I define High-Performance Sales Coaching as ‘succeeding in sales beyond standard norms consistently over the long-term.’ When I first started coaching salespeople, I defined HPSC differently. I originally set the bar for my clients to reach what I call Elite Salesperson status; that is, to be in the top 5% of salespeople in their company.

However, I soon realized that was not everyone's goal. Many were happy to be over-performers, earning much more than they were previously making but not having to be in the top 5%. Some were very happy and content professionally and personally, being in the top 10%. Still, many of those eventually moved into Elite status by consistently executing their newfound skills, habits, and abilities.

I have five goals for my clients with HPSC:

1. Have you focus on and only do those activities that will help you to win more opportunities.
2. Increase your level of Confidence and Instill Beliefs that produce better actions and results.
3. Reduce and ultimately eliminate the personal stress caused by quota attainment.
4. Maximize your income based on your compensation plan.
5. Identify your ideal selling environment (industry, company, position) and help you to attain your ultimate career goal and achieve your true income potential.

Most clients decide to engage with HPSC because they have become ‘stuck’ in some aspect of their sales career. They often know that they are capable of producing and being much more than the results they are getting. Still, they are either unsure of what they should be doing differently or have challenges with how to do things differently. Before any change can take place, we must first diagnose your current situation.

In order to make our time together as productive and beneficial as possible, I will have you complete a questionnaire and an introspective summary of your current situation. This will save time and provide me with your personal, situational assessment so I can dive into specifics sooner without you having to provide an informational background summary.

If you have completed a personality and/or preferences assessment such as MBTI, DISC, or HBDI, I will ask you to share those with me before our first meeting. If you have not completed any of these assessments, I will ask you to take the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) assessment. This is a widely used and reliable assessment for understanding your personality and personal preferences. Although I have been formally trained in MBTI administration and analysis, I am not a certified practitioner nor have any personal or financial interest in the company. It is simply to provide both of us with a better understanding of achieving the improvements you are after in the best way possible.

In addition to helping you attain the 5 goals for HPSC I listed above, I also strive to get some short-term ‘wins’. We will focus on the area(s) that we both agree would have the fastest and most impact on your success and confidence and put into place a specific action plan for you to implement right away. However, the more significant outcome of HPSC is to help each client reach higher performance in all areas of life.

Although almost everyone’s satisfaction in their professional life directly impacts their personal life, I have found that the sales profession is more important than most. Because we are constantly measured against quota attainment and our incomes are a direct result of our success, the sales profession has an even more profound effect on the quality of our personal lives.

One of the outcomes of HPSC is to have my clients increase their level of personal effectiveness in all aspects of their lives, which ultimately increases their level of confidence and self-worth and improves their relationships with those who are closest and most important in their lives.

After the first meeting together, which lasts 90 minutes, we will meet twice a month for an hour. Those times are scheduled two weeks in advance, preferably via video conference or, if necessary, by phone. Occasionally, sessions may occur in person based on travel schedules. I have found that having two meetings a month has been the right formula. It provides enough time to take action on short-term objectives. It provides the client with a reasonable timeframe for support on pressing issues – such as an important meeting with a prospect or their internal management.

The goal of HPSC is to help each client with every sales opportunity they will face. I have found that when we address the root cause of some of the challenges salespeople face on an ongoing basis, then the daily ‘surface issues’ take care of themselves. With that said, I will definitely work with someone who has an immediate need, but HPSC is not designed to be a specific account management advice forum or to have me serve as your sales manager.

My approach with clients is not to tell them that they ‘must do’ something but rather to help them recognize through self-realization the changes they need to make in the way they sell so they can improve. If someone is not achieving the desired results, we must first understand and assess why. Through that assessment, I will advise the client on what I believe to be the best approach to overcome any challenges they have that are preventing their success. If that advice goes against what they are being told by their management, then we will have an in-depth discussion to determine the best course of action for the client. However, ultimately, it is the client’s responsibility to be accountable for their actions.

