I was just trying to be helpful.
The background
One of my earlier field sales roles was in Sydney with a national business that distributed a wide range of (sometimes quite technical) industrial products and consumables. We had regular customers and quite strong relationships with most of them.
Occasionally I was accompanied by a Sales Supervisor, as I was one of his team. And it was his role to assist with difficult calls that were beyond my knowledge or to offer timely advice to me afterwards.
In fact, it was the ideal sales coaching situation. He could offer insight and guidance on the spot, while the issue was still top of mind. But that’s another story…
The sales coaching moment
We’d spent the morning calling on customers in one of the dry and dusty industrial areas in the ‘burbs. Then, after one of our sales visits, once we were settled back in the car, he turned to me and asked:
Why, at the end of each sales call, do you say to the customer ‘Is there anything else I can help you with?’
Hmmm.. I was bit puzzled.
After all, I thought part of my sales role was to be helpful. To keep the customer happy.
Spoiler alert – important lesson coming my way!
So that’s what I told my Sales Supervisor. That I was trying to be helpful and resolve any issues the customer had.
The advice he gave me next has stuck with me ever since. And it makes so much sense.
The lesson
He told me that by asking that question I was encouraging the customer to give me an issue to resolve that most likely should be handled by the customer service team. Not me.
My focus should be on seeking and pursuing sales opportunities, not getting caught up in customer service work.
And more importantly, I was unintentionally lowering my perceived status with the customer as I was willing to take on customer service tasks that, while important to resolve, weren’t the best use of my skills, training and resources.
That’s not what I was there for. And it wasn’t what I wanted my customer to focus on when I visited them.
The takeaway
My desire to please the customer was actually getting in the way of me doing better in my role. Until that was pointed out to me I couldn’t see it. I was too close to the action.
The power of Sales Coaching, especially when done ‘in the moment’ (or close to it) is that insights can be shared based on specific actions or outcomes that have occurred. It’s not theoretical, or too far in the past to be remembered clearly.
As a Sales Leader how can you make impactful Sales Coaching moments happen?
Download our free Coaching Skills for Sales Leaders guide to improve accountability and performance in your business development or sales team.
About the author
Stuart Ayling MIMC, BBus, GCM holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) and a Graduate Certificate in Management (International Business). He is an experienced strategic planning facilitator/consultant, and trainer in business-to-business sales, critical thinking skills, and management skills. For over 20 years he has been engaged by a wide range of national companies, regional firms, and founder-led businesses across Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. He is also a full member of the Institute of Management Consultants (Australia).
