Sales leaders are always looking for new ways to go to market.  They think about changing their messaging, employing new sales development techniques, and finding diverse ways to engage with new and existing customers. In this bounce back environment, salespeople will need to master the skill set for a hybrid approach to customer engagement. An approach that includes scheduling virtual, face-to-face, live meetings, meals, and events.

Companies are looking for ways to develop and nurture these new engagement skills and make them the new standard. They need to ensure quick adoption and enable smooth implementation. Training alone cannot develop these skills in the timeframe needed in this post-pandemic economy.

Training is defined as a unidirectional form of communication that provides information to a group of employees via verbal, printed or electronic methods. The message is meant for general consumption and does not consider the receivers experience, capabilities, or motivations. This means the message resonates with only a fraction of the target audience. To deliver the message and make it relevant to the majority, the training must be combined with the appropriate level of coaching.

Coaching is bidirectional communication that is tailored to the individual and involves collaboration. This bidirectional component addresses specific strengths and weaknesses to focus on developing the individual. This component makes combining the two much more powerful when you augment the rapid implementation of training with the more enduring change that comes from customized coaching.

The combination of training and coaching allows the quick dissemination of general information with an individualized follow up that is tailored and specific to the needs of the employee. With the right combination of these two tools, management can make significant and sustainable change within the organization in substantially less time than using just one tool.

Coaching is both an art and a science. Imagine what an investment in a consistent method of coaching could mean to your organization in this post pandemic environment and beyond. We can help you build a training and coaching platform that meets your specific needs.

Written by Richard Segers, rsegers@penonpartners.com, Practice Lead – Sales Excellence at Penon Partners