On a recent episode of The Sales Hunter Podcast, Mark sat down with Keith Rosen, author of Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions, to dig into what’s really holding back CRM adoption in sales teams—and how the right coaching transforms scattered activity into real revenue results.
The Leadership Problem Behind CRM Struggles
It’s easy to tell salespeople to use the CRM, but that doesn’t mean they’ll actually do it, or do it well. Keith Rosen didn’t hold back on why so many CRM rollouts fail: “The reflection of every organization and every team is the leader. How the team shows up is a reflection of the leader, whether they like it or not, strengths and weaknesses.”
Most sales teams hit a wall because their leadership isn’t coach-driven. When leaders replace real coaching with urgency and pressure, the CRM becomes just another burden resulting in low adoption, missed priorities, and growing disengagement.
Coaching Is Not Telling
One of the biggest misconceptions in sales leadership is mistaking coaching for telling. Too many managers believe, “I told them what to do. I coach, I told them what to do. They didn’t do it. It’s their fault.” That mindset kills CRM adoption right out of the gate.
Sustainable change happens when managers lead with questions instead of directives, building self-reliant teams instead of dependent ones. “Coaching is a language. It’s how you show up, it’s how you communicate, and it’s how the best leaders are leading with questions rather than directive answers.”
Creating the Desire to Change
A CRM is only as powerful as the people who use it. For adoption to stick, salespeople have to want to embrace new behaviors. Keith put it simply: “As long as someone has a desire to change for the better, they’re coachable.” The best managers know how to uncover what really motivates their team—beyond just telling them to log more data.
This means moving from “should-based goals” (like hitting a number for its own sake) to value-based goals that align with personal motivations, whether that’s making an impact, seeking adventure, or building connections.
Coach Language for Everyday Conversations
Many managers say they don’t have time to coach, but the reality is that every conversation is a chance to coach. It comes down to a shift in language and mindset. Instead of jumping straight to answers, Keith advocates for asking, “What’s your opinion on how to resolve this or achieve your goals?” That simple question honors the salesperson’s judgment, builds trust and confidence, and fosters true engagement.
He summed up the approach: “If managers have time to ask a question, they have time to be directive, but they don’t have time to coach. Wait a second. Time is the only constant; you’re either giving an answer and being directive, or you coach them and it might take literally just a few extra minutes.”
Enrollment, Not Enforcement
Treating CRM adoption as a mandate almost always backfires. The best practice? Enrollment. That means clearly communicating three things:
- What’s being done (the CRM initiative itself)
- Why it matters (how it ties into team and individual goals)
- What’s in it for the salesperson (personal benefit and growth opportunity)
Every rep is tuned to “What’s in it for me?” When leaders connect CRM usage directly to a rep’s own vision and values, buy-in skyrockets.
Repairing Trust and Resetting Relationships
Inevitably, conversations about CRM compliance can become tense. The best managers use those moments to reset and rebuild. As Keith advises, “That’s why I would love to hit the reset button on that conversation so that you can get what you need and we can redesign our relationship in a way that will be valuable for you and for us to collaborate.”
Humility and authenticity go a long way in building a team culture where CRM adoption isn’t a chore, but a shared mission.
Key Takeaways for Better CRM Adoption
- Coaching isn’t a one-off event. It’s a language, practiced in every interaction.
- Move past compliance and tap into personal motivation. Help salespeople see CRM as a tool for their success.
- Use every conversation as a coaching opportunity. A quick “what’s your opinion?” can make all the difference.
- Communicate not just what will change, but why, and how it benefits the individual.
As Keith puts it: “If you weave that language in, you’re acknowledging them…you trust their judgment. That’s going to build trust and confidence in them.”
CRM adoption isn’t just a systems problem, it’s a leadership challenge. Transform how you coach, and you’ll transform your team’s results.
Mark Hunter :
How do you coach a salesperson into being a sales champion? Now? Okay, it’s easy to say that term. It’s easy to say that, but how do you really do it? With me today as the author of the book, telling you, showing you how to do just that, Keith Rosen, why am I talking? Let’s get the show going.
Keith Rosen :
Right now you’re listening to the Sales Hunter podcast with Mark Hunter, where the focus is to help you as a salesman sell with confidence and integrity. And now here’s your host.
Mark Hunter :
If you’re going to coach a salesperson into being a sales champion, you might as well go to the source. Let’s go to the author of the book, Keith Rosen. Welcome to the podcast.
Keith Rosen :
Thanks for having me, Mark.
Mark Hunter :
Let’s dive right into it. Cut to the chase. Can salespeople truly become sales champions?
Keith Rosen :
Short answer.
Mark Hunter :
Yes, that was, that was a pretty easy question, wasn’t it?
