also have to fulfill the promise when a sale is made and sometimes this requires a salesperson’s involvement. Don’t let your salesperson get stuck in administering the deal, thereby losing the raw excitement that would otherwise help to feed her renewed activity. Find a way to free her from as much detail as possible so that she can pick up the phone and start dialing the next day.

Being a good sales coach isn’t easy. You have to help your salespeople when the rejection overcomes them. You also need to let them know when they are doing a great job. Hopefully you have successful salespeople who take responsibility and who reach their sales quotas and who are self motivated. However, at times, the role of a salesperson can be a lonely and depressing one and, as an involved sales coach, you can help.

Teach your salespeople the following expression when they lose an opportunity. Teach them to think SW3N.

• Some Will.
• Some Won’t.
• So What?
• NEXT!

In other words, there isn’t time for a salesperson to feel sorry for himself or for lamenting what he could have/ should have done. So sit down with him and do a quick debrief. Figure out what he might have learned from the lost sale and then point him toward prospecting for new opportunities. This is the name of the sales game, and in order to be successful, he needs to consistently perform the necessary activities and behaviors.

Keep track of the wins and losses so that you can measure each individual’s success, development and effectiveness. Help her understand that she can only control herself. She can’t control what a competitor says or does. She can’t control whether a prospect decides to buy from her. But she can control her own attitude and behaviors. Help each salesperson move on after losing a deal and after winning one.

Executing good strategy, performing the necessary activities that contribute to the business plan is what will help a salesperson close more sales. Following each individual’s results will allow you to know if each is on track to hit personal goals.

So, help your salespeople stay the course, deliver the message, ask people for their business, get a decision and move on. Celebrate the “No’s” – at least they won’t have a think-it-over prospect that has asked them to follow up in 3 weeks just to have them avoid the sales call. Isn’t there an element of relief once a decision has been made? Things always get better once a decision is made because now one can move forward.

When your salespeople win, say “Congratulations”, celebrate and help them move on.

When they lose, say “Congratulations, you probably learned something and you can cross it off your list. Now you are free to move on. So pick up the phone, go sell something and remember “Some will. Some won’t. So what? NEXT!”