Training Industry Magazine - Summer 2023 - 49

competition with themselves. Sharing
stories in a formal meeting helps reps
see how they can learn a new skill,
or how they can overcome their next
hurdle, without becoming a place where
people are shamed or bragging.
FOSTER A CULTURE OF
FEEDBACK BETWEEN REPS
Informal learning often comes in the
way of feedback. " Hey, I heard you
say X on that call ... what if next time
you tried Y? " or reading drafts of pitch
decks or even talking through the next
move in a sales play. However, to give
and receive feedback requires that your
reps trust each other. That means you
have to actively foster an environment
of feedback.
Douglas recommends you begin by
modeling it yourself. Ask for feedback
after you have presented a new idea to
the team and in your one-on-ones. Make
sure you give feedback, too, so that the
whole team begins to expect it as part of
your culture.
The entire team should be coached on
how to give effective feedback. On a repto-rep
basis, sales managers can and
should get to know how each individual
prefers to receive critical notes. As a
team, you can train the whole group
to offer constructive criticism without
demoralizing each other. One example
is the classic compliment sandwich.
Another useful tip Douglas suggests is
to start with one or two things that the
rep did well, then to focus on one or two
things they can focus on improving. This
makes the critiques feel manageable
and helps the rep stay open to feedback.
With that in mind, Douglas also
recommends being mindful about
offering positive feedback. She compares
it to reviewing a restaurant: We are much
more likely to jump on a review site to
complain about bad service than we are
to heap praise on excellent service or to
acknowledge good service. As a leader,
she makes a goal of writing a note of
positive feedback to at least one person
per week. This is a practice you can
encourage among your reps, too, to boost
morale and make sure they feel seen by
their leaders and their peers.
BUILD YOUR TECH STACK
AROUND YOUR REPS
One advantage the hybrid workforce has
over the bullpens of the 1990s: There is
a whole lot more technology designed
to improve the sales process. That same
technology can also foster informal justin-time
learning for your reps.
Take your chat solution, for example.
Set it up with channels for each team,
and job function - as well as the whole
sales organization - that are dedicated
to sharing stories and asking teammates
questions. You might also set up chatbots
to help point reps to the right resources
at the right time. For example, if they type
into the channel, " Where can I find this
quarter's pricing sheet? " your chatbot can
respond with the link immediately, so that
they don't have to wait for a manager or
peer to see the question.
On top of that, sales outreach solutions
track much more data than ever before.
Make sure you regularly share stats with
your reps on what type of subject line
is getting the most opens or replies,
or what steps of a cadence are most
effective at booking demos or whatever
other insights you can glean. This will
help keep the whole team aligned, and
it might even spark more anecdotal
examples from reps.
Dulany even thinks there is room for
technology to give just-in-time coaching
to reps. He has seen solutions that use
artificial intelligence (AI) to pop up on
the screen during calls or emails with
suggestions on how to change their
approach based on historical data. This
can help fill in for managers, particularly
in hybrid environments, so that team
leads can focus on more in-depth
feedback during one-on-ones.
Ask any seasoned sales rep in your
organization, and they will tell you
a key to success early on is informal
peer-to-peer learning. For young reps,
this environment is not only about
learning the skills and tools necessary
to succeed at their jobs, but also about
building morale and helping them see
what a career in sales entails. Sales
organizations need formal learning
programs. As workforces become
increasingly hybrid and complex, it
is crucial that sales leaders - and
the L&D teams supporting them -
become intentional about fostering
informal learning.
Michael McNary is the SVP of acquisition
at Mimeo and host of Mimeo's " Talk of the
Trade " podcast for sales and marketing
leaders. Over the course of his 15 years
at Mimeo, he has mentored over 100
sales professionals in building their sales
skills and achieving their business and
personal goals. Email Michael.
The challenge for today's sales leadership and
sales trainers is to figure out how to build informal
peer-to-peer learning into hybrid workforces.
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2023 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
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https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/july-aug-2017/finding-the-value-in-informal-learning/ https://trainingindustry.com/articles/leadership/turn-leaders-into-builders-of-a-feedback-culture/ https://trainingindustry.com/articles/leadership/turn-leaders-into-builders-of-a-feedback-culture/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-compliment-sandwich-still-effective-way-provide-dela-rosa-/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/magazine

Training Industry Magazine - Summer 2023

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