To get your reps to do more Pipeline Generation (PG)—without getting ANY pushback—here are a few best practices you may want to consider. . .
BEST PRACTICE #1 – DON’T TELL THEM; COACH THEM
◆ Instead of sitting on the sidelines, yelling at the scoreboard, hoping the numbers will get better the longer you stare at them—roll up your sleeves and help coach your reps through the process!
◆ Your job (as an FLM) is to ensure your team is consistently executing at a high-level—and continuously learning, growing, and improving.
◆ Remember: The best leaders are the best coaches and the best coaches are the best teachers. If you’re telling, you’re not teaching. And if you’re not teaching, they’re not learning. If they’re not learning, they’re not improving. And if THEY are not improving. . . neither are you.
BEST PRACTICE #2 – MAKE IT ABOUT THEM
◆ Instead of trying to get them to PG for you/your reasons—make it about them and helping them achieve their personal dreams, goals, and aspirations—their WHY.
◆ Instead of trying to force change top-down, try bottoms-up. You’ll get a lot less resistance, a lot more buy-in, and engender a lot more loyalty.
◆ Remember: Change cannot be imposed, it must be chosen.
BEST PRACTICE #3 – FOCUS ON OUTCOMES; NOT ACTIVITY
◆ Start by coaching your reps on what specifically they must do to be successful. Clarify their priorities and proactively help them to minimize distractions and maximize their focus.
◆ Get your ICs to set their own weekly goals that are aligned with leading indicator KPIs to help them stay on track and push accountability onto your team members to get THEM to own it.
◆ Don’t focus on activity, focus on outcomes—i.e. New Business Meetings (NBMs).
◆ Remember: What get’s measured—and consistently reinforced—gets done.
BEST PRACTICE #4 CLOSE THE LOOP
◆ Adopt a consistent cadence to close the loop and hold them accountable for doing what they said they were going to do.
◆ Positively reinforce short-term “weekly wins” and give them constructive coaching on how they can improve next time.
◆ Embrace mistakes as coachable moments.
◆ Remember: Your job is to shape the behaviors that drive numbers that produce the results.
BEST PRACTICE #5 – SHOW THEM WHAT GOOD LOOKS LIKE
◆ Don’t assume they how to do what you’re asking them to do. Create an environment where they feel safe coming to you with questions, asking for help, and/or admitting mistakes.
◆ Stay engage and continually assess them—not from a micromanagement perspective, but to help them continuously improve so they can pursue their potential.
◆ Help them develop a PG Plan and come up with the right messaging for the right personas. Invest the time to show them what good looks like.
◆ Remember: Instead of “inspect what you expect”—try teaching, coaching, and positively reinforcing what you expect. You’ll get a lot better results with a lot less resistance and have a lot more fun!
