What is it that makes a great sales coach? This is a difficult question to answer. There are many types of sales mentors. Each one has a unique style and background that makes them qualified for the job. There are some things to look for in a sales mentor.
Sales mentors are an integral part of any sales organization. Sales mentors can offer advice, knowledge, and expertise that will help sales professionals become more successful.
It is important to find the right mentor for someone who is searching for one.
This blog post will talk about what makes a great mentor and how to find one if you are in need.
What Makes A Great Mentor?
Advice from the experts In this blog post, we will discuss why you should have a mentor and what makes them so great.
Mentors are an important part of being a successful salesperson.
They are leaders who help to train new employees and sales professionals who are nearing being promoted.
When they’re on sales calls, they can see the strengths and weaknesses of an employee in real time. This helps them to guide their mentee better.
Mentors can help both current and new employees who want to advance within the company, as mentioned previously.
Sales managers should implement mentorship programs, as they can reap great rewards.
Mentorship Programs have many benefits. They provide guidance, support, and motivation to their employees as well as your business.
They can also assist with the training of new employees, which is particularly important for sales organizations that have high turnover rates like many technology companies.
They are both sales veterans and can share their knowledge and advice with other sales professionals who are nearing promotion. Mentors and mentees can get better results quicker by leveraging their strengths more effectively.
Mentor your Sales Team Today. There’s no doubt that mentors are an essential part of sales teams. Mentorship programs can be a great investment for sales managers.
It is important to search for mentors if you are looking for someone to help you grow your business.
9 Things That You Most Probably Didn’t Know About Sales Mentors
1. You can’t just go out and find a mentor.
It’s a good thing to have a mentor. It is not a smart idea to ask someone to mentor you.
It has never worked for me. My greatest mentors were those I didn’t expect to find. I have never gone out of my way for them. It just happened.
But I think lightning strikes a lightning rod more often than random patches of earth. Simply put your lightning rod up, and announce that you are looking for sales training.
If you feel you would benefit from working alongside a mentor, let them know.
2. You must be extremely vulnerable.
As a mentor, you should be humble and open about your problems. You are responsible for putting it out there.
If you have trouble closing sales, please share. Do not be afraid to admit that cold calling is a fear. You can trust a mentor to help you understand this information and help you navigate through the challenges you face.
Coaching is the first step in establishing a mentorship relationship. Next, your mentor will share their experiences and knowledge with you. Both the mentor and the mentee must be vulnerable.
3. A GOOD mentor asks questions.
Mentors don’t get offended if they ask questions. Mentors are those who openly question their mentees to encourage sales growth.
Good mentors will be able to ask you sales-related questions each week while you are working together.
These questions are designed to make your sales career grow faster than you would have on your own.
Mentors should be open to asking questions. This shows that they are interested in the mentees and will help them grow as sales professionals.
4. We must accept the fact that mentors come in different sizes and shapes.
Their characteristic is being older than you. They may be light years ahead of your career. They may be in your field of employment. There are some common misconceptions about mentors.
You can’t see yourself unless you look beyond yourself. The only way to see your true self is to find someone else.
Do not limit your options by narrowing your search. Mentors may be found in the most unlikely places.
5. CORPORATE MENTORING PROGRAMS SUFFECT.
Clients sometimes approach me to ask if they can launch a mentorship program…
I then speak to them and it becomes clear that they want older people to interact with younger ones.
Or, some firms prefer to create a systemic coaching program rather than a mentor program. It is important to distinguish between the two.
As mentioned, it is natural and spontaneous to find a mentor-mentee relationship that works. Although it is impossible to make it happen, it can be done.
If you are looking for mentoring or consulting services for your business, we can help. Contact us to find out more about our services in helping you establish a mentorship culture within your company.
6. LEAVE THE ROOM WITH A RULE BOOK. DO NOT MEET IN YOUR OFFICE NO MATTER WHAT
A well-structured mentoring program will make it difficult for mentors and mentees to be vulnerable. This is what I consider the most important aspect of the mentoring program.
These are great moments as you can witness the person being. You can share your life’s challenges with them so that you can avoid them.
Mentors and mentees should not meet in an office setting. This gives the mentor at the desk an advantage because they will always feel in control.
No one is the best mentor. A solid mentor-mentee relationship is a strong partnership that will take the wheel.
