Category: Sales Coaching

86% of Sales Teams Operate Without Documented Processes—The Hidden Cost of Improvised Selling

Sales Coaching

Scorecard Sales: Making the World a Better Place Through Sales

When sales performance declines, executives typically reach for familiar solutions: new compensation plans, additional hiring, upgraded CRM systems, or motivational training programs. Yet research reveals that 86 percent of companies operate without a documented, repeatable sales process—a foundational gap that undermines every other investment an organization makes in its revenue-generating teams. Without clear frameworks defining how selling actually happens, businesses build on sand rather than bedrock, wondering why expensive initiatives fail to deliver promised results.

The absence of documented processes creates problems far beyond missed quotas. Organizations without systematic sales approaches struggle to onboard new hires efficiently, losing months of productivity while reps figure things out independently. They cannot diagnose performance problems because they lack baseline definitions of what good performance looks like. They watch institutional knowledge evaporate every time an experienced salesperson departs. Most critically, they deliver inconsistent customer experiences that damage brand reputation and erode competitive positioning over time.

This sales documentation gap explains much of the broader quota crisis affecting B2B sales organizations nationally. As explored in B2B Sales Quota Crisis Reaches Critical Levels as Two-Thirds of Reps Miss Year-End Targets, 67 percent of sales representatives failed to meet quota by year’s end—a number that continues worsening annually. The connection between undocumented processes and missed targets isn’t coincidental. Organizations cannot improve what they haven’t defined, and they cannot scale what exists only in individual performers’ heads.

The Compounding Cost of Process Ambiguity

Undocumented sales processes create costs that compound invisibly across multiple dimensions of business operations. The most immediate impact appears in new hire productivity. Industry benchmarks suggest fully ramping a new sales representative requires six to twelve months depending on product complexity and sales cycle length. Organizations with documented processes consistently achieve ramp times at the shorter end of this range, while those without structure watch new hires struggle toward the longer end—or never fully ramp at all before departing for other opportunities.

The mathematics become stark when calculated across typical turnover rates. Sales positions experience higher turnover than most professional roles, with annual departure rates frequently exceeding twenty percent. An organization with ten salespeople losing two annually and requiring twelve months to ramp replacements operates perpetually at reduced capacity. That same organization with documented processes achieving six-month ramp times gains the equivalent of a full additional salesperson annually simply through improved onboarding efficiency.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of insurance sales agents to grow four percent through 2034, with approximately 49,000 openings annually from growth and replacement needs combined. This churn rate, typical across sales professions, means organizations continuously cycle through the expensive process of recruiting, hiring, and developing new talent. Each cycle without documented processes extends the period before new hires contribute meaningfully to revenue, creating a perpetual drag on organizational performance that rarely appears on financial statements but fundamentally constrains growth.

Beyond onboarding, process ambiguity prevents accurate performance diagnosis. When managers cannot articulate what salespeople should be doing at each stage of the customer journey, they cannot identify where individual reps deviate from effective practices. Coaching conversations become generic rather than targeted. Performance reviews focus on outcomes rather than behaviors. Struggling salespeople receive vague direction to “do better” rather than specific guidance on which activities to change and how to change them.

Institutional Knowledge and the Departure Problem

Every sales organization contains top performers whose approaches differ meaningfully from their struggling colleagues. These high performers understand intuitively which prospects deserve attention, which objections signal genuine concerns versus negotiating tactics, and which closing approaches work for different buyer types. In organizations without documented processes, this knowledge exists exclusively in individual minds—valuable while those individuals remain employed but permanently lost upon their departure.

The departure problem extends beyond losing top performers to competitors or retirement. Promotions, medical leaves, family relocations, and career changes all remove experienced salespeople from customer-facing roles. Organizations treating sales knowledge as individual rather than institutional assets must rebuild capabilities repeatedly, cycling through the same learning curves that predecessors already navigated. The inefficiency compounds across years and decades, with organizations never capturing the accumulated wisdom that should differentiate mature sales operations from startups.

Sales Documentation transforms individual expertise into organizational assets. When top performers articulate their approaches—how they research prospects, structure discovery conversations, present solutions, and navigate negotiations—those approaches become trainable and replicable. New hires gain access to proven playbooks rather than starting from scratch. Managers can compare individual behaviors against established best practices. The organization builds cumulative knowledge rather than repeatedly starting over.

Regional markets feel this dynamic acutely as they compete for limited talent pools. As detailed in South-Central Pennsylvania Sales Teams Face Growing Revenue Pressure Across Key Industries, companies across construction, insurance, and manufacturing sectors find themselves competing not only for customers but for qualified salespeople. Organizations offering structured development paths and documented methodologies attract candidates seeking professional growth, while those operating through improvisation struggle to recruit and retain talent capable of thriving in ambiguous environments.

Customer Experience Suffers Without Consistency

The consequences of undocumented processes extend beyond internal operations to directly impact customer relationships. Buyers interacting with multiple representatives from the same company encounter different approaches, different messaging, and different levels of professionalism depending on which salesperson they reach. This inconsistency confuses prospects, damages brand perception, and creates competitive vulnerabilities that disciplined competitors readily exploit.

Consider the customer evaluating proposals from three competing vendors. The first vendor’s representative follows a structured discovery process, asks insightful questions, presents a tailored solution addressing specific stated needs, and follows up systematically. The second vendor’s representative wings it—asking generic questions, presenting standard materials, and following up sporadically. The customer draws reasonable conclusions about each organization’s operational discipline based on their sales experience, often choosing vendors whose sales professionalism signals broader organizational competence.

According to research compiled by MIT Sloan Management Review, organizational performance improvement requires measuring what actually matters rather than what’s simply easy to track. Many companies remain mired in old-school measurement habits that emphasize backward-looking financial metrics over forward-looking operational indicators. Sales organizations following this pattern track revenue results obsessively while ignoring the process metrics that predict and determine those results.

Documented processes enable measurement of leading indicators rather than just lagging outcomes. Organizations tracking prospecting activity, qualification rigor, proposal quality, and follow-up consistency can identify problems before they manifest in missed revenue targets. This forward-looking visibility transforms sales management from reactive firefighting to proactive optimization, allowing intervention when behaviors drift rather than after deals have already been lost.

