Today’s guest has worked in sales for over a decade at leading technology companies such as Workday and Oracle prior to landing his current role. Ben Johnson is the Area Vice President of Mid-Market and Public Sector at Zendesk and a Cross-Fit Coach. Ben joins Host Matt Benelli to share the role of managers in a Performance Improvement Plan, why leaders should value deeds over words, and how to develop employees for long-term success.

Takeaways:

• While quarterly performance is important, it is not the only thing that matters when developing a sales rep for long-term success.  
• Throughout a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), the manager’s role is to help guide the employee successfully through the PIP process. Managers should find out how the employee plans on completing it and help them in their efforts.
• It’s vital to understand what drives each of your team members. Make sure to ask them questions to uncover their motivations, such as “what gets you out of bed in the morning” or “what do you do when you’re not selling?” Find out their long-term goals and help them achieve those goals by setting them up for success.
• The drive to constantly learn and develop personally is a critical factor for success in any profession, especially for those in sales. Everyone in a sales organization should be ‘sharpening their swords’ by continually refining their skills and expanding their knowledge. 
• The idea of “Deeds, not Words” is based on a manager assessing their team members on what actions they take and not what they say they will do. If the manager doesn't see actions being taken, there will be a candid conversation over the team member’s future employment.
• Key elements for building a strong culture within your sales team include having a common language, following a consistent process, meeting to prepare prior to calls and meetings, and conducting reviews post-meetings. 
• It’s important to get the bad news early. Emphasize transparency and promote early communication of issues or setbacks amongst your team. Once the problem is found, it should be communicated immediately to make sure there is time to act and fix it.

Quote of the Show:

• “To be, it’s up to me” - Ben Johnson

Connect with Ben:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjohnsonzendesk/ 
• Company Website: https://www.zendesk.com/?ref=437 

Shoutouts: 

• Blair Tolbard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blair-tolbard-5a1a9398/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Yb1wPzUxyrfR0Dx35ym1A 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-build-a-coaching-culture/id1699901434 
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NvYWNoMnNjYWxlLWhvdy1tb2Rlcm4tbGVhZGVycy1idWlsZC1hLWNvYWNoaW5nLWN1bHR1cmU 
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fd188af6-7c17-4b2e-a0b2-196ecd6fdf77 
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-5419703 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Coach2Scale 

CoachEm™ is the first Coaching Execution Platform that integrates deep learning technology to proactively analyze patterns, highlight the "why" behind the data with root causes, and identify the actions that will ultimately improve business results going forward.  These practical coaching recommendations for managers will help their teams drive more deals, bigger deals, faster deals and loyal customers. Built with decades of go-to-market experience, world-renowned data scientists and advanced causal AI/ML technology, CoachEm™ leverages your existing tech stack to increase rep productivity, increase retention, and replicate best practices across your team.

Learn more at coachem.io