It has often been said that coaching is the most important thing that never happens in a sales force. Sadly, study after study of ours confirms this fact – sales managers don’t coach as much as they need (and want) to. Of course, this begs the question: Why not? Is it because sales managers don’t know how to coach?

Interestingly, it’s our observation that most sales managers actually do know how to coach – at least well enough. Most sales managers know what good coaching looks like and, if put on the spot, they will do a passable job. For instance, if you were to take any random sales manager from your team and ask them to role play a coaching conversation in front of their peers, they would probably do it pretty well. They’d know the right questions to ask and how to ask them. They’d know how to help reps think through possible solutions to a problem. And following the role play, they’d probably walk confidently back into their real world . . . and fail utterly as a sales coach. What gives?

Why is it that in their day-to-day jobs, sales managers rarely exhibit the same effective coaching behaviors that they would display in a role-play scenario? Why are they competent coaches who never actually coach?

What we’ve discovered is that most managers know how to coach – they just don’t know when, where, or why to coach. In other words, they find themselves standing in the hallway outside their office on Tuesday morning at 9:47 a.m. being confronted by one of their salespeople with an unexpected customer issue. What a perfect place, time, and reason to coach! But do they? Do they really turn that random seller question into a coaching conversation? Nope.

In this way, I think coaching is a lot like negotiating. When both sides know they’re doing it, the back-and-forth can be very productive. A car salesman and a buyer haggling over price and features – negotiating. Union representatives and corporate leaders discussing pay and vacation rules – negotiating. Two lawyers working out a settlement – negotiating. In each of these situations, both sides know a negotiation is taking place, and each comes mentally prepared for the give-and-take of the conversation.

But what about situations where it’s not so obvious that a negotiation is taking place? For instance, if I walk into a jewelry store to buy a watch, is the price negotiable and does the person behind the counter have the authority to negotiate? Maybe, maybe not. If not, I’m going to look like a jerk when I start using my hardball negotiating techniques. Or what if I’m in a public marketplace where a negotiation for that watch is generally expected and I don’t know this – I don’t understand that the seller’s asking price is simply the opening volley that’s expected to be returned? I will miss the opportunity to capture value for myself if I simply pay the inflated price and walk away.

When one side is negotiating and the other isn’t, problems arise. Suboptimal outcomes occur. Value is lost. The same is true in coaching.

Role-play coaching usually goes well because both sides know that coaching is taking place. When one or both people don’t understand they are in a coaching situation, that’s when things break down. Managers who don’t recognize a seller’s question as a coaching opportunity tend to fall back on what’s most comfortable and expedient – firefighting. Often, the manager wasn’t expecting the seller’s question, so the manager’s immediate goal is to resolve the issue quickly and get back to whatever she was doing. But when they realize they are in a coaching conversation, managers take the time to ask questions, collaborate, and consciously work to develop a rep’s problem-solving skills. Coaching moves from the role play to the hallway.

Coaching is as much about awareness as it is about skill. In other words, it’s not enough to know the strategies and tactics of sales coaching; the manager also has to know a coaching opportunity is afoot. So pay attention to the cues. Set the stage for coaching success by recognizing the moment when you reach for your firefighting gear. Realize this conversation might take some time, but the investment in your salesperson’s development will be worth it. If you don’t, you’ll remain the manager who’s a great coach when it doesn’t matter – in a role play in front of your peers. Know when, where, and why coaching is needed, and your inner coach will be unleashed on the world.

 About the Author

Jason Jordan is a founding partner of Vantage Point Performance, a global sales management training and development firm, and co-author of Cracking the Sales Management Code. Jason is a recognized thought leader in the domain of business-to-business sales and teaches sales and sales management at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business. Sign up for Vantage Point’s newsletter to stay up to date with the latest sales manager research and best practices.