Focus Supplement 2 - Summer 2017 - 19

FEATURESTORY

So how do we set
these playercoaches up to be
highly successful
field-based trainers?

to perform at a high level
FIGURE 1
but has developed some
bad habits that are
holding him or her back.
Too oen we try to
resolve a behavioral gap
by throwing more
knowledge and skills
training at the problem.
is rarely results in
behavioral change that
sticks. People naturally
revert back to their old habits shortly aer the
field ride or workshop ends.
So how do we set these player-coaches up to
be highly successful field-based trainers?
It all begins with level setting on the three
critical aspects of sales excellence: knowledge,
skill, and behavior. Although acquired
independently, collectively they determine one's
ability to consistently drive sales results. It's a
little like the game Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Having all three options available gives you the
ability to win the round, provided you deploy
them at the right time and in the right
combination. But if you only had Rock or Paper
available, your chances for success would
decrease significantly.
e same is true of sales success. Knowledge
and skill will take us only so far - it's our
consistent default behaviors that ultimately
determine our fate. Since the FBT's natural
tendency is coaching to knowledge and skills,
we can set them up for success by training them
on how to create behavioral change that sticks.

4 Simple Steps to Changing
Behavior
FBTs oen confuse teaching and training.
Teaching involves the transfer of information
and answers the question, "what?" However,
that generally doesn't lead to lasting behavioral
change. For change to stick, you must go
beyond providing the "what" to answering the
"so what?" is requires establishing both an
intellectual and an emotional connection.
In over 20 years of first-hand field-based
research into what separates top performers
from their middle-performing counterparts, we
have identified 4 simple steps that are proven to
create lasting behavioral change; in other
words, providing the "so what?" (See Figure 1.)

FOCUS | Field Sales Training 2017 | www.L-TEN.org

To bring these 4 steps to life, let's look at the
scenario of Steve and Nicole:
Steve is new to the company having recently
been downsized from a large pharmaceutical
company where he had the same territory for
10 years. Nicole, the FBT in Steve's district, has
been in this role for 6 months.
Nicole's district manager has just le her a
voicemail sharing that he
recently observed Steve is
having trouble closing.
e manager tells
Nicole to "take a
half-day oﬀ
territory and work
with Steve to fix his
closing problem."
Even before
meeting Nicole, Steve
is familiar with her
significant sales
expertise. He knows
that Nicole is the
number one rep in the
district and among the
top 5 percent of reps in
the company. But to
have credibility with
Steve, Nicole must not
only demonstrate her
expertise; she must
also establish a
relationship.
Nicole recognizes
that before she starts to
talk to Steve about
closing, she must
ensure that he feels
understood. Does he
think he has a

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Supplement 2 - Summer 2017
