Evaluating a sales team or person’s performance usually comes down to one key measurement—did they make their numbers?

And sure, this is the ultimate measurement. Who can argue with that? But what we miss when we fixate on that metric alone is a monumental loss of opportunity. Unless you have a team full of Michael Jordans, and probably even if you do, you must look at other factors and coach your team toward improvement in those areas where they most need it. It’s not babysitting--or micromanaging--it’s leadership! And successful coaching begins with EVALUATION!

"Coaches have to watch for what they don't want to see and listen to what they don't want to hear." ~ John Madden

Even the most successful, hotdoggin’ sales people need coaching at some level. Michael Jordan himself had a healthy respect for coaching. When asked how he could be coached given he’s the best at what he does, his response was: “I need to be pushed. You know, I need my weaknesses pointed out at this time, so that I can stress my determination to go out and work on these things. And sometimes it's OK for the players to see that I can be criticized. But they can also see that once I see that, my determination is that I'm going to try to correct that.” And, those sales people with potential, but lower experience, especially need it. While no amount of coaching will help the struggling sales person in the wrong role, the sales team evaluation methodology you use in your coaching can help you weed out that person sooner rather than later.

So, how can you become a winning sales coach? Follow these three steps:

• Know the game. Identify what you want from your sales rep—in terms of behavior and sales process. Give the team a time to “practice” and adapt to these expectations. Be sure they fully understand what you’ll be evaluating. We can’t really keep score until we know what game we’re playing and by what rules.

• Play ball. Put yourself in the sales environment in order to really see how they perform. That means you should sit with them while they make calls, conduct ride-alongs for their in-person sales meetings and presentations, etc. This will not only allow you to get a good idea of how they work, but will also provide other customer feedback necessary for product development, etc.

• Debrief. Develop a sales team evaluation form (such as the one in this template pack) to help you document the assessment. Then review your findings and suggested action plan with each rep. In fact, ask them to weigh in on the action plan itself. And then reschedule your next “game.”

The evaluation process is key to effective sales coaching, but it can’t stop there. You must follow-up on the action plan and re-evaluate regularly.