{"id":1084,"date":"2024-09-23T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sales30conf.com\/blog\/?p=1084"},"modified":"2024-09-27T15:05:32","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T19:05:32","slug":"3-ways-ai-is-changing-sales-coaching-for-the-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sales30conf.com\/blog\/3-ways-ai-is-changing-sales-coaching-for-the-better\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Ways AI Is Changing Sales Coaching for the Better"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are myriad ways sales coaching<\/a> can be difficult to do, but I seem to hear three common issues mentioned everywhere these days: having enough time to do it, knowing which skills to coach on, and overcoming human bias in giving feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using AI tools to support your sales coaching can go a long way toward resolving these challenges and provide you a new way to improve your coaching ability and the effectiveness of sales development initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an understatement to say that AI\u2019s capability as a tool is developing rapidly. The ground we\u2019ve covered in recent years is stunning. By this time next year, the tech may have moved far beyond what I discuss in this article. But for Q4 2024, at least, here are three ways AI is changing sales coaching for the better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overcoming Sales Coaching Challenges with AI<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Challenge #1: Having Enough Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How do you find time to coach? Sales managers\u2019 days are packed, and coaching often feels more like a \u201cnice to have\u201d than a \u201cneed to have.\u201d Many coaches think, \u201cAs soon as I get these tricky deals closed or I finish out this quarter, I\u2019ll support this seller in building this skill,\u201d but there\u2019s always looming quarterly pressure and another urgent target to hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI never sleeps. The tech\u2019s ability to analyze large volumes of data quickly and summarize results is breathtaking. Take the example of recorded sales conversations or video practice modules. AI can watch and analyze more \u201cgame film\u201d in seconds than a manager can in weeks or even months. It\u2019s also much better than humans at recognizing patterns and delivering consistent feedback when it spots them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On calls, AI\u2019s evaluation of talking\/listening dynamics is extremely accurate, not only in a single instance, but in evaluating change patterns among hundreds and thousands of data points across team members over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once it sees the pattern, AI\u2019s feedback and recommendation are instantaneous and consistent. AI can even serve up training content and resources that would take a manager a good amount of time to gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An unfortunate reality for humans is we are limited to focusing on one thing at a time. But using AI as a coaching teammate provides infinitely greater analysis capacity and frees up the manager\u2019s focus for coaching urgent deal situations and using the AI output effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenge #2: Identifying Specific Skills<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of deal coaching, let\u2019s talk about the tension between \u201cdeal coaching\u201d and \u201cskills coaching.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deal coaching tends to be more concrete and specific. It tries to answer the question, \u201cWhat\u2019s the next best action to drive the deal forward?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skills coaching is more amorphous. It seeks to answer the question, \u201cHow do I help my sellers become better?\u201d But identifying and articulating the specific moments or particular behaviors a seller should improve is often difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the great 1984 movie Amadeus<\/em>, the emperor gives Mozart some coaching on his newest opera. \u201cIt had too many notes,\u201d he says. To which Mozart replies, \u201cWhich ones would you have me remove?\u201d Not the most helpful feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In both deal and skill coaching, AI is great with the details. When progressing a deal, AI tools can quickly look through the CRM for patterns to recommend next best actions or activities and to point out important missing details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This attention to detail translates also to skills coaching. Conventional wisdom says practice makes perfect. This statement is incomplete. It implies you simply need to repeat a behavior to get better. But repeating bad behaviors only reinforces bad habits. Instead of repetition, coaches need to foster iteration \u2013 consistent progress toward improvement and resolution of the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s difficult for a manager, with human limitations, to consistently observe and identify the particulars a seller needs to iterate on. Like Mozart\u2019s emperor, a coach may tell a seller, \u201cYou need to get better at negotiation.\u201d But what specific actions will make an improvement in this area?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI is a helpful tool to spot exact development moments, no matter how many of them appear in a single call or practice module. It can also look for changes in those moments over time, across many different calls or iterations of practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a capability that\u2019s impossible for a human manager. Before AI, the best a manager could say is, \u201cIt feels like this seller is getting better.\u201d With AI, the coach doesn\u2019t have to guess at improvement; it\u2019s shown in the data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenge #3: Overcoming Human Biases<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The third coaching challenge is the host of biases that come into play when humans work together. We assume sales coaches have elevated wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. But in truth every manager is just as human as the people they coach. This means they miss things, forget things, and are \u2013 at times \u2013 less than clear, correct, or elegant in their feedback. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, a manager may hesitate to give critical feedback because they worry it will rattle a seller; they may forget to include something that, if shared, could make a difference; or they just don\u2019t deliver their feedback well and the seller disregards or pushes back on what\u2019s shared. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI can be a helpful teammate for overcoming these biases and delivering feedback. AI \u201ccalls them how it sees them\u201d without agenda, ulterior motive, or concern for the people or situation involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This objectivity allows the manager and seller to step away from an adversarial conversation (my view versus yours) and hang the AI\u2019s analysis on the wall like a painting. Manager and seller can stand side-by-side looking at it together. The coaching conversation changes from, \u201cYou didn\u2019t do this well\u201d to, \u201cThis is what the AI shows us. How do we interpret this? Do we agree with it? Do you see what I see?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using AI can lead sellers to better, more objective self-evaluation. The manager\/seller relationship becomes more collaborative and productive, resulting in teams getting measurably better over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Becoming a Better Sales Coach with AI<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a final note, there are a few ways managers and sellers can misunderstand AI and feel frustrated using it. We want to avoid these pitfalls. While AI is excellent at recognizing words and actions, it isn\u2019t as good at hypothesizing the intent or motivation behind them. As a result, we can\u2019t expect its feedback to reflect our motives perfectly. If we expect too much of this tool, we run the risk of becoming cynical and discounting potentially helpful feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, we can\u2019t expect AI to pat us on the back. AI reports what it sees \u2013 nothing more and nothing less. We shouldn\u2019t shoot the messenger, but we should allow ourselves to be open to closely examining our actions so we can iterate toward improvement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales coaching<\/a> today is challenging but essential for ongoing sales development and improved performance. AI used effectively in sales coaching can help managers find much more time to coach, prioritize skill development in exactly the right places, and overcome biases inherent in delivering feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of this together can have a significant positive effect on manager\/seller relationships and sales results. Good managers and AI can make a great team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Headshot<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Spencer Wixom is president and CEO of The Brooks Group<\/a>, one of the leading sales training and development companies empowering sales teams to generate breakthrough results.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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