Friday, November 11, 2005

Coaching is not a Fad anymore . . .

The results are in and the news is as I thought it would be. In a recent study conducted by Best Practices, LLC they noted that ongoing and incremental training/coaching is now the norm. They studied 36 companies across multiple industries including Fortune 500 companies. In those companies up to 90% of the companies utilitized ongoing coaching and training. They also noted that up to 75% of those surveyed utilized an outside vendor to provide the sales training/coaching support. This was not new to me. This is our philosophy. I often hear, "But our industry is so different." The truth is sales is sales. Sure there are nuances that need to be dealt with but when it is all said and done, we are selling a service, product or concept. It is always good to see that companies are seeing the value to what we have been doing all along.

The Sales Roller Coaster . . . Weeeeeee


Even the best sales professionals experience the sales roller coaster. Sometimes you get them and sometimes you don't. The question is are you enjoying the ride? And are the highs as high and lows as low.

I was thinking about this today as I looked over my week and the various activities I was involved in and the outcomes of some of those activities. What keeps you from becoming overwhelmed with the ride? For me, as I reflected back on this, it is the focus I have on my goal - my BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). When I am cresting the top of the hill and know it's about to drop, I remember where I am heading. Then I continue to behave, stay true to the plan and move on.

However, during those times when you feel like you are on a roller coaster, it might be wise to revisit the plan. Make some adjustments and look at the cookbook to see if the recipe is working. Maybe something you thought made sense, doesn't anymore. Find something else. When you stay focused on the goal, everything is just a hill not a mountain because you are looking out and not down.