{"id":11888,"date":"2014-11-03T16:27:05","date_gmt":"2014-11-03T16:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandler.dsstaging2.com\/case-study\/how-to-coach-millennials-sales-team\/"},"modified":"2023-07-17T20:05:06","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T20:05:06","slug":"how-to-coach-millennials-sales-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandler.com\/blog\/how-to-coach-millennials-sales-team\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Coach the Millennials on Your Sales Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p>Many seasoned sales managers today are facing a common challenge: how to lead, motivate, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandler.com\/programs\/success-playbook-young-adults\/\">inspire young Millennials on their sales teams<\/a>. This generation, which will make up roughly 50 percent of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/jeannemeister\/2012\/10\/05\/millennialmindse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">U.S. workforce in 2020<\/a>\u00a0and 75 percent of the workforce in 2030, has already garnered a reputation for being difficult to manage by traditional standards. Yet, the sheer size of this demographic segment is forcing organizations and sales managers to rethink their management style.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Just like the generations that came before them,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandler.com\/blog\/4-myths-managing-millennials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Millennials\u2019 attitudes toward work<\/a>\u00a0and life have been shaped by a number of cultural factors. Because this generation was raised by doting\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/theemploymentbeat\/2013\/09\/20\/helicopter-parents-crash-kids-job-interviews-whats-an-employer-to-do\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">helicopter parents<\/a>, they are used to receiving attention and validation on a regular basis. They are also the first generation to have grown up with Internet accessibility at their fingertips, which explains their desire for instant gratification. These two factors have greatly impacted the way this generation views the workplace and the kind of relationship they want with their managers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Unlike generations prior, Millennials want to see their managers as coaches and mentors and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/blog\/wired-success\/201403\/how-the-millennial-generation-will-change-the-workplace\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">admire experience and knowledge<\/a>\u00a0over position and power. But how can you effectively coach your Millennial salespeople? First, it\u2019s important to understand what it takes to be a great coach.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>What makes a great coach<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Coaching isn\u2019t a trait that comes naturally to everyone. It isn\u2019t an intuitive skill, nor is it inevitably acquired while learning to manage. But it is a necessary skill to learn when managing Millennials in the workplace. Keep these points in mind when taking the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandler.com\/blog\/4-lessons-learned-from-taking-the-coach-mentality-over-the-manager-mentality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">coaching approach<\/a>\u00a0with your young salespeople.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Great\u00a0coaches are focused on winning and results but understand that there is no one way or method to achieve it. They know each game is different and will require a different strategy.<\/li>\r\n<li>Great coaches observe and study players to learn the strengths of each team member. They also know they need an array of talent to make a strong team.<\/li>\r\n<li>Great coaches give players one-on-one attention. They don\u2019t just hand them a manual with the expectation that players will learn the plays. Instead, they teach players the plays through ongoing training and practice.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>How can you be a great coach to your Millennials?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mslgroup.com\/insights\/2014\/the-millennial-compass.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Millennial Compass Report<\/a>, which surveyed 1,293 employees in the U.S., India, China, the U.K., France and Brazil shows that Millennials are\u00a0<em>\u201cfocused on achieving through personal networks and technology; having good work-life balance; and getting high levels of support from their managers.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Understanding what this generation values will allow you to create an effective coaching strategy for the Millennials on your sales team. Follow these steps to help you become a better coach to your Millennial salespeople.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Provide feedback in real time.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Millennial salespeople have high expectations for their sales managers but they also set very high expectations for themselves. If they don\u2019t hear feedback in an on-going fashion, they may assume they are doing something wrong. Remember, they have been raised with continuous feedback from parents. Thus, they have the desire to know exactly how they are doing at all times. Provide real time feedback (both positive and negative) to the Millennials on your sales team whenever you have the chance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Discuss personal career goals.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Millennials want managers to help them carve out their career paths. They want to see where their careers are going and what they need to do in order to get there. Make it a priority to set aside time to discuss these personal goals with your younger team members.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_11005\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11005\" style=\"width: 697px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11005 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sandler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/How-to-Manage-the-Goal-Setting-Process-within-a-Team.jpeg\" alt=\"Sales team having a discussion\" width=\"697\" height=\"465\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/sandler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/How-to-Manage-the-Goal-Setting-Process-within-a-Team.jpeg 697w, https:\/\/sandler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/How-to-Manage-the-Goal-Setting-Process-within-a-Team-300x200.jpeg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 697px) 100vw, 697px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 697px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 697\/465;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11005\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sales team having a discussion in a conference room.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Offer on-the-job training.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Millennial salespeople are very action-oriented and prefer observed learning. In other words, they want to do it rather than just read about it. So, if your training program only consists of sitting in a room and listening to lecturer, you\u2019ll want to include interactive exercises and role play situations to effectively teach your Millennial salespeople.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Promote collaboration<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Millennials are used to working in teams and groups. In contrast to the lone ranger attitude of earlier generations, Millennials often believe a team can accomplish better results. Leverage Millennials\u2019 bias to work in networked teams by creating a highly collaborative team environment with peer mentors, group brainstorming, and cross-training opportunities.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The best way to effectively coach your Millennial salespeople is to truly understand what motivates them. Take the time to learn more about their expectations, motivations, and career aspirations, and you\u2019ll be on your way to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandler.com\/blog\/how-to-build-a-sales-team\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">building a winning team<\/a>\u00a0of young salespeople.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>What have you learned from coaching Millennials on your sales team? How are they different from other generations of salespeople? Let us know with a comment below.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many seasoned sales managers today are facing a common challenge: how to lead, motivate, and inspire young Millennials on their sales teams. This generation, which will make up roughly 50 percent of the\u00a0U.S. workforce in 2020\u00a0and 75 percent of the workforce in 2030, has already garnered a reputation for being difficult to manage by traditional&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":11889,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1120],"tags":[1038,1033,1035,1124,1103],"class_list":["post-11888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-coaching","tag-leadership","tag-management","tag-managerial-skills","tag-motivation-mindset"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Coach the Millennials on Your Sales Team | Sandler Training<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many seasoned sales managers today are facing a common challenge: how to lead, motivate, and inspire young Millennials on their sales teams. This generation, which will make up roughly 50 percent of the U.S. workforce in 2020 and 75 percent of the workforce in 2030, has already garnered a reputation for being difficult to manage by traditional standards.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sandler.com\/blog\/how-to-coach-millennials-sales-team\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Coach the Millennials on Your Sales Team | Sandler Training\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many seasoned sales managers today are facing a common challenge: how to lead, motivate, and inspire young Millennials on their sales teams. 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