Keith Rosen :
Yeah, but of course there’s a caveat to that, right?
Mark Hunter :
Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I’m gonna get you. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. What, what, what’s the angle? What, why, why aren’t more. I mean, again, we were talking in the green room, the number of, percentage of people, percentage of salespeople that don’t make quota. So again, there’s this need out there, We’ve all seen this need, but we just can’t get salespeople to that next level.
Mark Hunter :
Is the problem with salespeople or is the problem with their boss?
Keith Rosen :
Well, avalanches roll downhill, as you know, and the reflection of every organization and every team is the leader. You know, how the team shows up is a reflection of the leader, whether they like it or not, strengths and weaknesses. So, you know, just getting back to your point. Yeah, it’s scary out there. I mean, what was it in, in just in the first quarter alone, only 44% of salespeople hit quota. Last year, 84% of salespeople miss quota. And where does it come down to, to your point, it comes down to the leader. The leader shapes the culture, the leader shapes the environment.
Keith Rosen :
And what’s really sad out there, as much as you and I have been preaching this message for 20, 30, maybe 50 years, 60 years for you. I don’t know, maybe.
Mark Hunter :
Hold it, hold it.
Keith Rosen :
Well, what’s amazing is that it has been documented time and time again that great coaching and increasing coaching performance and increased 6x and only 18% of managers are developing self reliant teams. So what’s missing is clearly coaching and especially today, companies and leaders are replacing leadership with urgency.
Mark Hunter :
Oh, wow. You just. You just called out about three elephants in the room. This whole urgency thing, because people say, oh, if. If I had time to coach, I would, but I got to take care of problem right now. We hear that all the time. But I want to come back to something. But that this drives me nuts.
Mark Hunter :
Coaching is not telling. Coaching is not telling. So many managers, well, I told them what to do. I told them what to do. I coach, I told them what to do. They didn’t do it. It’s their fault. No, no, no, no.
Mark Hunter :
Walk us through. What does a good coaching process look like?
Keith Rosen :
Well, you know, if we segue back to the. To. The first question is, can you coach salespeople into sales champions? There’s only two things that need to be present for this to happen. Number one, And I write about this in my first book, but I simplify it in my second book here, my second edition. And very simply, when managers and leaders ask me, keith, I’m struggling coaching this one person. Other people are coachable. It comes down to one thing. As long as someone has a desire to change for the better, they’re coachable.
Keith Rosen :
Sometimes for managers, it’s really evident when people can come to you and say, hey, Mr. And Mrs. Manager, I want to grow. I want you to coach me. Great. But what about the person that might be a little more resistant or reluctant may take a little more effort to uncover those opportunities where they truly want to excel? And of course, even if you find the people that are truly coachable, nothing is going to change if the leader is not truly speaking what I call coach, which is the language of leadership, which I always, you know, chuckle inside when managers tell me, oh, Keith, I don’t have time for coaching. That’s like saying, keith, I don’t have time for breathing. Okay? Coaching is a language.
Keith Rosen :
It’s like if you and I were speaking Italian or German or French, we’re speaking coach. We’re speaking leadership. And what managers really need to digest mentally is, this is not something you do to someone. It’s how you show up, it’s how you communicate, and it’s how the best leaders are leading with questions rather than directive answers.
Mark Hunter :
Okay, there’s two things that you shared there that I want to unpack. We’ll get to them one at a time here. One is this coach language, but two is this other thing. And I totally agree. The salesperson has to have a desire to want to be coached. Now, can I, as a sales, manager, sales leader, instill in you the desire to Be coached, or is this just something that you got to bring to the table? And you know what? If you don’t have it, we’re out of luck.
Keith Rosen :
I find that there are, unfortunately, a lot of managers out there that are making the mistake of letting good people go, which aren’t a function of the person, but a function of their leadership.
Mark Hunter :
Ooh, that’s an ugly comment, but so true.
Keith Rosen :
Hey, listen, you and I, we’re not paid to be popular, right? We’re paid to tell the truth, you know, and that’s just how it is. And. And, you know, when you’re looking at a coaching model, most. Most companies don’t have one. I mean, I’ve had the pleasure of working, you know, on 76 countries and six continents. And guess what? Companies are different, industries are different, roles are different. People say the same doesn’t matter where you are or whether the culture of the company or the geographic culture, you know, and this has been a global epidemic for years, and it’s only getting worse because the less leaders are leading with leadership and coaching, and the more they’re leading with pressure and urgency. All that’s creating is unfocused, missed priorities, chaos, fear, and a waning sense of confidence.
