This article sets out to consider the difference between a developmental and motivational field visit as opposed to one that promotes negative feelings.

There are great advantages to performing field visits. From the executive's point of view the field visit presents a face-to-face opportunity to discuss business and personal progress, career development and to gain constructive feedback. From the manager's perspective, the visit is a chance to observe the executive's skills, to coach them to enhanced performance, to praise, and to discuss any important issues. From the organisation's point of view, these coaching visits should lead to increased motivation, capability, performance and results.

Why then do field visits often produce the opposite, with executives dreading "the boss" coming out with them?

Lets now discuss the four key elements of any field visit, outlining within each what should happen and what can potentially go wrong.

1. Contracting.

Contracting is simply an agreement between the manager and the sales executive. Contracting should take two forms.

Firstly, a contract should be set up in terms of when and where the manager meets the sales executive. At this stage the manager should agree what his objectives are for the day in terms of how long he is going to stay with the executive and what he would like to see and discuss. The manager should also ask the executive what his or her aims are for the day in relation to both the business for the day and what they are expecting from the manager. It should be a win/win situation. This phase of contracting should happen prior to the visit.

Secondly, this contract should be revisited on the day, prior to the start of any sales calls and should be extended to agreements around what happens in the sales call. How does the manager behave? When, where and how does he or she give feedback?

If a solid contract is agreed then both the manager's and the executive's expectations are being explored and hopefully met. Both should have their needs for the day met.

Common experience demonstrates that contracting does not happen as regularly or as fully as it should. Expectations tend to be one-way with the manager dictating what he or she wants from the day and with very little attention being paid to the sales executive's needs. The sales executive sees the day as the manager coming out to assess, resulting in defensiveness and often a day that has been structured to satisfy the manager as opposed to structuring the day as they normally would. Many sales executives will fill their day with sales calls, keeping the manager on his toes, and letting the manager see that they are busy. What about the important review times between calls and dedicated discussion time for reviewing progress and career development? The worst thing that can happen is when a contract is put in place, agreed and subsequently broken by the manager. Broken contracts lead to mistrust.

2. Pre-call.

This vital element dictates how competent a sales executive is in terms of planning the call, objective setting and strategic intent. This is an opportunity for the manager to use their coaching skills to facilitate the setting of specific objectives, as well as thinking through the plan of approach and objectives. Time should be taken prior to each call and the manager may choose to support the setting of S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timed) objectives. Discussion and coaching should take place to support the best way forward relative to agreed objectives. Challenge could also be used when objectives are not specific enough or not "stretching" enough

Where managers fail to allow time for such coaching, the result can be "woolly" objectives and an unfocused approach to the sales call - leading to no sales and "less than appreciative" feedback from the manager.

3. In-call.

Depending on the agreed contract, the sales executive will perform the call and the manager will observe. Sometimes with new sales executives, the manager will agree to support the sales presentation, but with more experienced executives, the manager should only observe. Whilst observing the manager should be listening intently to how the call is progressing and be taking mental note of the body language of both the executive and the customer. All this information will be needed if good quality feedback is to be given after the sales call is over.

Many managers do not observe the rule of observation, even if a contract has been agreed. Some take over the call leaving the executive and potentially the customer frustrated. Some butt in at inappropriate moments, causing greater frustration. Keep out unless the contract you have agreed dictates that you can come in and support at appropriate times!

4. Post-call analysis.

Time should be allowed to analyse how each call has gone. How did the sales executive do in respect to their specific objectives? What went well, or not so well? What were the manager's observations? This is the stage where the manager's skills should really come to the fore. How well can the manager coach? Do they know how to use the right coaching intervention with the right individual at the right time? How good at giving feedback are they? Do they praise enough?

A useful structure for a post-call analysis is offered by: POW!

P = Praise. The first thing a manager should do is praise regardless of how well the call went. Managers are too quick to jump on what didn't go well as opposed to praising what did go well.

O = Objectives and Observations. How well did the sales executive fare against their specific objectives? Invite them to do a self-assessment of what went well and not so well. Reinforce this self-assessment and add anything relevant through your own observations.

W = Way forward and Will. Once the analysis of what has happened has been made, coach them to greater performance next time by having them forge new objectives for that specific call, together with coaching them to explore the various options available. Help them decide what approach is best for them and then check their 'Will' to carry them out.

This stage of the field visit is the one that can cause the most damage. More often than not, managers do not praise enough. They are quick to give their opinions of what happened rather than let the sales executive explore what happened. Managers tend also to give advice as opposed to coach. "I would do it this way….it worked for me…..you try it….etc" Giving advice is necessary in some instances and the approach is dictated by the skill and the will of the sales executive that is being worked with. How many managers can coach effectively? How many use the Skill/Will Matrix to determine their coaching approach to a particular sales executive?

Facilitating an effective post-call analysis that is developmental and motivational takes time and can impact upon contact rates. Such time is rarely built into the contract because the contract is either non-existent or "flimsy". Put time aside! This stage is crucial if the capability of the sales executive is to be accelerated. Managers have to build in the time and they have to have the necessary coaching skills in order for the post-call analysis to be effective.

The Managers who contract well, who coach, praise and give good quality feedback together with having a mindset of development versus assessment are the managers who look forward to field visits because of the results that can be obtained. Also these are the Managers that are welcomed on field visits by the sales executives as opposed to those that are dreaded.

What type of manager are you or do you work with?

About the author

Allan Mackintosh is a Professional Management Coach specialising in coaching and developing people skills in new and existing managers. He can be contacted on 00 44 (0)1292 318152. Click here for further information.

Allan has spent almost twenty years working in pharmaceutical sales and sales management roles, the last six of which have been spent working as a management coach. This coaching experience has covered three mergers and as a result he has gained valuable experience in supporting both individual managers and management teams through considerable organisational change.

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