Great Sales Coaching Must Begin With “Why”

William Eckstrom
Aug 22, 2017 · 4 min read

“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”

If you are a sports fan, there is no doubt you are familiar with one of the greatest coaches of all time, John Wooden.

John Wooden (1910–2010) was the legendary coach of the UCLA Bruins. Wooden won 10 national championships (seven in a row) over 12 years. Yet, it was more than just his coaching record that made Wooden a legend. His endless supply of positive messages resonated with many, both in and out, of the sports world.

At Ecsell, it is no secret we have a fascination with coaching performance. There is an insurmountable amount of comparisons we could make between coaching sports and sales teams. One of our favorite parts about John Wooden, was his focus on the “why” behind his team (and not just the “how”). He cared about who his players were as individuals, both on and off the court. His messages resonated far and wide, due to his emphasis on staying adaptable, embracing change and encouraging strength of character.

“What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player.”

Many of Wooden’s quotes have resonated with us here at EcSell. Today, we share our 5 favorites and how they apply to sales coaching.

“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”

As sales coaches, the dynamic of our team can change from day to day. We must stay agile and adapt to change. If we continue to coach each person, the same way, we will not be an effective manager. We must adapt to the circumstance, the customer or the person in which we are managing.

“Discipline yourself and others won’t need to.”

We are tasked with a lot as sales managers. Not only do we manage our own team, but we have a boss that we report to. Staying disciplined and proactive can lessen the amount of headaches down the road. For example, send reports a day early. Proactively hold conference calls with your team. If you don’t know the answers, admit you don’t know. However, find the answer and report back. Build a reputation that you are reliable and dependable. By disciplining yourself, others won’t need to.

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

As a coach, you are your team’s primary motivator. Our teams deal with rejection on a daily basis and we must pick them up when they are down. Within our team, we must instill that we will not let our failures define us. Even though we may not have won customer A, we must still give 100% to customer B. At EcSell, we use this quote to showcase that each customer is a new opportunity for a win. Do not let your team get discouraged. It is your job to show that one loss does limit accomplishments of the future.

This quote also applies to your job as a coach. Each team member comes with their own set of unique skills, and equally, their own set of challenges. Therefore, you must understand what works with one team member may not work with another. Coach each team member individually, and even if you have trouble with one teammate, never let it affect your drive and passion for the other members of the team.

“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.”

You will make mistakes as a coach. Repeat: You will make mistakes. Making mistakes means your living, trying and growing. As Wooden states, embrace the failure. It will truly make you a better coach when you can pull from your experiences; both positive and negative.

“A coach is someone who can give you correction without causing resentment.”

You must care about who your team members are as individuals. Sales people are more than just a means to an end. Many sales people view their manager more like a compliance officer versus a coach. We know that hitting a number is a needed outcome, but it will not drive a lot of discretionary effort from your team. We see a direct correlation between sales people who strongly agree that their “manager cares about me as a person” and how much they sell. A sales coach’s “why” impacts their behaviors, behaviors send a message and that message dictates motivation to perform.

Beyond these 5 quotes, what really resonated with us at EcSell is how Wooden always cared about the “why” behind his players. Have you taken the time to understand the “why” behind your team? Are you helping them become great sales people, great business people and great human beings?

As a sales coach, what is your own “why”? Why are you a coach? What motivates you to get up in the morning?

Great sales coaching must begin with the “why”. Only when this is understood, does the “how” make sense. Understand your company’s “why”, understand your “why”, the “why” of every member on your team, and watch the sales roll.


Want to learn “why” we do what we do at EcSell? Get a monthly rundown by subscribing to our Coaching Recap where we share sales leadership and coaching research, best practices and current trends straight to your inbox.

And if you haven’t already, I’d be honored if you took 12 minutes to watch my TEDx Talk I gave earlier this year about growth through discomfort.

Follow EcSell’s publications here.

Ecsell Institute

Leaders in Sales Coaching

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William Eckstrom

Written by

Founder & President of EcSell Institute. Thought leader in sales coaching, leadership & sales management profession. TEDx Talk Speaker I Husband I Father of 3

Ecsell Institute

Leaders in Sales Coaching

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