A meaningful experiment

I instituted an interesting coaching and questioning experiment with one of my clients. We provided coaching and questioning training to 25 sales managers and left another 25 on their own. The 25 "coaches" increased their face-to-face interviews with staff from two to six a year. Seventy-five percent of their reps improved their ratings in at least two key result areas, and the managers said they felt much more comfortable giving their reps more responsibilities. Furthermore, the managers reported their staff increased access and time with over 50% of their physicians. Because the managers were modeling a questioning approach to coaching and selling, the reps started asking more and telling less with their physicians. Overall, most of the reps were highly motivated to keep improving. They felt they had ownership of their own development. The reps were doing more on their own. Thus providing their managers with increased discretionary time to plan and solve problems. Managers were definitely spending less time with problem people, for they had fewer problem people. This proved to my client and me how important it is to coach, and how important it is to use questions while coaching. A win–win situation all around.

A simple formula for peak performance

Here are three essential concepts and questions to help you build peak performance in each rep. If, through coaching, each of your employees improved their numbers over 20%, imagine what a boon that would be for your company's productivity!

Many situations can be turned into informal coaching sessions. For example, let's use a debriefing following a presentation at a doctor's office. Something you all do quite frequently when riding with your reps. Immediately after the presentation, ask the person to think for a moment and then answer three questions:

"What did you like about what you did?"

Everyone has a gut feeling about what was right and what was wrong about their work. As time passes, however, they lose much of their objectivity. If they did a less-than-adequate job, for example, their memory clouds over as protective rationalization rushes to the defense. (An actress failing an audition may say, "I didn't get the job because the director wants his girlfriend in the part.") On the other hand, some people go too far the other way and berate themselves for the slightest flaws, losing sight of what they did well. An evaluation is most accurate when it is done immediately after the event, close to the reality. The individual usually comes out with a pretty fair assessment of what he or she did right.

"If you could do it over again, what would you do differently? What would you change, and how?"

Anyone performing a complex task should have the opportunity to look at what has been done, evaluate it, and consider what might have enhanced or enriched it. When you ask the first two questions most people readily uncover their major problems, especially when they are given support and feel they can express their thoughts without fear of negative criticism. During the evaluation the person may come upon a problem that he can't solve, which leads to the third and final smart question from you:

"What help do you need from me?"

This is obvious. But many managers forget that high achievers, as well as those not doing so well, still need direction and feedback. Reps value managers who are "there for them" when they need it.

These three smart coaching questions let the person clearly evaluate what was right and what was wrong about the job at hand, and provide an avenue for change. You may have your own ideas about the person's performance and how you would do it differently. But the goal is for the person to discover for themself what can be done to improve. People can change only when they themselves see the need for change.

Managers who coach on an ongoing basis through a questioning self-discovery process build high-achieving and motivated sales teams. It is worth the effort to become a fine coach and a committed questioner. Find the time to coach and make the effort to ask rather than tell. I guarantee you will reap many and surprising benefits.