When people want to help you, it is natural for them to give you all sorts of advice. Occasionally it is helpful. How are you at providing suggestions? Advice is often misguided and often not at all helpful, especially if it is not actionable. For example, when someone begins tells you, "What you should have done was…" but it's too late now, the rest of the sentence may be counterproductive.For example, if your phone runs out of batteries, do […]

"It's not about solving the problem for someone; it's about helping that person solve the problem for him-/herself." – Alan Fine, You Already Know How to be Great.At Ninety Five 5 we use G.R.O.W. coaching to help salespeople move opportunities forward. We also use it internally to help each other achieve goals. (G.R.O.W. stands for Goal, Reality, Options and Way Forward.)An aspect I have found particular useful both for myself as a coachee and for others a […]

Reviewing Call Plans with colleagues is one of the best ways to make sure that the tool is applied effectively to organizing meetings and getting the most out of every customer dialogue. G.R.O.W. coaching can be used to structure Call Plan reviews so that each session results in actionable decisions on how to best prepare for a customer meeting. The four parts of a GROW review are:Goal: Agree to a goal for the review sessionReality: Briefly discuss the context of the meeting w […]

"It's not about solving the problem for someone; it's about helping that person solve the problem for him-/herself." – Alan Fine, "You Already Know How to be Great."At Ninety Five 5 we use G.R.O.W. coaching to help salespeople move opportunities forward. We also use in internally to help each other achieve goals. (G.R.O.W. stands for Goal, Reality, Options and Way Forward.)An aspect I have found particular useful both for myself as a coachee and […]

Continuing our theme of the "culture of coaching," I would be remiss if I didn't address a more personal element for us sales leaders. Yes, you guessed it: In order to lead a culture of change we must be prepared for, open to, and willing to act upon: feedback.If you have been following any of our blogs you more than likely know that at Ninety Five 5 believe in the concept of deliberate practice. Deliberate Practice is purposeful, concentrated effort on a specific skill, […]

Thinking about the New Year ahead and accompanying resolutions, it struck me the other day that something I've noticed about myself is shared with many of the sales leaders I work with around the world: The gravitational pull of saying "Yes" and the gravity-defying ability to say "No."As sales leaders, it's easy for us to take on new things. Even at our own Ninety Five 5 basecamps, our client sales leaders tend to look at our many tools and methodologies ( […]