Building Documentation That Actually Gets Used

The solution to process ambiguity isn’t simply creating documentation—file cabinets and shared drives overflow with sales playbooks that no one reads. Effective process documentation must be living, accessible, and integrated into daily workflows rather than residing in forgotten folders. The distinction separates organizations that genuinely systematize their sales operations from those that merely check boxes during annual planning exercises.

Living documentation evolves continuously based on market feedback, competitive dynamics, and performance data. Static playbooks created during annual retreats become obsolete within months as conditions change. Organizations committed to process excellence treat documentation as ongoing work product requiring regular review and refinement rather than one-time projects completed and forgotten.

Accessibility determines whether documentation influences behavior. Processes buried in lengthy manuals that salespeople must search to find provide little practical value during fast-moving customer interactions. Effective organizations embed process guidance into the tools reps use daily—CRM systems, communication platforms, and sales enablement applications that surface relevant guidance contextually rather than requiring separate reference.

Integration means documentation connects to measurement, coaching, and accountability systems. Processes defined but not tracked become suggestions rather than standards. Organizations serious about sales excellence connect documented approaches to metrics that verify adherence, coaching conversations that reinforce expectations, and performance management systems that reward disciplined execution alongside results achievement.

The Path Forward for Process-Challenged Organizations

Organizations recognizing their documentation gaps face a choice: continue operating through improvisation while hoping results improve, or invest in building the systematic foundations that sustainable sales performance requires. The investment need not be overwhelming. Most organizations can document core processes within weeks rather than months, creating immediately usable frameworks while planning longer-term refinements.

The starting point involves capturing what top performers actually do—not theoretical best practices from sales methodology books but practical approaches that work in specific markets with specific products and specific customer types. This documentation effort often reveals that high performers have developed sophisticated approaches they’ve never articulated, approaches that can be taught to others once made explicit.

From initial documentation, organizations build measurement systems tracking process adherence alongside outcome achievement. They develop coaching frameworks helping managers reinforce documented approaches during regular one-on-ones. They create onboarding programs accelerating new hire ramp times by providing clear roadmaps rather than sink-or-swim ambiguity. Each element reinforces the others, creating systems that improve continuously rather than degrading through neglect.

Scorecard Sales: Your Partner in Sales Process Excellence

At Scorecard Sales, we help construction, insurance, and manufacturing companies throughout South-Central Pennsylvania build repeatable sales processes that drive measurable results. Since 2020, our team of experienced coaches has focused on one mission: making the world a better place through sales by helping salespeople succeed. We understand that documentation alone doesn’t change behavior—sustainable improvement requires systems integrating process definition, measurement, and coaching into unified approaches.

Our Services Include:

  • Sales Process Improvement Web Tools – Digital solutions featuring real-time performance metrics, Power Score Assessments, and One Page Sales Plans that transform documentation into daily operational guidance
  • Sales Training and Coaching – Comprehensive programs that capture your organization’s best practices, document repeatable processes, and build accountability systems ensuring adoption

Ready to Document Your Path to Sales Excellence? Contact Scorecard Sales to discuss how systematic process development can transform your team’s consistency and results.

Works Cited

“Insurance Sales Agents.” Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 28 Aug. 2025, www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/insurance-sales-agents.htm. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.

Michelman, Paul. “Is Your Company Actually Measuring What Matters?” MIT Sloan Management Review, 22 Oct. 2024, sloanreview.mit.edu/article/is-your-company-actually-measuring-what-matters/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.

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Sales Coaching Delivers 28% Higher Win Rates While 73% of Managers Spend Less Than 5% of Time Coaching

Sales Coaching

Pennsylvania’s construction, insurance, and manufacturing sectors face a performance crisis hiding in plain sight: while companies that work with a top sales training company see win rates increase by up to 28 percent, 73 percent of sales managers spend less than 5 percent of their time actually coaching their teams. This massive coaching gap costs businesses millions in lost revenue as sales professionals plateau at performance levels far below their potential—despite training investments that fail to improve sales coaching effectiveness or translate into real-world selling success.

The coaching effectiveness crisis stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of what separates training from coaching. Training provides knowledge through group sessions focused on concepts and techniques. Coaching creates behavioral change through personalized guidance that helps individuals apply knowledge to their specific selling situations. According to the Sales Management Association, only 36 percent of companies state that coaching is a stated priority of senior leadership, while 63 percent allow sales managers to interpret their own meaning of coaching without structured guidance or methodology.

This lack of standardization produces devastating results. Research reveals that only 19 percent of sales representatives rate their coaching as excellent, while nearly 30 percent rate it as poor. The disconnect between coaching quality and business outcomes creates performance variability that undermines revenue predictability and competitive positioning. Sales professionals receive generic feedback disconnected from their individual challenges, struggle to apply training concepts without hands-on support, and lack accountability structures that drive consistent implementation of best practices.

The financial impact of inadequate coaching manifests across every sales metric that matters. Companies with formal coaching processes—those that prioritize measurable coaching results—achieve 91 percent of their quotas compared to 85 percent for organizations with less structured approaches. Sales representatives who receive excellent coaching are 50 percent more likely to achieve quota than those receiving poor coaching. Yet despite coaching’s proven impact on performance, most organizations treat it as a secondary priority behind metrics tracking, administrative tasks, and firefighting immediate problems.

The Training-to-Performance Gap Destroying Sales Results

Sales training without coaching creates knowledge without application—a fatal flaw that wastes training budgets while leaving performance unchanged. Organizations invest heavily in group workshops, online courses, and sales methodology programs that teach concepts but provide no mechanism for translating those concepts into changed behavior. Salespeople return from training sessions understanding new approaches but lacking the personalized guidance required to implement them successfully in their unique selling environments.

The statistics on training effectiveness versus coaching effectiveness tell a stark story. Research demonstrates an 88 percent increase in sales productivity from coaching compared to only 23 percent from training alone, proving that B2B coaching strategies are the real driver of growth. This productivity gap exists because training addresses what salespeople should do while coaching addresses how they actually do it in real-world situations. Without coaching support, sales professionals default to comfortable habits rather than implementing new techniques that initially feel awkward or risky.

Pennsylvania’s diverse business landscape—spanning construction companies selling complex projects, insurance agents navigating relationship-driven sales, and manufacturers managing technical solution sales—creates selling environments where generic training falls particularly short. A construction sales professional needs coaching on navigating multi-stakeholder buying processes and managing long sales cycles. An insurance agent requires guidance on consultative needs assessment and objection handling specific to risk management conversations. A manufacturing sales representative must master technical product presentations and value quantification for engineering buyers. Group training cannot address these specialized requirements with the depth and personalization that coaching provides.

