The Art & Science of Elevating Sales: Insights from the Coach's Corner

Organizations who engage in comprehensive sales training experience transformation. They begin in one state, undergo analysis, behavior, and mindset change, and are effectively changed. On the other side of this transformation? Sales coaches.

Sales coaches possess a specific kind of passion that compels them to dive into the trenches with unrefined sales teams, time and time again. This month, we sat down with one of our very own sales coaches, Chris Mott. Chris brings 27 years of helping sales organizations transform into profit-generating machines. He has successfully helped companies grow sales and profitability in over 100 industries worldwide. He is well versed in working with a wide variety of sales channels, including distribution, manufacturing, outbound and inbound sales, technical sales, complex sales including tangible products and services as well as conceptual services.

With an extensive background including recruiting and hiring of sales talent, implementing infrastructure to support sales and profits, and unparalleled excellence in coaching and training, he offers clients expertise in all realms of business development practices. Chris possesses a unique set of skills that have dramatically influenced bottom-line results for client companies since he entered the sales consulting, training, and coaching field in the mid-90’s. Prior thereto he successfully led sales organizations to increase sales while implementing better management systems.

While Chris has nearly three decades of success helping client companies, he is constantly striving to improve his effectiveness and positive impact with clients and their sales and profit growth. Chris lives in the Asheville, NC area with his wife and is the proud father of two grown girls and the prouder grandfather of four young grandchildren.

What Chris Had to Say

Here are some key questions that we posed to him due to his decades of experience:

Q1. What is the best predictor of a successful sales training engagement?

The most robust indicator of a fruitful sales training engagement isn't found in a manual; it's in the gravity of the preliminary conversation with the CEO. The moment of truth arrives when leaders grasp that their sales issues are more extensive than anticipated. It's about nurturing a foundation of trust with them, showcasing the value of an honest, trust-based relationship. A successful engagement hinges on having senior management not just involved, but immersed in the process. If the company president is in the training room, everyone takes notice - the salespeople sense the commitment from the top, and that’s non-negotiable for ensuring the new initiatives take root.

Q2. What results are you seeing?

Across the board, with the clients I’ve had the pleasure of coaching, there's a consistent trend - revenues rise, profit margins increase. There is typically some percentage of the existing sales force, that will exit when faced with change, allowing for more control, oversight, better insights and an upgrade of the sales force overall. What's fostered is a transparent culture where taking responsibility is the norm and asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Hiding behind numbers without accountability becomes a thing of the past.

Q3. How do managers come into play?

Managers are pivotal. By the time I meet the sales team, I’ve been working with the managers to ensure they're equipped to sustain the transformation. It starts with instilling the fundamentals of management, and a lot rests on whether these managers are coachable themselves. Interestingly, only a quarter of sales managers are dedicating a significant portion of their time to coaching. That's a gap we fill, and even those who seem untrainable initially tend to outperform their past standards, due to the higher level of accountability we instill.

Q4. What are key problems from management and leadership?

Emotional coaching is an area many managers shy away from. They often don't have the inclination for deep emotional engagement with their teams or don’t prioritize the time for it. This is where accountability becomes a hurdle because many senior leaders, highly motivated and self-driven, find it hard to relate to those not mirroring their traits. Patience runs thin, and a disconnect grows, somewhat like brilliant minds who struggle to teach others their craft.

Q5. How does data interact with people?

The role of data in sales is undeniably critical, yet underappreciated by many business owners. When we analyze the data, we uncover startling truths about sales teams that leaders often miss. This data, when heeded, is a predictor of the potential performance, roadblocks and triumphs. It's about how leaders and managers interpret this data and use it to support their teams. For instance, your top performers might resist training because they’ve settled into their comfort zones, or some who might be battling personal demons, becoming toxic or argumentative.

What we champion at Braveheart Sales is a strategy of self-selection, providing everyone with the tools and support they need and letting them decide if they wish to rise to the occasion. Surprisingly, sometimes it's the competition or a newfound sense of being valued that reignites a lost spark in even the most 'untrainable' individuals.

At Braveheart Sales, we're not just about changing behaviors over time; we're about sculpting a culture of accountability, fostering a mindset of continuous improvement, and leveraging the science of data with the art of sales. We're the architects of your sales strategy, and we guarantee that with our partnership, you’ll not just meet your revenue goals, but exceed them. So, unleash your profit potential with us, and transform your sales team into a force to be reckoned with.

We solve sales problems. We guarantee results. Invest in your revenue stream with Braveheart Sales, and let us help you create and implement the framework that will catapult your sales team to unprecedented success.

Trust is not just a word for us; it's the foundation of every relationship we build, every strategy we implement, and every result we deliver.