Guest Editor – Mani Chidambaram
Learning is evolving, but not everything changes
The role of the first-line sales manager has always been considered “mission-critical” in the success of any sales force. The pandemic affected nearly every facet of our lives, and the role of these leaders was affected at the highest level.
As our managers are being asked to observe and analyze multiple channels of customer engagement, their coaching styles and tactics have been forced to evolve. As learning and development professionals, we are at the forefront of ensuring that they are properly equipped to continue leading at the highest level.
This is where the “fun” begins…
Ready for Change
At the beginning of this transformation, of course, is change management. Though we innately know this step is important, organizations often neglect the mental preparation of the new reality.
The concept that coaching observations and written reports are to only be completed during ride-a-longs is “so 2019.” The process of ensuring managers accept this and then realize the myriad of new observation and coaching opportunities they now have is the key to successfully changing the coaching culture in your organization.
How change management is handled at your company is solely determined by the culture already established. The takeaway here is to not shortcut this step, because the alternative is either total failure of your omnichannel implementation or immense delays in the eventual uptake.
Not Everything Changes
For learning professionals, the fundamentals of your coaching model and approach do not need to change. The key here is adapting your model to the variety of channels your organization may be using to communicate with your target customers.
As the industry has proven, X numbers of calls per day are no longer the measure of success. It is ensuring you are engaging with your customers in the way they want. For our managers, the keen understanding of this mix leads to optimal coaching.
In altering the way we approach training our first-line leaders, learning professionals should be having transparent communication with their key matrix partners, including marketing and analytics. Understanding the philosophy of how one channel was chosen over another and how each is being implemented leads to the development of realistic learning scenarios.
Mix It Up
The development of modern and innovative coaching scenarios is also a critical success factor. Just as we do with sales professionals, the scenario-based roleplay has been widely accepted over the past decade.
However, the scenarios of today must include a realistic mix of omnichannel tactics displayed on a dashboard, with rep utilization of each. In preparing for a coaching session, managers should be graded on their ability to discern the priorities from the unimportant data.
As new managers are trained and veteran leaders evolve, their ability to successfully “pass” coaching scenarios like the one described will be a direct barometer of their success.
Managers now have the ability to observe numerous calls with a variety of team members from the comfort of their home office. A series of these observations could easily lead to a meaningful coaching conversation and follow-up report. Supplemented with the traditional one-to-one ride along, the coaching opportunities are now multiplied.
Conclusion
Development professionals are the models of how the future of coaching can look and feel. It is truly an exciting time to be in the world of learning and development.
Mani Chidambaram is head; general medicines commercial development and learning; Sanofi U.S. Email him at Mani.Chidambaram@Sanofi.com.