The timing disconnect between training and coaching further undermines effectiveness. Training typically occurs in concentrated, isolated sessions, whereas the best results come from just-in-time sales support provided when salespeople face actual selling situations, reinforcing training concepts through real-world application. Salespeople absorb information in classroom or virtual environments, then return to territories where immediate pressures and established patterns overwhelm newly learned concepts. Coaching provides just-in-time guidance when salespeople face actual selling situations, reinforcing training concepts through real-world application and immediate feedback that cements learning.

A sales manager providing b2b sales training to an employee to improve sales coaching effectiveness and team productivity

What Effective Sales Coaching Actually Requires

Professional sales coaching demands structured methodology that most organizations lack. Effective coaching begins with individual skill assessment identifying specific growth opportunities for each salesperson. Generic coaching that treats all team members identically wastes time addressing skills some professionals have mastered while ignoring critical gaps in other areas. Assessment reveals where each person stands relative to required capabilities, creating personalized development roadmaps that focus coaching energy where it generates maximum impact.

Custom development plans build on assessment insights by establishing clear objectives. Because tailored sales improvement is dependent on individual situations, a struggling closer needs different coaching than a prospecting-challenged hunter. A struggling closer needs different coaching than a prospecting-challenged hunter. A veteran salesperson plateauing in performance requires different guidance than a new hire building foundational skills. Effective plans specify target behaviors, practice requirements, application contexts, and success metrics that make coaching actionable rather than theoretical.

Hands-on practice with immediate expert feedback represents coaching’s most critical element—and the component most organizations omit entirely. Salespeople need opportunities to try new techniques in safe environments where failure provides learning rather than lost business. Role-playing specific scenarios, rehearsing difficult conversations, and practicing objection responses under coach observation builds competence before high-stakes client interactions. Immediate feedback corrects mistakes while reinforcing effective approaches, accelerating skill development far beyond what training alone achieves.

Application guidance for real client interactions bridges practice and performance. Coaches who focus on real-world sales application review upcoming calls and identify potential obstacles before they happen. Coaches review upcoming sales calls, strategize approach options, identify potential obstacles, and establish game plans that apply learned concepts to specific opportunities. This pre-call coaching transforms abstract training into concrete action plans, while post-call debriefing analyzes what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve next time.

The Accountability and Measurement Framework That Drives Results

Accountability structures distinguish coaching programs that produce lasting change from those that generate temporary enthusiasm followed by reversion to old habits. Effective coaching establishes clear commitments regarding specific actions salespeople will take between coaching sessions. These commitments create observable behaviors that coaches can track and verify, moving coaching beyond advice-giving into performance management that ensures implementation.

Regular progress tracking against clear metrics provides objective evidence of coaching effectiveness. When monitoring sales KPI improvement, coaches look at leading indicators like activity levels, conversion rates, and deal size. Coaches monitor leading indicators like activity levels, conversion rates at each pipeline stage, average deal size, and sales cycle length. These metrics reveal whether coaching interventions produce desired behavior changes and whether those behaviors generate improved results. Tracking also holds both coaches and salespeople accountable for making progress rather than simply having conversations.

Adjustments based on real-world results keep coaching relevant and responsive to emerging challenges. Initial coaching plans represent hypotheses about which interventions will drive performance improvement. Reality testing these hypotheses against actual results allows coaches to double down on what works while abandoning approaches that don’t generate expected outcomes. This adaptive methodology prevents coaching programs from becoming rigid processes that persist despite ineffectiveness.

The measurement framework must extend beyond individual performance to encompass team and organizational impacts. Utilizing a sales management methodology lifts overall revenue achievement and improves forecasting accuracy. Research shows companies with formal programs running three or more years experience higher growth rates than peers. These broader metrics justify coaching investments by demonstrating business impact beyond individual quota attainment. Research shows companies with formal coaching programs running three or more years experience higher growth rates than peers without structured coaching—evidence that coaching effectiveness compounds over time as methodology matures and coaching culture strengthens.

Why One-on-One Coaching Outperforms Group Programs

Individual coaching sessions create psychological safety that group settings cannot match. Salespeople reveal struggles, uncertainties, and skill gaps more openly in private conversations than they will in front of peers. This openness allows coaches to address actual performance barriers rather than surface-level issues sanitized for group consumption. The trust developed through confidential coaching relationships enables deeper work on mindset issues, limiting beliefs, and personal challenges that impact selling effectiveness but remain hidden in group contexts.

Personalization reaches far beyond what any group program can achieve. The value of one-on-one sessions comes from customized sales mentorship addressing an individual’s unique combination of strengths, personality, and territory characteristics. A coach working one-on-one tailors every intervention to the specific person sitting across from them, adjusting communication style, pacing, example selection, and practice scenarios to maximize relevance and resonance. This customization accelerates learning and application compared to standardized approaches that fit no one perfectly despite fitting everyone adequately.

Focus and attention during one-on-one coaching ensure that every minute addresses the coachee’s priorities rather than splitting attention across multiple participants with different needs. Group coaching sessions inevitably involve content that benefits some attendees more than others, creating dead time for those whose pressing issues receive minimal coverage. Individual coaching eliminates this inefficiency by concentrating entirely on what matters most to the person being coached in that moment.

The coaching relationship itself becomes a performance driver when sustained one-on-one interaction builds accountability, trust, and commitment that group programs cannot replicate. Salespeople develop personal investment in proving themselves to coaches who know them deeply and track their progress closely. This relationship dynamic creates motivation beyond what organizational requirements or compensation structures generate, tapping into human needs for recognition, growth, and achievement that powerful coaching relationships satisfy, as explored in [[How Pennsylvania’s Top-Performing Sales Teams Use Coaching to Outpace Competition]].

A sales manager providing b2b sales training to an employee to improve sales coaching effectiveness and team productivity

The Pennsylvania Market’s Unique Coaching Requirements

Pennsylvania’s business landscape creates selling environments that demand coaching specifically tailored to regional industries and market conditions. Construction sales in the Commonwealth involve complex stakeholder management across contractors, architects, engineers, and building owners—each with different priorities, decision criteria, and influence levels. Coaching construction sales professionals requires deep understanding of how projects move from specification through bidding to contract award, plus insight into relationship dynamics that determine which suppliers make short lists.

