Overcoming Resistance to Coaching

One of the challenges of sales coaching is handling resistance. Not every salesperson you coach is going to come to the coaching relationship willingly. Some resist change, make excuses, and get in the way of their own development. Learning to recognize these situations and using techniques to overcome them can help develop your skill as a coach. 

Techniques for handling resistance

• Don’t debate: When met with excuses or complaints from a coachee, avoid debating or pushing back. Acknowledge the statement or challenge before you try to suggest a different approach.
• Ask questions: Questions can help you uncover the obstacle and get underneath – find out how the coachee perceives the situation or problem. The benefit of getting your coachees talking is that they will feel more involved and more likely to respond to the coaching. Collaborate with your coachee to understand the situation and help identify the solution.
• Know yourself: Effective coaches demonstrate self-awareness, self-management, and mindfulness. They are humble yet inspiring, quiet yet energizing, reserved yet engaging. Being aware of your own emotions and managing them in order to demonstrate constructive coaching behavior requires skill and practice.

Overview/Description

Sales coaching is about enabling sales people to succeed and that means providing them with the guidance, feedback, and support they need to do their jobs well. It’s not always easy to coach though, particularly when someone seems resistant to it. This Business Impact dramatizes a situation where a sales manager encounters resistance from a defensive salesperson during a coaching session.

Target Audience

Sales managers interested in improving their coaching skills