We read a lot of information and articles about the importance of sales managers being great sales coaches and the impact of coaching on sales results and salespeople’s effectiveness.

Like anything, being a great sales coach requires practice, tools, resources and consistent effort. Yes, some sales managers will be naturally inclined to be great coaches while others will have to work on finessing their approach and skills for successful coaching.

Coaching, and specifically sales coaching, has many benefits for both the coach and coachee; from the obvious improvement in performance to the actual effect on our physical and psychological well-being. Yes, if you coach well you will actually feel better overall.

However, one ingredient that is never spoken about is how coachable is the coach.

I have come to understand the power of coaching first-hand as a coach. I also realise that while being coached adds to my personal and professional effectiveness, it also makes me a more effective coach. Why?

If we are open to learning, open to being coached, wanting to improve, then this will show in our coaching of others. It sets the tone, the scene, the vibe if you will. People know that we love learning and love helping others learn and that is infectious.

Being coached also gives us insight into how others coach – good and bad – and we can take lessons, techniques, tools and stories from our being coached into our own coaching.

I learn a lot from being coached at field hockey, swimming training, theatre. I learn a lot from being coached by my team. We all coach each other depending on the topic. It’s a coaching rich environment and it’s very enriching.

We can learn from so many people, being open to how they communicate an idea, tell a story, show the way and so on.

Sales Managers, when was the last time you were coached? How did it make you feel? How did you find yourself responding to coaching?

Never forget to be open to being coached, it makes us better coaches.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Sue Barrett is the founder and CEO of the innovative and forward-thinking sales advisory and education firm, Barrett and the online sales education & resource platform www.salesessentials.com.