Insurance sales in Pennsylvania span diverse products from property and casualty to life insurance, employee benefits, and specialized coverage for industries ranging from agriculture to manufacturing. Effective coaching helps these professionals master advanced objection handling techniques. Effective coaching helps insurance professionals master consultative selling that uncovers risk exposures, quantifies financial impact, and positions coverage as strategic risk management rather than commodity purchasing. These skills require practice, feedback, and refinement that only coaching provides.

Manufacturing sales across Pennsylvania’s industrial base involve technical products requiring salespeople to establish credibility with engineering buyers, navigate procurement processes, and demonstrate value through ROI calculations and total cost of ownership analysis. Coaching manufacturing sales teams demands understanding of both selling skills and technical product knowledge, helping salespeople translate features into benefits that matter to specific customer applications. Role-playing technical sales calls and strategizing complex opportunity management requires coaches with relevant industry experience beyond generic sales expertise.

The regional focus that characterizes Pennsylvania’s business community creates relationship-driven markets where reputation, referrals, and long-term customer relationships determine success more than transactional selling skills. Coaching in these environments emphasizes consultative approaches, customer success mindset, and account development strategies that build multiyear partnerships rather than chasing quick closes, as detailed in [[The ROI of Sales Coaching: Why Pennsylvania Companies Outperform Competitors Who Skip Individual Development]].

Scorecard Sales: Professional Coaching That Transforms Performance

At Scorecard Sales, we deliver personalized sales coaching that creates measurable performance improvement for construction, insurance, and manufacturing professionals throughout South-Central Pennsylvania. Since 2020, we’ve built our reputation helping sales teams in York, Lancaster, Berks, Dauphin, Cumberland, and Adams counties achieve their revenue goals through our Integrative Process Improvement Programs.

Our coaching services include:

  • Individual skill assessment identifying specific growth opportunities
  • Custom development plans built for each person’s unique situation
  • Hands-on practice with immediate expert feedback
  • Application guidance for real client interactions
  • Accountability structures that drive consistent follow-through
  • Regular progress tracking against clear performance metrics
  • Methodology adjustments based on real-world results

Ready to Transform Your Sales Performance? Visit our sales coaching page to learn how professional coaching can help your team achieve breakthrough results, or request a quote to discuss your specific coaching needs.

Works Cited

“Sales Management Association.” Sales Management Association, salesmanagement.org. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.

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Unlocking Sales Potential: Scorecard Sales’ Innovative Coaching Approach

Sales Coaching

At Scorecard Sales, we believe that personalized coaching is the cornerstone of unlocking individual potential and driving organizational success. Our Integrative Process Improvement Programs offer a unique approach to professional development, providing one-on-one coaching that caters to the specific needs of each participant. As we enter 2025, we’re excited to share how our coaching programs have evolved and continue to deliver exceptional results for sales professionals and organizations alike.

The Power of Personalized Coaching

Our coaching programs are designed to create a transformative experience for professionals across various domains. We recognize that each individual has unique strengths and challenges, which is why we offer the best sales coaching programs designed for holistic sales performance and long-term behavioral change.

Sales Coaching

Our sales coaching focuses on enhancing key skills that drive success in today’s competitive marketplace:

  • Prospecting techniques: We help sales professionals identify and qualify leads more effectively, expanding their pipeline and increasing opportunities.
  • Negotiation skills: Our coaches work with participants to develop strategies for navigating complex negotiations and securing favorable outcomes.
  • Closing strategies: We provide guidance on how to overcome objections and guide prospects through the decision-making process.
  • Account management: Our holistic sales performance approach helps professionals nurture long-term relationships and maximize value.

Customer Service Coaching

Recognizing the critical role of service, our coaching focuses on empathetic communication frameworks and emotional intelligence.

  • Communication effectiveness: We help participants develop clear, empathetic, and professional communication across various channels.
  • Problem-solving abilities: Our coaches guide individuals in developing creative and efficient solutions to customer issues.
  • Emotional intelligence: We work on enhancing self-awareness and empathy to better handle challenging customer interactions.
  • Customer retention strategies: Our coaching helps professionals develop skills to turn satisfied customers into loyal brand advocates.

Leadership Coaching

For those in leadership roles or aspiring to them, our coaching provides personalized support in:

  • Strategic thinking: We help leaders develop a broader perspective and make decisions that align with long-term strategic leadership alignment and organizational goals.
  • Team management skills: Our coaches guide participants in motivating and managing diverse teams effectively.
  • Change leadership: We provide strategies for navigating and driving organizational change successfully.
  • Executive presence: Our coaching helps leaders develop the confidence and communication skills to inspire and influence others, a vital part of holistic sales performance.

The Scorecard Coaching Advantage

What sets our best sales coaching programs apart is our unwavering commitment to creating a safe and supportive environment for growth. Our approach ensures that:

  • Participants learn at their own pace, allowing for deep integration of new skills and knowledge.
  • Individual goals are prioritized, ensuring that the coaching experience is relevant and impactful.
  • Confidentiality is maintained, creating a space where participants can be open and vulnerable.
  • Trust is built between coach and student, fostering a relationship that drives meaningful change.

Integrative Process Improvement Programs

Our flagship coaching offering, the Integrative Process Improvement Programs, is designed to deliver comprehensive and lasting results. This approach:

Integrates Multiple Disciplines

We combine insights from various fields to provide a holistic coaching experience:

Focuses on Holistic Development

The best sales coaching programs address not just job-specific competencies, but the whole person:

  • Professional skills: Enhancing job-specific competencies
  • Personal growth: Developing self-awareness and emotional intelligence in sales.
  • Work-life balance: Strategies for managing stress and maintaining overall well-being

Adapts to Individual Needs

Each program is tailored to the unique requirements of the participant:

  • Customized to the participant’s role and industry context
  • Aligned with organizational objectives to ensure relevance
  • Flexible in duration and intensity to accommodate different learning styles and schedules

The Coaching Process

Our best sales coaching programs follow a structured yet flexible process to ensure a balance between proven methodologies and individual needs:

Initial Assessment

We begin with a thorough evaluation of:

