What to talk about in your sales coaching session

1. Challenge: What’s the challenge you’ll be addressing in the session?

First thing’s first, identify the skillset that you’ll be focusing on this meeting. What kind of challenge is it? A mindset challenge or an activity challenge?

2. Outline: Outline a game plan for the session

Outlining your game plan for the meeting helps ensure that it doesn’t get derailed by chit chat. Finesse the agenda to meet the needs of the particular rep and challenge you’re working on.

3. Action plan: What do you think will help you improve? What steps will you take?

This is where you want to spend the bulk of your time in the meeting. Together, identify steps your rep can take to improve and lay out a game plan. Ask the person being coached a lot of questions to encourage them to identify the problem to be solved and come up with an action plan. This was they have buy-in and ownership.

4. Consequences: What’s going to happen if you don’t take those steps?

It’s one thing to say what needs to be improved, it’s another to understand the impact of not improving. What will happen if the action plan outlined doesn’t come to light? This makes it more than just talking and encourages action. Consequences don't need to be negative or dire, but do need to make the impact of inaction well understood.

5. Hold accountable: What are you responsible for doing and by when?

Identify who’s responsible for what and the next steps. One of the most important parts of accountability is clarity on what’s expected. Make sure you leave the meeting with an understanding of action items.

The COACH framework, created by Cory Bray and Hilmon Sorey, Co-founders of CoachCRM and ClozeLoop, is an easy-to-remember approach to take for your next coaching session.