7. You are not an accountability partner. A GOOD SALES MENTOR ON THE OTHER HAND CAN BE YOUR CHAMPION.
If you are a professional, you must hold yourself responsible. You’ll still need to have a friend around 2 a.m. You will need someone to witness your successes and failures.
We enjoy being able to see the world through others’ eyes. We will do our best for anyone we can cheer us on or be a positive witness. Find someone to support you. We don’t need to have critical parents in our lives, but we do require champions.
A mentor might be your champion. A mentor can help you overcome your setbacks, and celebrate your successes. This is an important relationship that you need to maintain as you navigate the sales world.
8. DON’T USE A MENTOR RELATIONSHIP FOR PUSHING AN AGENDA. You’ll get smacked out.
Mentors and sales mentees sometimes tend to push their agendas on each other.
Your mentor relationship should not be used as a way to sell more of the product you are selling, or to convince them to change their approach to sales.
You will get smoked out and your business won’t have the mentorship that it needs. Sales that aren’t as efficient will result.
9. THE FIRST FIVE CONVERSATIONS WILL BE STRESSFUL.
Accept it, recognize it. It’s possible!
It can be hard to get to know your mentor and to accept being uncomfortable with sharing your weaknesses and vulnerabilities. But it is essential if you are to build a relationship with your mentor.
Mentorship is not always easy. This simply means that you are doing everything right.
How to implement a sales mentorship program
1. Get together for a “kickoff” meeting
Organize a face-to-face meeting between the mentor, mentee, and team manager. The manager can ask questions to get the employees to talk about the program.
“In two years, where will you be?” What about ten years?
“Does your strategy work?”
“How would you like to learn?” Examples include visual, visual, and just-in-time learning.
“Would it be possible to meet at what time and day each week?”
“What is your favorite walk-and-talk coffee shop, or local restaurant?”
These questions enable mentors and mentees to establish goals and create a productive conversation.
2. Define clearly the roles and responsibilities of the mentor and mentee
Mentors and sales mentees must know their respective roles and responsibilities before they meet. Both the mentor and the sales mentee must be held responsible for their success.
Before the meeting ends, the sales manager should answer every question with an action plan. This will ensure that both sides leave knowing what to expect.
Don’t assume that mentors are well-informed or that sales mentees have the knowledge and experience to benefit from their mentor’s expertise. Clear expectations can help to avoid confusion.
The sales manager might tell a customer that if they meet weekly for 30 minutes, Monday at 11:11 a.m., they will be able to discuss their sales strategies and problems.
Your mentor will share best practices and provide feedback to help you improve.
3. Create a playbook
Mentors should provide a playbook to their sales mentee that includes some of the most valuable sales materials.
Training material
– sales templates
– A client list (for networking purposes).
Performance metrics
So, when they meet to talk about sales, the mentor can offer suggestions to help their mentee achieve whatever sales goal they are trying to reach that week.
The sales manager should provide coaching and explanations about how to best use these tools.
The sales mentor is an integral part of your company’s sales team. The sales mentee has the feeling that he or she can take a shortcut to learn how to sell.
4. Disseminate best practices
To show your appreciation for mentors’ help and encourage discussion about the successes and failures of current practices, sponsor a monthly lunch. Each meeting should have a topic.
Ask mentors where their mentees are failing in the sales process and what types of questions they’re getting.
Concentrate on the two- to three most common topics the team has chosen for the month. Your mentees shouldn’t feel overwhelmed.
These sessions help identify areas where the sales enablement group can offer useful information so that future reps don’t have to depend on their mentors.
5. Plan to get out of this situation.
If they don’t “graduate”, older representatives will continue to be reliant on them.
These weekly sessions should last between six and nine months depending on the sales cycle and how much coaching is required.
Use a presentation or quarterly business review to show how long it takes for an organization to become completely self-sufficient.
Ask the new rep for a presentation of their business plan and lessons learned in front of their peers at a QBR. After the presentation, let the team ask questions. This makes it easy to see if a newer rep can take over and less on their mentor. This is a great opportunity to learn from everyone, not just the mentor.
6. Highlight small victories.
The program’s success depends on its ability to promote its achievements consistently. Ask an executive to tell the story of a team achievement at an all-hands meeting.
Management should feel proud of their seasoned salespeople. Your new sales reps should be excited to work with people who can quickly get them up to speed.
If you have an internal wiki, use it to acknowledge people. This is a repository that people can use to associate their names with the program. To keep the team updated about wins and losses, Drafted uses Tettra.