  • Current skill levels through assessments and interviews
  • Career aspirations and personal goals
  • Organizational context and expectations

Goal Setting

Together with the participant, we establish:

  • Clear, measurable objectives that align with personal and organizational goals and organizational performance benchmarks
  • Short-term and long-term targets to create a roadmap for development
  • Key performance indicators to track progress

Customized Action Plan

We develop a tailored plan that includes:

  • Specific skill-building exercises relevant to the participant’s role
  • Real-world application opportunities to practice new skills
  • Recommended resources, tools, and reading materials

Regular Coaching Sessions

Our one-on-one sessions feature:

  • In-depth discussions on progress and challenges
  • Role-playing and scenario analysis to prepare for real-world situations
  • Feedback and adjustment of strategies based on experiences and outcomes

Continuous Assessment and Adaptation

Throughout the coaching journey, we:

  • Monitor progress against set goals using established metrics
  • Adjust the approach as needed to ensure continued relevance and effectiveness
  • Celebrate milestones and achievements to maintain motivation and momentum

An industrial sales team collaborating during a specialized manufacturing sales training session

Best Practices in Coaching

Our coaching programs are built on proven best practices, including:

Active Listening

Our coaches are trained to:

  • Fully engage with the participant’s perspective
  • Ask probing questions to uncover underlying issues and opportunities
  • Provide insightful observations that promote self-reflection and growth

Constructive Feedback

We deliver feedback that is:

  • Specific and actionable, providing clear guidance for improvement
  • Balanced between positive reinforcement and areas for development
  • Timely and relevant, addressing current challenges and opportunities

Accountability

Our coaches help participants:

  • Set realistic deadlines for achieving goals and milestones
  • Track progress consistently using agreed-upon metrics
  • Take ownership of their development journey

Experiential Learning

We encourage:

  • Application of new skills in real-world scenarios to reinforce learning
  • Reflection on outcomes to derive insights and lessons
  • Iterative improvement based on experiences and feedback

Flexibility and Adaptability

While our coaching process is grounded in best practices, we recognize the importance of flexibility. Our programs remain adaptable to:

  • Changing business environments and market conditions
  • Shifts in individual priorities and career goals
  • Emerging organizational needs and strategic initiatives

This flexibility ensures that the coaching experience remains relevant and impactful throughout the engagement, even as circumstances change.

Measuring Success

We believe in the importance of quantifiable results. Our coaching programs include:

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

We establish and track relevant metrics such as:

  • Sales performance improvements (e.g., increased revenue, higher win rates)
  • Customer satisfaction scores and retention rates
  • Team engagement levels and productivity metrics
  • Leadership effectiveness ratings from peers and subordinates

Regular Progress Reviews

We conduct periodic assessments to:

  • Evaluate progress against set goals and adjust as needed
  • Identify areas for further development and refinement
  • Celebrate successes and milestones to maintain motivation

Return on Investment (ROI) Analysis

We work with organizations to measure the impact of coaching through:

  • Improved productivity metrics and efficiency gains
  • Enhanced employee retention rates and reduced turnover costs
  • Increased revenue or cost savings directly attributable to coaching interventions

Sales Process Improvement

The Scorecard Coaching Team

Our coaches are more than just trainers; they are experienced professionals with:

  • Diverse industry backgrounds and real-world experience
  • Advanced certifications in coaching and related disciplines
  • A passion for developing others and driving organizational success

Each coach is carefully matched with participants based on:

  • Industry expertise and relevant experience
  • Personality fit and communication style
  • Specific developmental needs and career goals

Integrating Coaching with Organizational Goals

At Scorecard Sales, we understand that individual growth should align with organizational objectives. Our coaching programs:

  • Support company-wide initiatives and strategic priorities
  • Reinforce corporate values and culture
  • Contribute to succession planning and talent development efforts

Getting Started with Scorecard Coaching

Embarking on a coaching journey with Scorecard Sales is simple:

  1. Initial Consultation: We discuss your organization’s needs, goals, and challenges.
  2. Program Design: We create a customized coaching program tailored to your specific requirements.
  3. Coach Selection: We match participants with the ideal coach based on expertise and fit.
  4. Kickoff: We begin the coaching engagement with clear objectives and expectations.
  5. Ongoing Support: We provide continuous guidance and adaptation throughout the process.

Invest in Your Team’s Future

Scorecard’s Integrative Process Improvement Programs offer a unique opportunity to invest in your team’s development. By providing personalized, one-on-one coaching, we help your employees reach their full potential, driving both individual and organizational success.

As we look ahead to the rest of 2025 and beyond, we’re excited about the possibilities that our coaching programs offer. The business landscape continues to evolve rapidly, and our commitment to staying at the forefront of sales training and coaching remains unwavering.

Contact Scorecard Sales today to learn how our coaching programs can transform your team’s performance and propel your business forward. Let’s work together to create a tailored development experience that meets your unique needs and goals, ensuring your sales team is equipped to excel in the dynamic marketplace of 2025 and beyond.

FAQs

What types of coaching programs does Scorecard Sales offer?

Scorecard Sales offers a comprehensive range of personalized coaching programs, including: Sales coaching focusing on prospecting techniques, negotiation skills, closing strategies, and account management; Customer service coaching improving communication effectiveness, problem-solving abilities, emotional intelligence, and customer retention strategies; Leadership coaching developing strategic thinking, team management skills, change leadership, and executive presence. These programs are tailored to meet individual and organizational needs across various industries.

How long has Scorecard Sales been in business?

Scorecard Sales was founded in 2020 by Aaron Jacobs, who brings over 20 years of sales experience to the company. As of 2025, the company has been successfully operating for five years, establishing itself as a prominent player in the sales training industry.

What makes Scorecard Sales’ coaching approach unique?

Scorecard Sales utilizes an Integrative Process Improvement Program that sets them apart. This approach combines insights from psychology, neuroscience, business strategy, and adult learning theory; focuses on holistic development, addressing professional skills, personal growth, and work-life balance; adapts to individual needs, customizing programs to each participant’s role and organizational context; creates a safe and supportive environment for growth, ensuring confidentiality and trust-building.

How flexible are Scorecard Sales’ coaching programs?

Scorecard Sales’ coaching programs are highly flexible and adaptable: customized to each participant’s specific role and industry context; aligned with organizational objectives to ensure relevance; flexible in duration and intensity to accommodate different learning styles and schedules; offered in various formats, including 1-hour webinars, half-day workshops, and full-day immersive experiences.

