“Your numbers are down.” It is the most common coaching line in sales, and one of the least useful. It tells the booker something they already know and nothing they can act on.
Start from the route
A better conversation starts with the week itself. How many shops were planned? How many got a visit? Which ones were skipped, and were they the same ones as last week?
Show me the route, not the excuse. And let the booker show you theirs.
Separate the problems
- Coverage: shops not visited. The fix is planning and discipline.
- Conversion: visits without orders. The fix is preparation, range and the conversation at the counter.
- Delivery: orders booked but not delivered. That is not the booker’s problem to fix.
End with one next step
Good coaching ends with one clear action. Ride along on the route that slipped. Revisit the four shops skipped three weeks running. Then check next week whether it changed.
Facts make the conversation fairer for the booker and more useful for the manager. That is what a coaching card is for.
