This is the fourth in a four-part series that the CCC team is writing on New Year’s Resolutions for 2012…as it relates to the customer experience, of course. Read parts one, two and three here.
The New Year is well on its way (almost February already??) and chances are you have some new goals you want to achieve in your organization. As nice as it would be to simply make a checklist, hold a meeting, and then enjoy the results, experience and data show that to really see changes, you need to engage your staff in coaching. Like the personal trainer you may have hired to achieve some other New Year resolutions, we’re here to give some advice.
As we’ve previously written, coaching is not a science but an art. There’s not one simple formula for guaranteed success, but that being said, there are absolutely some steps that all companies should take:
- Find the right coaches. When screening for coaches, organizations should consider more than just prior rep performance or general leadership skills. Great players don’t always make the best coaches, so beef up your talent search with some important criteria. For instance, our research finds that almost a third of the current coach pool falls into the “reluctant” category – meaning they don’t want to develop others as their core role—so coaching immersion programs and built-in coaching requirements help identify staff who will be truly successful as future coaches.
- Implement integrated coaching. Coaching should be more than just scheduled sessions and scripted feedback. Instead, we recommend adopting integrated coaching, which requires on-going interaction between the coach and rep and in-the-moment, purposeful feedback. For best results, use integrated coaching as the primary coaching format –concentrating on it for 75% of overall coaching time—and schedule formal coaching sessions during the remaining 25% of coaching time. To start, take a look at our Coaching Prep Plan, Coaching Starter Guide, and e-module series.
- Tailor coaching to frontline reps. Once the coaching strategy is adopted, it’s important to also recognize that one size doesn’t necessarily fit all. Research shows that different people learn in different ways, so to make the message truly resonate with everyone, tailor the coaching style style accordingly. State Farm created a personality-based coaching framework that resulted in enhanced relationships and increased coaching effectiveness. To learn how to implement this program, please visit our training materials.
What are your thoughts? How will you use your coaches to support your 2012 goals?
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