What is the coaching process like at Scorecard Sales?

The Scorecard Sales coaching process is structured yet flexible, including: Initial assessment evaluating current skill levels, career aspirations, and organizational context; Goal setting establishing clear, measurable objectives aligned with personal and organizational goals; Customized action plan developing tailored plans with specific skill-building exercises and real-world applications; Regular coaching sessions with one-on-one discussions, role-playing, and scenario analysis; Continuous assessment and adaptation monitoring progress, adjusting approaches, and celebrating achievements.

How does Scorecard Sales measure the success of their coaching programs?

Scorecard Sales employs a comprehensive approach to measuring coaching success: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) tracking relevant metrics such as sales performance improvements, customer satisfaction scores, and leadership effectiveness ratings; Regular progress reviews evaluating progress against set goals and identifying areas for further development; Return on Investment (ROI) analysis measuring improved productivity, enhanced employee retention rates, and increased revenue attributable to coaching interventions; Behavioral changes and skill adoption assessments using scorecards, surveys, and observations to gauge proficiency improvements.

Who are the coaches at Scorecard Sales?

Scorecard Sales’ coaches are highly qualified professionals: possessing diverse industry backgrounds and real-world experience; holding advanced certifications in coaching and related disciplines; demonstrating a passion for developing others and driving organizational success; carefully matched with participants based on industry expertise, personality fit, and specific developmental needs.

How does Scorecard Sales integrate coaching with organizational goals?

Scorecard Sales ensures their coaching programs align with organizational objectives by: supporting company-wide initiatives and strategic priorities; reinforcing corporate values and culture; contributing to succession planning and talent development efforts; aligning individual growth with broader organizational goals; adapting to changing business environments and emerging organizational needs.

What industries does Scorecard Sales specialize in?

While Scorecard Sales caters to a wide range of industries, they have developed particular expertise in: Construction; Insurance; Manufacturing. They also serve businesses across South-Central Pennsylvania, including York, Lancaster, Dauphin, Cumberland, and Adams counties, as well as clients nationwide.

How can an organization get started with Scorecard Sales coaching?

The process for engaging with Scorecard Sales coaching includes: Initial consultation discussing the organization’s needs, goals, and challenges; Program design creating a customized coaching program tailored to specific requirements; Coach selection matching participants with ideal coaches based on expertise and fit; Kickoff meeting beginning the coaching engagement with clear objectives and expectations; Ongoing support providing continuous guidance and adaptation throughout the coaching process. Organizations can contact Scorecard Sales directly to initiate this process and explore how their coaching programs can transform team performance and drive business success.

Why Ignoring Sales Coaching Can Hinder Your Business Growth?

Sales Coaching

Sales Coaching

In this article, we’ll dive into the reasons why the sales coaching benefits provided by a top sales training company are indispensable for your business success. Ignoring these opportunities can create significant gaps in your revenue growth opportunity.

Enhanced Performance and Productivity:

Sales coaching acts as a catalyst for improved performance among your sales team. Through targeted guidance and personalized feedback, sales coaches help team members refine their skills and overcome challenges. This focused approach not only boosts individual performance but also enhances overall team productivity. With sales professionals operating at their peak, your business is better positioned to meet and exceed sales targets.

Effective Communication and Relationship Building:

In the realm of sales, effective communication is paramount. Sales coaching benefits your team by equipping them with tools to communicate persuasively, understand client needs, and build lasting relationships. By honing these interpersonal skills, your salesforce becomes adept at navigating complex negotiations and creating a positive customer experience – a crucial factor in retaining clients and fostering brand loyalty.

Adaptability to Market Changes:

The business landscape is ever-evolving, and the ability to adapt is key to survival. Sales coaching provides a continuous learning environment, ensuring that your sales team stays abreast of market trends, competitor strategies, and industry shifts. This adaptability safeguards your business and positions it to capitalize on every emerging revenue growth opportunity.

Identification and Capitalization of Strengths:

Every sales professional possesses unique strengths. Sales coaching helps identify and capitalize on these strengths, turning individual capabilities into strategic advantages. By aligning tasks with team members’ strengths, you create a high-functioning, synergistic sales team capable of tackling diverse challenges with precision.

Sales team in a classroom setting learning about sales skill optimization and sales coaching benefits

Boosting Employee Morale and Retention:

Investing in coaching sends a powerful message—that growth and development matter. This performance retention strategy not only boosts morale but also fosters loyalty. Satisfied and engaged employees are more likely to stay, reducing turnover costs and maintaining a consistent, experienced salesforce to drive your revenue growth opportunity.

Quantifiable ROI:

One of the distinguishing features of sales coaching is its measurable impact on ROI. By tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as conversion rates, deal sizes, and customer satisfaction scores, you can quantify the effectiveness of your sales coaching program. This data-driven approach allows you to optimize strategies, ensuring a positive return on your investment and a clear path toward your revenue growth opportunity.

Cultivating a Culture of Continuous Improvement:

Sales coaching is not a one-time event; it’s an ongoing process that fosters a culture of continuous improvement within your organization. As new challenges arise and market dynamics shift, a sales coaching framework enables your team to adapt and refine their approaches continuously. This proactive mindset positions your business as a leader in innovation and responsiveness.

Final Thoughts:

In the fast-paced world of business, ignoring the significance of sales coaching can be a costly mistake. By investing in the growth and development of your sales team, you’re not just ensuring their success – you’re propelling your business toward sustained growth and prosperity. Sales coaching is not a luxury; it’s a strategic imperative for businesses aiming to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Sales coaching benefits are not a luxury; they are a strategic imperative for businesses aiming to thrive.

Where to Find the Best Sales Coaching Solutions for Your Business?

Sales Coaching

Sales Coaching

In the ever-evolving landscape of business, staying ahead of the competition requires continuous improvement, especially in the realm of sales. A key catalyst for this improvement is identifying the best sales coaching solutions. However, with a myriad of options available, finding the best sales coaching solutions for your business can be a daunting task. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll navigate through the top platforms and services to help you identify the most suitable sales coaching solution for your unique needs.

1. The Importance of Sales Coaching

Before delving into the options available, it’s crucial to understand why sales coaching is integral to the success of your business. Sales coaching goes beyond mere training; it involves personalized guidance, skill development, and performance enhancement for your sales team. Explore the impact of effective sales coaching on employee morale, productivity, and, ultimately, the bottom line.

