April 10, 2024 – 6 min read
In the 20+ years of helping life sciences sales teams perform better, we’ve gained an in-depth understanding of the unique demands of the sales process. For these teams, success is not just about possessing in-depth product and clinical knowledge; it’s about establishing trusted relationships with busy healthcare professionals (HCPs) while also keeping the interaction compliant. It’s become evident that relying primarily on training doesn’t cut it. Training may make reps smarter, but it won’t necessarily change behavior that creates business impact.
Behavior change that leads to business impact requires coaching; and a good coach can mean the difference between an average sales team and an exceptional one. Coaching with excellence is a real game-changer. We’ve seen it make a measurable impact on sales success.
As a sales leader, you should strive to demystify the selling landscape, allowing the field reps to do what they do best—sell. Today’s sales processes may be rich with information, but most are overly complex.
Complexity is the enemy of execution.
Your goal is to help simplify—paring down to the essentials to boost efficiency, streamline workflows, and unify communication. It’s not about making your team’s job easier; it’s about amplification—enhancing the impact of every interaction, removing barriers to success, and elevating your team to valued advisors. By championing simplicity both in dialogue and in methodology, you are not diluting your message but clarifying it, cutting through the noise to empower your team with the clarity they need to shine.
Leaders who rely too heavily on training and neglect coaching often find themselves with teams that are ineffective, stagnant, or ill-equipped to navigate the complexities of life sciences sales or achieve better HCP engagement.
In navigating the life sciences sales journey, there is a distinct interplay between training and coaching. Each has a role that contributes to optimizing the sales process. Leaders who rely too heavily on training often find themselves with teams that are ineffective, stagnant, or ill-equipped to navigate the complexities of life sciences sales or achieve better customer engagement.
Training is necessary for skill-building and gaining important product, clinical, compliance, and regulatory knowledge. For the sales leader, the focus should be on coaching to illicit the behaviors that help create sustained, successful behaviors. Coaching is the linchpin for unlocking individual motivations, enhancing job satisfaction, reducing turnover, and instilling a deep commitment to the company’s mission.
The main differences between training and coaching:
Training:
Coaching:
Of 127 life sciences sales leaders surveyed, 100% of them reported consistently coaching their direct reports, while only 49% of sales reps reported their managers were directly involved in coaching.
Many sales leaders believe they are coaching their team; however, an industry report by Performance Development Group paints a different picture. In PDG’s 2024 State of Coaching Report, of the 127 life sciences sales leaders surveyed, 100% of them reported consistently coaching their direct reports, while only 49% of sales reps reported their managers were directly involved in coaching. This misalignment highlights the need to reassess what coaching is, how it is delivered, and how it is perceived.
Coaching with excellence implies employing a robust approach that enables individuals to fully realize their potential and attain outstanding performance levels. This involves providing consistent guidance, support, and accountability—which empowers individuals to surmount barriers, establish clear goals, and enhance their performance to the highest standard. Coaching with excellence takes discipline, continuous practice, excellent communication skills, and empathy.
Let’s break down the areas where sales leaders can truly make a difference.
Improve Sales Culture. As the head of their team, sales leaders are meant to offer guidance, insights and experiential knowledge. When coaching is done effectively, leaders can help define and cultivate a “get better” culture, one where nobody rests on their laurels, and everybody focuses on getting a little bit better every day. Almost every team has some reps who assume their previous success means future success. But the reality is, in the rapidly evolving life sciences landscape, everybody needs to focus on honing and growing their acumen. Coaching is the lever that drives a get-better culture.
Enrich HCP Interactions. Focus coaching on helping your team’s communication and relationship-building skills. This means helping reps to master the art of expressing complex information clearly and simply; being in-tune to client’s needs, motivations, desires; listening more than speaking; tailoring messages for different audiences; and fostering genuine connections. These skills are pivotal in engaging busy HCPs and laying the foundation for sustained success. Better communication aligns with nearly every stage of the sales process.
Build Resiliency and Accountabilty. Coaching helps you to build trust and loyalty within your team. It also helps you to create accountability by fostering a shared understanding of individual roles and responsibilities. By employing transparency and support, you allow the space to learn from mistakes and grow. This approach results in a unified and resilient team—the type of team that’s needed to thrive in a competitive sales environment.
Drive Adaptability and Innovation. Effective coaching encourages adaptability and innovation within the sales team. By instilling a culture of continuous learning and experimentation, sales leaders can empower their team members to embrace change and explore new approaches to solving challenges. This adaptability is essential in navigating the dynamic landscape of the life sciences industry and capitalizing on emerging opportunities. Additionally, coaching fosters a mindset of innovation, encouraging sales professionals to think creatively and develop novel strategies to meet evolving customer needs and market demands.
Boost Retention: Coaching is instrumental in enhancing employee retention within sales teams. By offering personalized development and creating a supportive atmosphere, leaders foster job satisfaction and loyalty. Employees feel valued and engaged, reducing turnover rates and retaining top talent. This ensures long-term success and stability for the organization.
Transforming sales teams through coaching is not just a technique but a critical investment in your team. While training lays the groundwork, coaching brings about the profound behavioral changes necessary for business impact. By championing simplicity, focusing on individual growth, and fostering an environment of continuous improvement, sales leaders can unlock the true potential of their teams.
PDG is grateful to have a bench of experts with deep knowledge in this topic area. We especially thank Rich Mesch, whose extensive expertise contributed valuable insights and depth to this article.
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