The Power of Coaching in Enterprise Sales - Ben Harris, Head of Sales Productivity @ Outsystems

Summary

• Coaching in sales leadership with insights from experienced professionals. 0:01

  • Ben emphasizes coaching as a crucial aspect of sales leadership, citing personal growth and potential career changes as a result of receiving coaching himself.

  • Leaders often mistake talking to reps as coaching, and avoid truly coaching them.

• Coaching in sales, purposeful vs reactive. 3:23

  • Coaching is purposeful, intentional time to help someone do better, not just rescuing deals at the

    Coaching can be opportunity coaching, career coaching, or helping champions, but it must be intentional and purposeful.

  • Coaches should prioritize coaching during one-on-ones, focusing on specific deals and career progression.

  • Griffin Reilly: Agreed upon operational cadence is important for coaching, with set times for coaching conversations and proactive discussion topics.

• Sales coaching and opportunity management. 8:15

  • Importance of trust and respect in a coaching relationship, emphasizing that it's essential for effective communication and building a strong relationship.

  • Griffin Reilly asks how great sales leaders build trust with their team members, given that it's similar to building trust with prospects in sales.

  • Sales leader emphasizes opportunity coaching for sellers to close deals before end of year.

  • The importance of creating a safe environment for sellers to receive feedback and coaching from their managers.

  • Griffin Reilly shares his framework for opportunity coaching, including the use of deal clinics and preparing sellers for coaching sessions.

• Prioritizing coaching sessions for sales teams. 14:11

  • Griffin Reilly discusses the importance of role-playing in sales coaching, citing Nathan Jamail's experience with improved skill development.

  • Approach to realistic role-playing, incorporating deal clinics and other perspectives to help sellers improve.

  • Leaders must prioritize coaching sessions with reps to help them succeed.

  • Leaders must be intentional and proactive about scheduling coaching sessions to ensure they happen.

• Sales coaching, leadership, and mindset. 18:57

  • Sellers should seek out resources and coaching to improve their skills, while managers should prioritize coaching and provide feedback to help their team succeed.

  • "The Five Secrets of a Sales Coach" and the Sales Enablement Society Conference.

  • The Sales Enablement Society Conference in San Diego, where they will discuss the importance of sales leadership and coaching.

  • Ben: Elite sellers value their time and prospects' time, focusing on solving problems rather than just closing deals.

  • Ben: Coaching is key to success, prioritizing it over forecasting and loving the opportunity to share wisdom and impart knowledge.