I do my best to avoid this before we get started. I do not want to waste your time and money as much as I don’t want to waste mine. If you meet the requirements for HPSC and are pre-qualified, before signing a contract or paying any monies or deposits, we will have a video call to discuss your application, your goals and objectives, and my expectations of you.

These calls usually last 30 – 45 minutes and help us both understand each other and our communication styles. At the conclusion of these calls, I tell the client to take one to three days before making a decision to commit to HPSC. If, for any reason, they are uncomfortable with moving forward, they can email me to let me know.

I have found that between the application process and these calls, both the client and I have a very good understanding of our mutual expectations, and this formula has proven successful. Almost all of my clients have gone through one of my programs or were referred by another client, so they have a good understanding of my approach and communication style before beginning with HPSC.

There have been only two times where I have not moved forward with a client after these calls. One was the client’s decision; in the other, I did not think I was the right person to meet the client’s needs.

To apply for High-Performance Sales Coaching, you need to do the following:

1. Film a video of yourself explaining why you want to work with Michael one-on-one. It should be no longer than four (4) minutes. You can post the video anywhere online you want. You can shoot it on your phone, upload it to Dropbox, and send us the link, or post the video as unlisted on YouTube. The personal video is a mandatory requirement. If you won’t take the time to learn how to post a video online or are uncomfortable shooting a video of yourself, then HPSC is not for you.
2. Write a 1-page biography so we can get to know you. We are not looking for a resume here, just answering the question, ‘So tell me about yourself.’ And please, one page only.
3. Add another page to the same document as your biography. Write out the 5 – 10 questions you would want to ask Michael if he were your coach. Imagine you had 30 minutes to spend with Michael in person. What would be the most important questions that you would want answered?
4. Name your document using the following naming convention: HPSC-YourLastName-2024. (Microsoft Word or PDF only).
5. Email the link to your video and the 2-page document created from steps 2-3 above to [email protected] with the subject line: HPSC APPLICATION. If you were referred to us by one of Michael’s coaching clients or someone who has worked with Michael in the past, please include their name in your application.

You will receive a reply email within one business day acknowledging receipt of your application, and you will receive another email within five business days of receipt of your application regarding your acceptance status.

If you are accepted and decide to move forward after the initial conversation detailed in #6 above, we will sign a contract outlining the services you will receive and each other’s specific responsibilities during the engagement. The contract will include the confidentiality agreement referenced earlier. The initial contract term of the HPSC engagement is six months and must be paid in full 14 days before the first session together.

The cost for the initial term of six months is $6,500 (USD). At the end of the initial term, we will mutually assess your progress and determine if we should continue with HPSC and for how long.

There is no ‘right amount’ of time to get clients to achieve their goals. Most clients make tremendous progress during the initial term and decide they want to continue working together. They have been able to easily cost-justify their investment and like having the continued coaching, support, and accountability of HPSC because they are not receiving it from their company or other traditional sources. Some clients have decided to stop after the initial term but return later for more support.

On a personal note – I have no desire or motivation to work with anyone who is not benefitting from working with me. Although I love doing one-on-one coaching and seeing my clients succeed, grow, and achieve their goals – the money I receive in return is not the motivator or objective for me. HPSC is one small part of my overall business and is not a significant income source for me.

I will only work with individuals committed to transformation and personal growth. I was fortunate enough to have a mentor early in my career who took the time to help me develop and transform the way I sold. I believe I have the personal responsibility to give back to those in the sales profession with my time at a reasonable price point based on the value and return on investment received.

Obviously, I cannot ‘guarantee’ the results one receives or increases in individual performance one achieves through working with him. I will only work with individuals who have identified measurable performance gaps that I believe can be corrected and show the willingness and intrinsic desire to correct them.

As stated in #1, I have 5 Goals for all of my coaching clients, and how a client measures the impact of improvement is individual and subjective.

As stated, the overall goal for folks who go through HPSC is to increase their income, reduce their stress, have them work more productively and effectively in fewer hours, and ultimately create their ideal career. My clients have all believed that they have received far greater value in these areas than the cost they paid for the coaching.