When it comes to laying the foundations for success in any sales-driven organization, few things compare to the presence of a skillful manager capable of nurturing champions. These are the leaders who not only drive revenue, but more critically, develop the talent that perpetuates success.

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However, amid these responsibilities, it’s imperative to acknowledge a prevailing challenge: A noticeable lack of support and resources available for presales managers tasked with coaching their teams. Without guidance, coaches struggle to provide effective leadership that caters to individual needs as well as those of the greater team.

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In this blog, we’ll help ‌fill this void with practices for mentoring, guiding, and upskilling presales teams effectively. 

Coaching Philosophy

To truly empower managers for successful coaching, there must be a coaching philosophy that encourages a growth mindset among team members. PSC member Ryan Baumann stresses the importance of conscious competence in managers: “To be a great front line manager, you need to directly coach them on what/how to improve in a context that motivates them based on their goals and personality.”

Conscious Competence in the Coaching Context

Conscious competence pimples an acute awareness of what good performance looks like — and the ability to transmit that understanding effectively to others. In absence of this, managers often fall into “unconscious competence,” where they can perform well but struggle to articulate or teach these skills to their team, often leading to little collective growth.

Empowering Managers with Tools and Tactics

For managers to coach reps to champion status, they must be equipped with not only strategic insights but with practical tools designed for presales excellence.

Developing a Coaching Framework

A comprehensive coaching framework should be established — one that is flexible, yet structured, and can be tailored to individual needs and learning styles. This would involve:

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• Setting clear expectations
• Offering regular feedback
• Creating development plans based on goals and competencies

Training on Feedback and Recognition Techniques

Managers must be adept at giving constructive feedback that motivates and guides reps’ path forward. This feedback should be timely, specific, and actionable. At the same time, be generous with recognizing wins and progress. Highlight specific achievements and reinforce positive behaviors that align with your organizational values.

Providing Resources with Continuous Learning

Empowering managers also means giving them access to a repository of resources to set the stage for ongoing learning. These resources include materials and events that keep them at the forefront of presales strategies and trends, as well as your industry, company, and products — things like:

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• E-learning modules
• Online quizzes
• Workshops and seminars

Implementing Coaching Strategies

Now, let’s dive into the steps required to execute effective coaching.

Personalize the Experience

Each member of your team has unique strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations. Understanding these nuances allows managers to tailor coaching sessions that resonate and motivate each individual, fostering a productive and engaging learning environment.

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Personalization requires getting to know reps beyond work performance. Regularly check in with them and ask lots of questions to understand their personalities, communication and learning styles, and motivations and career goals. A personalized touch helps you provide guidance and support, developing a stronger relationship with reps.  

Set Goals

Success in coaching is often a result of setting SMART goals:

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• Specific: Ensure goals are clear and well-defined, addressing the who, what, when, where, and why.
• Measurable: Establish criteria for quantifying and tracking progress.
• Attainable: Set goals that are challenging yet realistic, aligning with team and individual capabilities and resources.
• Relevant: Align goals with broader team and organizational objectives.
• Time-bound: Define a specific timeframe for goal completion to instill a sense of urgency and accountability. 

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This approach offers clarity and a sense of direction for both managers and their champions-to-be, aligning growth projections with strategic outcomes.

Create an Environment of Trust

A coaching culture thrives on trust and open lines of communication. Teams that feel heard, valued, and supported are more likely to be engaged in their development process and share their challenges and aspirations — which in turn propels personal and organizational success.

Offer Timely Feedback

Don’t wait for formal reviews to provide feedback to reps — offer it in real time. This allows for on-the-spot adjustments, helping presales professionals fine-tune their approach dynamically in the flow of their daily tasks. 

Measuring the Impact of Coaching

Like any initiative, the effectiveness of coaching programs should be tracked and measured. Set key performance indicators linked to individual, team, and organizational targets. These could include metrics like:

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• Sales cycle length
• Win rates
• Customer satisfaction scores

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Integrating real-world case studies into coaching can enable managers to illustrate concepts with tangible outcomes. These can solidify learning by relating it to past experiences and projecting future applications.

Building a Legacy of Leaders

A strong leader is the linchpin of success in presales, where technological advancements and customer expectations continually reshape the field. When conscious competence is combined with a robust coaching framework and the right tools and tactics, the path to cultivating champions becomes not just clearer but achievable.

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Coaching goes beyond short-term sales victories; it’s about building a legacy of leaders equipped to face future challenges and opportunities. Empowering managers for successful coaching in presales means nurturing a team that exceeds expectations.

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