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    5 Easy Steps to Coaching Your Staff to Better Performance

    September 6, 2013 Posted by : Tim Hagen
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    5 Easy Steps to Coaching Your Staff to Better Performance

     

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    To coach staff to better performance, some very basic activities need to take place.  Finding out where their current performance lies, what motivates them, and a performance plan to improve their achievements is critical to implementing a change.

     

    First, find out where staff members are doing well and where they aren’t.  Each individual has strengths and weaknesses in their sales skills and finding out what they are is critical.  Frequently, organizations tend to lump all of their staff together and train them as a group.  Unfortunately, one staff member may be struggling with a skill- based issue and another may be struggling with a knowledge based issue.  In order to effectively do this, determine some key attributes that you would like your staff to have and evaluate each member in those areas.  Finding out how top performers achieve their results is also important to creating success in all your staff.

     

    Secondly, find out what their hot buttons are, what motivates them.  Based on that information, you can put together an incentive plan.  You can get them to perform better by constantly fueling their motivation.  Sometimes the easiest way to find this out is to do a simple survey, or just ask them.

     

    Third, put a plan together.  The plan should incorporate the attributes/tasks that your identified reps need to be competent and to be star performers.  How are they going to get to that star performer destination? They should have a specific targeted plan that addresses their individual challenges and when they make achievements, recognize them.  For one person a simple “Great job Bob on making that cold call,” or providing a gift card for a coffee may go a long way to continue fueling their behavior.  Management should have a good understanding of their role in the staff member’s development plan and should remain active throughout the process. 

     

    Fourth, constantly check their performance through role- play, recorded calls, ride-alongs etc.  By creating deadlines for your goals, it becomes easy to make people accountable for their actions.  Keep in mind that staff members will acquire skills and knowledge at different rates, so be understanding, and at times, deadlines may need to be flexible.

     

    Finally, REWARD and recognize appropriate behaviors and skills that team members have acquired; it will go a long way!  Part of your job as a coach, is to continually be driving your team to want to get better.  If they have fun getting better they will be more likely to do it.  Come up with contests that reward those who come closest to reaching their goals etc.  Always be prompt in telling people they are doing a good job.  Coaching can take as little as 30 seconds and if done correctly, will impact performance every day!

     

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    About Author

    Tim Hagen
    Tim Hagen

    Tim Hagen founded Progress Coaching, a Training Reinforcement Partner Company, in 1997. His entrepreneurial career began in college leading to positions in sales, sales management, and sales training for small and large corporations, and eventually ownership of several training companies. Tim is often a keynote speaker at companies teaching the value of coaching and conversations in the workplace. He possesses a unique combination of hands-on experience, academics, and innovative insight to solve the industry’s most common challenges specific to workplace performance. Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in Adult Education and Training from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

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