G.R.O.W. Your Team’s Success: An Essential Coaching Model for Sales Managers

The G.R.O.W. Sales Coaching Model Part 2

There is nothing more valuable to ANY business than its people. And yet, so many owners and leaders look right past this crucial asset, focusing on what they consider as more pressing issues, revenue growth, and the many ‘fires’ that crop up during any given day or even hour. Over time, this lack of attention can cause serious organizational deficiencies. Before you know it, your team is less productive and happy than you ultimately want them to be. And that is a direct and undesired path to lower sales and profits. In Part 1 of The G.R.O.W. Sales Coaching Model, we reviewed WHY coaching is vital to your team’s professional development and personal satisfaction. Now, we will get into the details of HOW to successfully execute one of the easiest processes to follow to ensure you get the results you need and want from your team.

The simple format that has worked successfully for me over many years is:

Grow – Reality – Obstacles/Options – Way Forward

Step #1:  Establish the GOAL

Step #2:  Examine the Current REALITY

Step #3:  Explore the OBSTACLES/OPTIONS 

Step #4   Engage the WILL and the WAY Forward

Step 1:  Establish the GOAL

Goals are anchors for hope, and the more human beings align with their core values in movements towards those goals, the better-engaged people will participate in actions that make those goals realized. Ask the team member to describe their goal and ensure it aligns with your expectations. It could be a sales goal, a competency objective, a specific number of house calls they want to achieve, etc. Anything that will help them develop/refine a skill and/or accomplish a desire could be what you both select.

Perhaps you might ask some of these questions to get them thinking about what their answer might be:

1. What is your goal?
2. What do you want to improve?
3. What do you want to achieve?
4. What timeframe do you want to achieve your goal within?
5. Why is this goal important to you?
6. Why do you want to choose this specific goal?
7. How can I help you achieve this goal?
8. What tools do you need to be successful?

Two important things to remember about this step:  First, the team member should articulate and ultimately select their desired goal. If you assign a goal or objective to them, it’s not theirs; it’s yours. They may take ownership of it and ultimately accomplish it; however, it will be less meaningful and empowering if it doesn’t originate from them. Second, ensure you agree on the goal and the path towards successfully achieving it. It may not be the first one you would pick for them; however, demonstrating your support for their decision is critical to developing trust and a productive working relationship.

Step 2:  Examine the Current REALITY

This step invites a self-assessment to fully understand the challenges from their perspective. Addressing stress, fear, and other outside influences is key to identifying their mindset so you can best help them.

Ask the team member to describe their current reality to you. This is an important step. You must have a starting point, and this discussion will establish that. As the team member tells you about their current reality, some clues to help them may begin to emerge that you will want to take special note of.

Here is a suggested list of questions you might ask to get this desired result:

1. What is your perception of the goal? How do you feel about it?
2. What do you need to change or adjust to achieve the goal?
3. What is the biggest fear or reservation you have?
4. Once you achieve the goal, how should we celebrate it?
5. What is going to be your accountability? Specific metrics to guide/watch or a friend/teammate accountability?
6. How will you react/feel if your goal is not met?
7. What external factors should you consider in your plan to achieve your goal?

Step 3:  Explore the OBSTACLES AND OPTIONS

This step helps them determine the possibilities for reaching their objective. Help them brainstorm as many good options as possible and then support them as they decide on the best ones to take action on.

This conversation provides the perfect time to determine the possibilities for achieving their goal. Then, your job is to support them in deciding on the best ones to implement. As you consider the questions to ask to facilitate the discussion, make sure you listen carefully to what they tell you—definitely more than you speak during this session. You must guide them in the right direction without actually making any suggestions for them. Your job is guiding them to get where they want to go!

Consider this list of questions you might initiate to get this desired result:

1. Is the goal achievable? Why?
2. What tools do you need to achieve your goal?
3. What is your time frame for achieving it?
4. What other constraints or roadblocks must you address to help you achieve the goal?

Step #4:  Engage the WILL and the WAY Forward

At this point, they should have a clear understanding of how to achieve their goal based on the current situation. Now, it is time to get the commitment to specific actions for improvement.

The Will and the Way Forward is really about accountability and personal actions. The final step is getting the team member to commit to specific actions to move forward toward their goal. With your support, this will help them activate their willpower and give them an empowering boost!

These questions are a good place to start to get to this desired result:

1. What steps are you going to take to make it happen?
2. How can I help you get there?
3. What other support will you need to achieve it?
4. How often would you like to review with me how you are progressing towards achieving your goal?

In summary, utilizing the G.R.O.W. Sales Coaching Model and consistent coaching is a strategic investment that enhances individual and team performance and drives overall organizational success through improved skills, increased motivation, and better alignment with business goals.  This is such a critical part of human resources management and cultivation, and the importance of the effort placed here cannot be understated.

Please let me know at any time if I can help you successfully implement this important coaching and team-building model. I wish you much success!