2. Key Features to Look for in Sales Coaching Solutions

To pinpoint the best sales coaching solutions for your business, it’s essential to consider specific features that align with your objectives. Dive into must-have features, such as custom coaching frameworks, real-time performance tracking, and interactive learning modules. Discuss how these features contribute to an impactful and ROI-driven sales guidance experience.

3. Case Studies and Success Stories

Illustrate the real-world impact of these sales coaching solutions through case studies and success stories. Highlight specific businesses that have achieved significant improvements in sales performance after implementing a particular coaching platform.

Lancaster PA professionals learning B2B sales strategies

4. Considerations for Implementation

Address potential challenges and considerations when implementing a sales coaching solution in your organization. Discuss the importance of aligning coaching strategies with company culture and the need for performance-based evaluation and continuous adjustment to ensure long-term success.

5. Right Sales Coaching Solution

Choosing the right sales coaching solution is a pivotal decision for the growth of your business. By understanding the importance of sales coaching, identifying key features, and exploring top platforms, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your business goals. Invest in the success of your sales team and, consequently, your business by selecting the best sales coaching solution tailored to your unique needs.

Thoughts

In the dynamic world of business, selecting the ideal platform is critical. For a tailored and effective solution, consider Scorecard Sales Solutions. As a leading provider of the best sales coaching solutions, we empower your team through strategic sales mentorship, elevating performance and propelling your business toward success with a targeted investment.

How To Work with Someone You Don’t Trust

Sales Management, Posts, Sales Coaching, Sales Training

Most of us don’t have the luxury of choosing who we work with and, unfortunately, not everyone can be trusted. You already know this, and you probably learned it the hard way like the rest of us. There is no magic wand that you can wave over people to make them more trustworthy. What’s baffling is that why wouldn’t someone want to be trustworthy? Do they know or even care that you, and possibly others, are reluctant to trust them? Regardless, these people do exist, and you must figure out how to work with them. No one likes to work while constantly looking over their shoulder. This creates a stressful environment where more problems are caused than are solved. 

 

There are several types of trust issues you may encounter with co-workers and supervisors. There is blatant dishonesty where you know someone is deliberately not telling you the truth. Sometimes we work with others who are so disrespectful that you constantly must keep your guard up when you are around them. Let’s not forget about the gossip mongers who can, and will, embellish just about anything and spread bad information like a virus. Perhaps you are working with someone who envies your skills and accomplishments, and you detect their resentment. What about co-workers who are obsequious (suck-ups) and who will do and say anything to get ahead? Then there are just co-workers who live to create and indulge in drama. Ugh! How can we navigate our work environment when there are so many pitfalls? If you find yourself in one of these situations, here are some helpful tips to help limit your risks and get through your day.

 

Keep it professional – Keep your guard up when you know you are around someone who can’t be trusted. Limit conversations about your opinions, personal life, and ideas in general. Untrustworthy people love to gather intel under the disguise of genuine interest for their own selfish agenda.

Avoid drama – Distance yourself from drama whenever possible. Office drama is a race to the bottom that no one wins. Remove yourself from conversations where you detect gossip. Drama is always someone else’s way of baiting you into something you know you shouldn’t be doing. 

Discuss your concerns – If appropriate, be sure to share your concerns professionally with someone else higher up in the food chain. Perhaps they can help or maybe they are getting this feedback from other people as well. The purpose is not to stir up drama, but to bring a concern to management’s attention. 

Request third parties – If there is a critical conversation that must be had with someone you do not trust, invite someone else along to be a simple impartial observer. This is not to create an audience, but to limit the amount of conjecture than can occur when there are only two witnesses to a conversation. 

Keep a paper trail – No one likes long emails, but sometimes you must cover your rear and the best way to do this is with documentation. This shouldn’t be used as entrapment, but rather to make sure that all necessary facts are on record if your character or actions are called into question. 

Why Salespeople Struggle with Trust

Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Sales Training

Salespeople tend to be either the most undermanaged or overmanaged people in the entire company. In some ways, this makes sense because their roles and responsibilities require a lot of autonomy, judgment, and duties that are executed outside the view of management. Naturally, there are bound to be trust issues from both salespeople and management. Let’s not forget the intense level of stress and competition that exists for salespeople as well. Their opportunities are always under constant threat from internal and external forces whether it is a competitor or a production team that can’t deliver on the salesperson’s promises. Salespeople struggle with trust every day, and the more they struggle with trust, the more their performance and results suffer. 

 

Salespeople can develop trust issues with a variety of people they deal with. Co-workers, supervisors, production, and even customers at times. A salesperson that can trust the team they are assigned to can, and usually does, become a high-powered sales machine. One of the main reasons that a salesperson struggles with trust is that they believe that either no one really understands the issues they face, they don’t care, or they are unwilling to help. That’s just how salespeople are wired and, for the most part, they must develop their own coping mechanisms to deal with those issues. However, there are some issues we can mitigate for them to help reduce stress, create transparency and focus on their sales goals. 

 

Inconsistent & ineffective leadership – Make certain that whoever leads the sales team does so with integrity and consistency. Once salespeople stop trusting their managers, they usually start seeing everyone and everything else with suspicion. 

Lack of engagement – Don’t be aloof with your salespeople. Let them know that you are aware, interested, and understand their needs. 

Broken promises – Do what you say you are going to do and don’t play games with compensation. 

Micromanagement – Spend more time coaching the salespeople than managing them. Salespeople always respond better to coaching than management. 

Gossip – Treat your salespeople with respect and do not engage, foster, or indulge in gossip.

Inequality– Are you playing favorites with the sales team? Or is there a family member present on the team that appears to be getting special treatment? Be sure everyone is handled the same no matter what.

Mistreatment – Don’t be abusive with salespeople. Sometimes management sees them as easy targets because they are a front-line response to customer issues but stop taking everything out on them. Once a salesperson feels like they are being abused, they almost always stop performing for a period due to a lack of motivation and, in some cases, retribution.

Do Blind Squirrels Find Nuts?

Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Sales Training

You have all heard the phrase, “Sooner or later a blind squirrel finds a nut” and we are all amused (or pretend to be anyway). I ask you, when have you ever seen a blind squirrel find a nut? For that matter, when have you ever seen a blind squirrel? Chances are slim to none. And why is that? Because blind squirrels die in the wild. And yet, we send our blind squirrels into the wild in the form of new salespeople figuring that sooner or later they are bound to bump into a sale. But what is true in nature is also true in sales. Blind squirrels die in the wild and ill-equipped untrained salespeople die in the field. Unlike the blind squirrel, this doesn’t have to be so for the salesperson. The question is, why is the squirrel blind, and whose fault is it?

 

If we want salespeople to be successful, then a partnership must be created in order to achieve that success. Almost all salespeople early in their careers need help whether they admit it or not. They want to find the acorn, in fact they want to find lots of acorns, but only a few are true naturals when it comes to sales. The rest of us have to work hard at our craft. So, instead of having a bunch of blind squirrels running around representing your company, products and services, here are a few key things you can do to help make them successful.

 

  1. Give them training – There are so many training platforms available that it’s hard to imagine an untrained salesperson, and yet the world is full of them. They are responsible for your revenue so make the investment.
  2. Give them process – What are the best practices for success in sales with your organization. Prevent salespeople from reinventing the wheel if you can help it.
  3. Give them goals – Sales people without goals will wander around aimlessly. How will you know if they are being successful and, more importantly, how will they know if they are being successful. The sooner you have goals, the sooner you will get results.
  4. Give them KPIs – What are the most important 3 things that your salesperson should do that is strongly linked to success? Is it meetings, phone calls, demonstrations, quotes? This is just as important as goals for the same reasons.
  5. Give them coaching – Coaching and managing are not the same thing. Coaching provides valuable skills, feedback and learning for the salesperson. Help them work through their issues and celebrate their victories.

Sales Suffering From Home Run Syndrome?

Business Analysis, Posts, Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Sales Training

If a baseball player doesn’t hit a home run every time he steps up to bat, then what was the point of the swing? That’s a silly question for a number of reasons, but sometimes we adopt this mentality in sales. It’s called Home Run Syndrome. If we are not great every time we try, then the effort was a waste of time. For example, your team went to the trade show that was ill-attended; far from a home run. It was a wasted swing (strike). We spent a lot of time and got close to closing a nice deal, but they went with a competitor. We wasted a swing (ball) We landed a new customer, but it’s not a very big account. We should have put that effort into a bigger opportunity. A wasted swing (first base). No swing in sales is truly wasted if you learn from it, and if you don’t swing, then you learn very little.

 

Not everyone suffers from Home Run Syndrome, but if you have a sales manager who’s really pressuring you, or you are having a hard time achieving your goal, sometimes we don’t care about the little victories that get us to home plate and we assume no one else does either. But in sales, we have to swing the bat often just to get to first or second base. If you just sit and wait from the home run pitch, chances are you will seldom swing at all. The more you swing, the better you can become. Not everything in sales can, or will be a home run, so manage your expectations and continue to put in your time and effort. It’s worth it. Here are some helpful tips if you feel that you or someone on your team is suffering from Home Run Syndrome.

 

  1. More strikes equal more experience – A strike is, or at least should be, a lesson learned. But unlike baseball, you’re not out after 3 strikes. I know many salespeople who get countless strikes before they finally get on base. But once they are on base the first time, they increase and improve their odds of doing it again. Learn from what you are doing and make the experience your wisdom.

 

  1. More swings equal more hits – Your average and scores will go up almost by virtue of your effort. Now, that said, if you are really lousy at swinging, then you need to improve your technique. But persistence and perseverance go a long way in sports and sales. 

 

  1. Get to home plate one base at a time – What is the point value between a home run and someone who gets across home plate one base at a time? Nothing. In the end, the goal was achieved with or without the pizzazz (no I didn’t mean to say pizza). Home runs are great, but they don’t always win games. Getting across home plate as many times as you can is how the game is won. The same is true with sales. Keep swinging and keep getting on base. You will get there. 

How To Have Tough Conversations About Sales Performance

Sales Coaching, Sales Management

Did you ever put off a tough conversation with a salesperson because you weren’t sure what you should say? Or maybe you were concerned about upsetting them and you don’t particularly like to be confrontational. What if they respond back with something you weren’t expecting or capable of addressing? Perhaps they might even try to turn the conversation into a referendum about how there are other things wrong, if not much worse, about everything else at the company including you. It’s no wonder you’ve been putting off this difficult conversation because what happens if they get so mad that they quit and everyone thinks that it’s your fault? At the end of the day, you find yourself being held hostage by a poor-performing salesperson and you have no idea about what to do now.

 

Having difficult conversations doesn’t have to be so difficult if you know how to have the right conversation with the right person in the right way. You really have to make this more of a process than an art if you want it to become one of your skills. Instead of trying to avoid the person that you need to confront or even losing sleep over the looming discussion, you can tackle the issue in a respectful and professional way without being either too abrasive or too passive.  The good news is that the process isn’t really that hard if you follow these simple tips.

 

  1. Be direct, honest, and compassionate – Don’t beat around the bush or sugarcoat the issue that needs to be discussed. People will respect you more if you address the issue straight ahead. Telling the truth should be a no-brainer, but always bring a sense of compassion to the conversation. Remember, you don’t have their side of the story yet, so give them the benefit of the doubt.
  2. It’s about the performance, not the person – Never never never make the issue about someone’s character including personality, attitude, or behaviors. This will instantly make the person defensive. It should only be about the performance. The person you are speaking with can and will connect their own dots about how they, as a person, are causing the performance issue. 
  3. Only use the facts – Avoid statements that begin with ‘I think’. Use actual data to support your concern. This will help to reduce the level of emotion tied to the conversation. 
  4. Ask if everything is okay – This goes back to being compassionate. Once you have presented your case, the best way to let them respond is by asking them if everything is okay. This is their chance to present their side of the story without feeling threatened. It also gives you a cushion in case you were missing vital information such as a divorce you didn’t know the person was dealing with. 
  5. Listen, but be resolute – People are won over when they feel like they have been heard so be sure to listen. When you present your concerns with this process oftentimes the person will receive the information with grace and offer their own solution. Be sure to listen, but also be resolute. Being compassionate doesn’t mean that you have to bend on the issues that are affecting their performance, but when you make your case based on facts and spend more time listening, many people are inclined to correct themselves.