EP. 256 Desire Determines Development- Truth 19

Should sales managers coach every rep who needs to improve? At ASLAN, we believe the answer is no. In Truth #19 of Sales with ASLAN’s 30 Truths for 30 Years series, Tom Stanfill and Tab Norris unpack one of ASLAN’s most distinctive sales coaching principles: desire determines development. Developing a sales capability requires practice. A manager can provide feedback, create a development plan, schedule role-plays, and give a rep every resource they need. But eventually, the rep has to take ownership of getting better. Truth-19 In this episode, Tom and Tab discuss: Why sales managers should not automatically coach every rep The difference between skill development and compliance How to tell whether a rep actually has the desire to improve Why attitude is a poor measure of coachability How specific developmental assignments reveal true desire Why managers often end up working harder than the people they coach How to shift ownership for performance back to the rep What to do when a seller is unwilling to develop How leaders can connect behavior change to something the rep personally wants Why leading, managing, and coaching are different responsibilities One of the biggest misconceptions? Desire is not about whether someone seems receptive during the coaching conversation. The test is what happens afterward. If the rep agrees to a specific developmental activity and follows through, there is desire. If they repeatedly do not, more coaching may not be the answer. Truth-19 For sales leaders, frontline managers, sales enablement teams, and anyone responsible for developing seller performance, this episode offers a different way to think about coaching time, accountability, and lasting behavior change. Want to learn more about all ASLAN has to offer? Check us out here-->https://tinyurl.com/3wr6w555