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Guest post by: Joe Ippolito Become an Author

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As a sales manager, are you maximizing the individual performance of your sales team? Are you trying to supervise or coach your people to success? Supervision emphasizes the use of authority. Coaching places more emphasis on skill development, training, reinforcement and encouragement as a means of improving performance. Supervision won't improve results, only effective coaching will. To improve performance, the manager-coach starts by examining a salesperson's skills within the company's definable sales process. Only with a sales process can they begin to identify where improvement is needed and develop a program for improving those skills.

This type of appraisal is based on the three stages through which each sales person evolves within their sales career: Low competence-high motivation, high competence-high motivation and high competence-lower motivation. Newer employees are often highly motivated, but lower in competence. Developing their sales process is a crucial beginning step. The function of the manager-coach at this stage is to outline performance strategies that will enhance their skills and behaviors. Building self-esteem and habit development are also critical.

As your salesperson evolves into stage two, competence and motivation unite. The sales person is performing at a high level and they are happy to be part of a winning team. One of a coach's most important roles at this time is to set mutually agreed upon benchmarks and goals to ensure that this person stays motivated and successful. Recognition and performance-enhancing feed back will maximize these top performers. Many times, depending on the employee, the focus may shift to leadership development.

In the third stage, competence remains high, but motivation suffers. They transition into a "comfort zone" and do only what they need to do to stay. They may be accomplishing their personal goals -- to work less -- but not yours. But as much they try to maintain this status quo, they are falling behind and taking you with them. If this employee had the proper coaching, training and development in the earlier stages of their career, this stage could be avoided.

How does your team stack up? As with any situation, you must admit that you have a problem that may require a new set of management skills.

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