The Impact of Listening and Questioning Coaching Skills on Salespeople’s Performance: An Exploratory Action Research in a Multinational Organisation

Abstract

Employees are the major assets in an organisation. The development of employees is a must for organisational survival, differentiation and success. The training selection process is crucial to be aligned with organisational goals and objectives. The literature indicates that listening is one of the most important skill that salespeople need to have. Moreover, Comer and Drollinger (1999), state that very little research addressed the effectiveness of salespeople's listening. Therefore, the researcher conducted a listening skills training intervention in the multinational organisation under study considering the importance of listening skills on salespeople’s sales performance. The aim of the research is to explore the relationship between the listening skills (sensing, processing and responding) on salespeople’s sales performance. In addition, the research evaluates the impact of the learning intervention (training) on salesperson’s listening skills, questioning skills and sales performance as a result of the training implemented by the researcher in the multinational organisation.

The research is trying to find answers for the following research questions:

RQ1: Are salesperson listening skills positively related to sales performance?

A. Is sensing positively related to sales performance?

B. Is processing positively related to sales performance?

C. Is responding positively related to sales performance?

D. Is overall perception of listening positively related to sales performance?

RQ2: Can training improve listening skills to impact sales performance?

A. Can training improve listening skills?

B. Can training improve sales performance?

The research was conducted in a Dubai based multinational organisation serving science. The participants of the research project were salespersons who were invited to attend a training session on listening skills and voluntary participated in the research. The total number of participants who attended the training sessions and participated in the project were seventeen employees. Participants were not selected from a larger population; therefore, the research is considered a case study which has ‘its own right, not as a sample from a population’ (Robson, 1999) (cited in Smith 2015).

Three data collection methods were used in the research carried out in the Dubai based multinational organisation. Initially, the researcher used a focus group to determine the training needs of salespeople in the organisation understudy. The identification of the training needs analysis was followed by a training intervention on listening skills. Consequently, two data collection methods were used to measure the relationships of listening skills (sensing, processing & responding) to sales performance; and the impact of the training intervention on salespeople listening skills and sales performance. A questionnaire (survey) was administered immediately after the training sessions to answer RQ1, specifically to measure the relationship (correlation) of listening skills to sales performance, across sensing, processing, responding, and overall perception of listening. A follow-up interview was carried with few participants two weeks after the training session(s) allowing the salespersons enough time to meet customers and practice the skills learned and acquired on the training. The interviews aimed at measuring RQ2, specifically the effect of the training on salespersons’ listening skills and the impact of the listening skills training on sales performance.

The research outcome does not support the research question (RQ1.A) ‘Is sensing positively related to sales performance?’. Moreover, the research findings do not support the research question (RQ1.B) ‘Is processing positively related to sales performance?’ However, the research finding supports the research Question (RQ1.C) ‘Is responding positively related to sales performance?’ In addition, the research findings do not support the research question: ‘Is overall perception of listening positively related to sales performance?’

On the other hand, the research findings indicate that the training intervention had a positive impact on the trainees. The participants (trainees) benefited from the training intervention which improved their overall listening skills and their three (3) listening skills dimensions: sensing, processing and responding. The research findings support our research question (RQ2.A) ‘Can training improve listening skills?’

Moreover, the training initiatives on listening skills had a positive impact on trainees’ sales performance. The listening skills training helped trainees in handling sales objections and sales closing. Additionally, the listening skills training had a positive impact on the trainees’ sales presentation skills, helped the trainees to convert new prospects to new customers and improved the trainees’ overall sales performance. The research findings support our research question (RQ2.B) ‘Can training improve sales performance?’

The findings of the research carried out in the Dubai based multinational organisation indicate that training improves listening skills. Additionally, training has a positive impact on overall salesperson’s sales performance. Therefore, investment of organisations in the development and advancement of their sales force soft skills will be a stepping stone for organisational survival, differentiation and success in a highly competitive business environment.

Keywords: Training, Coaching, Listening Skills, Performance

JEL Classification: M53, M50, O15