ExecVision 'Call Camp' Ground Rules
My mission and life’s work is to help as many sales professionals as possible become wildly successful. In 10 years as a sales trainer, I observed one thing:
Top sales reps created good conversation habits at some point in their careers.
To help more sales reps become excellent conversationalists, I created the Call Camp.
The premise of the Call Camp is simple. Much like ESPN analyst Jon Gruden sits with up and coming quarterbacks to break down their game film, I break down the call recordings (captured legally) from three distinct sales roles:
- Sales Development (aka SDRs, LDRs, ADRs, MDRs, BDRs, BDAs, LQRs, etc.)
- Reps who close new business (aka AEs, ISRs, SEs, Field Reps, Sales Directors, TMs, etc.)
- Anyone who renews, up-sells, and cross-sells existing customers (aka Customer Success, CSMs, AMs, Renewals Specialists, etc.)
Maybe your label or acronym isn’t listed here, but one of these three roles probably describes what you do.
Over the years I’ve observed lots of sales teams listen to recorded calls and give feedback in groups. Allowing managers and peers to listen to calls can be nerve racking for sales reps. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. This inspired me to write these Call Camp ‘rules’ along with my good friend Gary Milwit:
- No Coaching session should last longer than 45 minutes – people tune out for anything longer and lessons are lost.
- Nothing disciplinary – any call review that is done in the “Coaching Office” cannot include any disciplinary action and no one can get fired or reprimanded during Call Camp.
- Only two coaches – no more than two coaches should be reviewing a call during Call Camp at any one time.
- Form conversation habits through repetition – the key to the Call Camp is repetition. Adults need to revisit the same lessons over and over in order to change behavior. It takes 21 days to form a new habit. Each new sales skill – like active listening – takes 21 days to make habitual. For this reason sales reps should have one call reviewed per week. Sometimes the sessions will be repetitive. Deal with it. I joke that my title, CRO doesn’t mean Chief Revenue Officer, but rather Chief Reminder Officer.
- Always lead with something positive – neuroscience shows that when people are under stress, the part of the brain called the Prefrontal Cortex (the rational brain) shuts down, and the Amygdala (the lizard brain) takes over. We want the sales reps receiving feedback to feel like they are in a safe, calm place to keep their rational brain turned on. The best way to do this is provide positive feedback first. Think about it. When an athlete goes to look at their game film what do they want to see first? Themselves doing something awesome. It causes dopamine to be released so they feel good. Then you dig into what needs to be improved.
- No personal attacks – this one is obvious. Critique the call, not the person. All feedback is constructive and specific. Saying you don’t like the call doesn’t help anyone. You need to give the person concrete and actionable advice on what to change for next time. Gary Milwit takes this rule a step further. His coaches are to find only positives on the call. Peers and those being coached point out areas for improvement. ExecVision Call Camp coaches do provide constructive feedback. This is a preference thing.
- Coach no more than two things per call – sales leaders try to teach and coach WAY too many things. More than two areas for improvement overwhelms the sales rep and causes them to shut down. Pick the two biggest skills to work on, and then send them off to use what they learned.
- Have fun with it – just like Gruden razzes the QBs and cracks jokes, so should you during Call Camp. My old boss at CEB, Paul Ironside used to say, “Relax, it’s just a sales call. This is not life and death surgery. If it doesn’t go well, so what? Life goes on.” Call Camp is a celebration of the game we call sales! Make it fun and light!
What are your rules for Call Camp?
