Guidelines for Use of Call Recordings in Sales Coaching

I just put this together for a new client who expressed concerns about his team’s response to the use of call recordings for coaching, since they had never done it. He was worried about resistance to a new level of accountability that might impact morale. He was also concerned it might make his folks fearful of calling and might impact their demeanor on calls.

If critiquing recorded calls is a new level of accountability, resistance is certain.

But nothing ensures mastery like use of call recordings, just as game film is used in sports, and for the same reason.

In sports we know a little nervousness is part of the process. There is no difference in selling.

To call coaching effective:

• Use a Kaizen mastery process. Each week, each person should take one step out of their confront zone and not ten.
• Lead by your personal example. Do not ask anyone to do what you will not. You lead by example when:
  • You do it well
  • When you make mistakes and are humble and coachable
• Call coaching should be provided only by qualified, designated people, who participate themselves. That includes the CEO, the founder, product marketing, sales enablement and managers. Backset driving by those who don’t participate will kill morale.
• Most coaching is one-on-one, especially the areas to improve.
• Weekly team game film reviews emphasize successes and propagate supportive beliefs from the lead goose to the rest of the team. This practice makes a regime of call coaching uplifting. It also propagates success from your black belts to the rest of the team.
• The public critique process should be:
  1. Team observations of positives
  2. The person being critiqued should self-assess and suggest one area to improve
  3. If the person being critiqued wants team feedback on areas to improve, it is limited to one or two suggestions
     • People providing feedback may be asked to role-play their suggestion
     • Only people who take in a turn in the barrel provide feedback

• Success is the ultimate motivator in sales.
• It’s not forever. After mastery, they are done and they graduate.
• As you hire, set a pre-employment agreement with every team member so they know what they are volunteering to do.

The end product is:

• A proven call process that everyone believes since they’ve seen it work.
• A team of people who can do it consistently in the real world.
• First line management will have learned the process and how to coach to the process.
• A culture of accountability, continuous improvement and professionalism. As you bring in new hires they will be raised to the level of this culture.

Take advantage of the free resources in Steve’s Coaching Toolbox.