92 Another certain truth: just because some- one passes a written test does not mean they drive well. So we practiced. A lot. And not all of the practicing was done with me. The girls also signed up for 11 structured drive times with a trained instructor who guides them through increasingly more difficult lessons with imme- diate detailed feedback so they became more skilled and confident on the road. Through the entire process, I was continually struck by the unbeatable value that we pro- vide others when we join them as they learn. In sales we often call this “in-field coaching” and there are many strong correlations be- tween my recent experience coaching on the road and what sales managers do on the job each day. Here are three correlations that come to mind right away: • I can’t drive for them and expect them to learn (even though I’m pretty good). They have to do more than just sit back and watch to be able to skillfully do it them- selves. • As a coach, it’s not enough to just sit in the passenger seat. If I don’t give them clear and immediate feedback on what they did right and what they could have done bet- ter (or ask them to evaluate how they are doing themselves) they will never improve. • Sending them out on the road to figure it out on their own just doesn’t work. Can you imagine learning to drive in traffic, on highways, with pressure all around you with- out an instructor in the passenger seat pro- viding coaching and feedback? Never. And we shouldn’t expect that of our salespeople. We expect greatness from our salespeople and our salespeople expect greatness from them- selves. If we leave their passenger seat emp- ty too often, they lack the feedback on what they did right and what they can improve to achieve that greatness. Whether you already practice in-field coach- ing and want to improve or you haven’t done much of it yet, these 8 steps to great in-field coaching will get you on the road. Follow these 8 steps to improve your in-field coaching today! 1. No sneak attacks. Schedule time in the field with each of your salespeople in advance—weeks in advance. And, stick to your schedule. 2. Be the coach. When you are in-field with a salesperson, re- member you are there to coach. Resist the temptation to jump in and sell. 3. Prepare in advance. Ask the seller to define the goal of the call for you—before you show up. 4. Take lots of notes. And make sure those notes are about the per- formance of the seller—not about the client. The salesperson should be handling that. 5. Give immediate feedback. Schedule time right after the call, while it is still fresh in your mind, to discuss their per- formance.