Salespeople Don’t Learn From Managers They Don’t Like

Salespeople don’t learn from managers they don’t like.

That might sound harsh.

But think about your own experience.

How open are you to feedback from someone you don’t trust?

Someone who only talks to you when there’s a problem.

Someone who doesn’t seem particularly interested in you.

Someone you think is judging you.

Probably not very.

Now imagine that person saying:

“Can I give you some coaching?”

Good luck.

Before you can coach someone, you need to earn the right to coach them.

And that starts with the relationship.

Get to know your people.

Not just their numbers.

Ask them questions.

What are they working on?

What do they want to get better at?

What are they proud of?

What’s frustrating them?

What’s happening outside work?

Then listen.

This doesn’t mean managers need to become best friends with everyone on the team.

It means people need to believe:

You know me.

You care about me.

You want me to succeed.

When that relationship exists, feedback feels different.

It feels like help.

Without it, the exact same feedback can feel like criticism.

Sometimes a coaching relationship needs a reset.

Before you talk about pipeline, performance or skills, have a conversation.

Go for coffee.

Ask some questions.

Get curious.

Learn something about them you didn’t know before.

Because coaching isn’t just about having the right coaching model.

The person on the other side has to be willing to be coached.

Relationship first.

Then coaching.