Marshall Goldsmith’s 6 Question Coaching Process

In this episode of the Selling in Asia podcast, we are excited to have Dr Marshall Goldsmith. Marshall is an executive leadership coach and NYT Bestselling Author to discuss how leaders should coach their sales team. Join Tom and Marshall as they discuss the 6 question coaching process, what leaders need to do to help their team during these times of uncertainty. In addition to why coaching is more important now than ever before and when not to ‘empower’ your team. 

Also read: Sales Coaching Techniques – How Leaders Can Coach Their Sales Teams to Maximise Results

More about Dr. Marshal Goldsmith

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is a world-renowned business educator and coach and is the leading expert in his field. His singular ability to get results for top leaders has drawn over 150 CEOs and their management teams to address change in the workplace. 

Follow Marshall on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and learn more at MarshallGoldsmith.com

Marshall Goldsmith’s Six Daily Questions (Question Coaching Process)

All Businesses experience periods of rapid change, which is why Sales Leaders need to support their team regularly. It’s imperative to provide your team with more structure, not less.

To start, you’ll need to open up a regular dialogue with everyone you manage – utilising Marshall Goldsmith’s six daily questions coaching process; you’ll ensure the complete alignment of your team in terms of priorities, motivation and focus.

#1. Where are we going?

Opening up an honest dialogue can be challenging, so start with this “Bigger Picture” question. Consider touching on areas such as: “Where are we going as an organisation?” and “Where do you think we should be going?”.

#2. Where are you going?

Once you’ve opened up a dialogue with your team, it’s time to concentrate on connecting your priorities to their priorities. Again, aligning your team’s focus is imperative to success.

#3. What do you think you’re doing well?

Not only does this question serve as a platform for praise and due acknowledgement of your team’s hard work, but can be utilised using this question as a motivational cog.

#4. What ideas might you have for yourself?

Coaching client George Force, CEO of Toyota Financial Services stated that initially, he was sceptical about this question, assuming teams might give fluff answers such as “I work hard” or “I’m dedicated”. In actuality, he found that half the time, their ideas were better than his. It’s essential to use this question to extract ideas from your team. It’s possible that as a manager, you may never have thought of it before.

#5. How Can I Help?

Mutual Responsibility is an essential aspect of utilising these questions for success. Endeavour to consider that your team should be aware that you’ll need to ask these questions on an as-needed basis, which leads onto the last question.

#6. What ideas and suggestions do you have for me?

It’s crucial to feedforward, not focus so much on feedback. So, if at any time your team feels over-committed or confused, it’s a Mutual Responsibility to take steps to talk to their sales manager.

Final Thoughts

Consider the analogy of “The Golfer”. At any second in time, the salesperson needs to hit the ball in front of them. So what do they need to do? Block out the past, gain clarity and focus on strategy. Concentrate on hitting the ball in front of you.

Final Word: Address Real-World Scenarios with Personalised Support

Every salesperson is unique, as is every deal they work on. That’s why by implementing a consistent coaching program, sales teams and individual reps can get the support they need to close the deals in front of them.

SOCO’s Peak Performance Coaching program is designed to coach teams one-on-one or as a group to address real-world scenarios and unique challenges individual sales reps face.

Scroll to Top