When would it be better to see a doctor: after being sick or before getting sick? Although many choose to see their doctor only after the symptoms create enough demand for them to seek help, a more logical approach is to consult your doctor for preventive care to prevent the disease. The same is true for sales.
Day 1 or Day 1,000?
Some doing sales coaching for IT companies, eager to create their business, suggest that all sellers should hire them the first day of their career. It sometimes makes sense to delay the start of a coach’s selection, but not always. In fact, there are very few reasons why a rookie sales professional should consider waiting a while before hiring a coach. The fact is that many are in a sales position only because they are unable to find a job in a career or an industry that really interests them. Sales were called “default occupancy” for this reason. Hiring a sales coach on day 1 of your career in sales can be money badly spent, or money well spent. A good coach can focus on building successful technique from day one.
What Not to Do
A business should have a lot of material and most will have a lot of sales training for staff to get through and master. Adding templates and sales techniques to the top of the training an employee already receives can be overwhelming, or it can be a huge help. It depends on the coach. The right coach can help someone learn the training your company gives you, which will probably not impress your sales manager.
The Time is Now
There is an old expression that says when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. As long as your coach search starts before “crisis mode”, any moment you start looking for a coach is the right time for you. Very few sales professionals who hire a sales coach say they were 100% certain of their decision to recruit a coach at the time. If you wait until you are absolutely certain that hiring a sales coach is the perfect way to advance your career though, you might wind up looking for one too late.
