So, at this point, we've covered 5 of the 10 things that I do that sales managers should do if they want a team full of sales rock stars. A quick recap....

1. Uncover their personally meaningful goal.
2. Understand the analogy.
3. Plan without hope.
4. Mutually understand their mastery of the 21 core sales competencies.
5. Schedule frequent contact.

(If you missed any of them, click its link to read about it.)

#6 Learn and understand how they learn.

from a lot of different perspectives.

Figure out whether they are visual,auditory or kinesthetic learners and speak to them in their style. Always! As I suggested before, this is not about you, your needs or your style. Each of your salespeople will have different degrees of each style. Regardless of your preferred style, you need to make sure that they understand you. As they learn, you'll need to show them how to use style recognition to better communicate with their customers.

Recognize that each of your reps will need to go through the process of understanding, learning, adopting and owning every concept, technique and tactic that you teach,

• They will start in a state of not knowing (what to do, how to think, etc.)
• You will teach them and they'll eventually say, "OK. I've got it." (This is them understanding and try to learn.)
• Unfortunately, when they get in front of the customer, they often forget. It's heat of the battle, stage fright, whatever, but they don't execute. Hug them. Assure them that it happens to everybody. Dig for the cause. Loss of emotional control, too much rehearsing, non supportive buy cycle, self-limiting belief. Rehearse them for next time and help them intellectually understand that they didn't remember in time, this time, but if we understand the cause and that overcoming the cause has no downside, they'll try again. (Trying to adopt, understandinging, but not quite owning.)
• The next step is crucial. They get in a sales situation and don't remember what to do. However, they remember AFTER THE CALL IS OVER! As soon as they realize why they didn't remember in time, they'll be ready to execute next time. Remember, the two questions that you have to ask every time, "Do they know what to do? and "Can they do it?"
• Eventually, they will overcome the obstacle and execute almost reflexively. That's when they'l own it.
• Remember, this process needs to happen with every possible sales situation that's a struggle for the,.

Remember #5 and the concept of Primacy vs. Recency. M session.y attitude is rather than figure out whether they'll remember the first thing we cover, or the last thing we cover, I'll get them to remember the only thing that we cover by covering one topic per coaching. Another topic = another call.

Make it fun! Tease. When you role playing, give some crazy answers. Keep it real, but occasionally throw in an answer that doesn't make sense to see if they're paying attention and can maintain their balance. Ask them what piece of their Sales DNA is affecting them right that second.

Next up: The meat! How I start, run and finish a coaching call to assure adoption.