Keith Rosen :
And to your point, can you uncover that opportunity? Can you uncover that sense of this person? Wait a second. They didn’t even really know they wanted to be coach? Yes, for three reasons. Number one, most people, and I love to be challenged by this in the world, do not have three things that will help them create the great life they want. Number one, a personal vision. Number two, their priorities and core values. And number three, clearly defined goals, which then bleed into a daily routine which reflects not only what you need to achieve in business and your career, but in your life. So if I’m speaking to someone and they say, you know, I don’t know what I want to be coached on, I don’t really see where I can get value. A lot of times it’s because they don’t even know what motivates them.
Keith Rosen :
They don’t know their core values. And it’s hard to be fully expressed if you don’t know who you are and how you want to show up most. You know, I’m sure we share many of the core values. Similar. But just as a few examples, what are my core values? Connection, adventure, extreme self care, making an impact, Love, family. These are the things that I value and cherish most. And I know that if I had a coach coaching me on that and uncovering my core values and Saying, wow, what are some of now the goals that you can wrap around your core values that would inspire you to achieve, not feel like you’re being pushed to achieve. Oh, well, now we’re creating value based goals more.
Keith Rosen :
We’re not creating what I call should based goals. And if my New York accent came out, S H O U L D.
Mark Hunter :
Okay, I love that because one of the value based is not I want to make my number. I want to make my number. And I love it. He is. For those of you watching the audio, he is shaking his head no. Because I, I, I got this theory. Nobody, no manager can motivate their people. All you can do is create an environment for people to motivate themselves.
Mark Hunter :
Okay, that’s flat out. So this whole thing that if they’re not desirable to be coaching, what do I as a manager, what should I do
Keith Rosen :
in my experience, and again, hundreds of thousands of leaders and salespeople globally, I do find the majority of people do want to be coached. They do want to be supported, they do want to grow. They want to be part of an organization. I mean, just look at the core values and priorities that people can search online. They want to be part of an organization that’s no longer the biggest and maybe the best. They want to be with an organization where it’s making the biggest impact in our culture, in our world, in our society. People today, young, young people, even the older generations, they want to wake up with a sense of purpose. Especially when, I mean our lives are living in this hybrid world with, with technology moving at the speed of light that we’re trying to continually, to cap, catch up on rather than get ahead at.
Keith Rosen :
So that’s why we’re living in this reactive state, you know, compound all this. And this is why it’s such a struggle for leaders and salespeople to perform. Because managers on a good day haven’t been taught how to coach face to face. Compound that with remote hybrid teams cross team selling and now coaching remotely. That’s what, that’s why the level of disengagement keeps rising and companies are saying, oh well, we know what’s going on, but why isn’t anyone saying okay, why is this going on? And now let’s address this so we can make a difference. Wow,
Mark Hunter :
there’s a lot there that you shared. I want to come back to this other piece. So you said coach language and that’s kind of a cool term. Share with us, what does coach language look like and how should we apply that? How should we use it?
Keith Rosen :
I’LL be on the court with, with One thing that I’ve noticed especially today,
Mark Hunter :
and
Keith Rosen :
I have yet to run into again, you know, a manager who hasn’t had a strained relationship or a conversation that didn’t really go the way they want it, or here’s a shocker. I don’t suppose companies have any department silos these days, right? That, that, that. I don’t ever hear about that anymore. Right. So, so again, these things, I speak to leaders and it’s like, well, that’s just how it is. Well, wait a second, we’re coaches, we don’t play. And then that’s just how it is. We play in the.
Keith Rosen :
I don’t care how it is now let’s create a new possibility that’s going to be better. You know, I was in Vegas a few weeks ago in the sphere and you know, I was talking to my buddy about it and things like that. I mean, other than music being a core value, but just, you know, innovation being another core value and technology and you know, I’m out there looking at it and I’m inside looking at it and other than the experience, the marvel of what they created is mind blowing. So I was thinking to my friend and talking, I’m like, you know, what’s really cool about, about this group of people probably sat around and said, what would be the ultimate experience that we could create that we don’t think we can? And everyone started writing it down and they created this incredible list and they said, well, that’s what we’re creating. You know, there’s a difference between change and innovation. Companies can change all day. They could change how they sell, but are they really innovating? Are they really staying ahead of what they know is coming Next? You know, 56% of salespeople and 72% of of managers are using, you know, some, some AI product out there. Are they being trained how to use it or are they being trained how to replace it? Is it a tool or are they relying on that to do their job more? And I think that’s where, you know, there’s going to be an evolution if.
Keith Rosen :
And I think probably it’s, it’s happening now. The companies that are going to have the greatest success in integrating AI and new technology are not the ones that integrated first. The companies that are going to have the most success integrating technology and AI are the ones that figure out how to coach to it because managers don’t know how to coach to the things that they need to today. You said before, how do you Coach motivation? How do you coach time management? How do you coach people around leveraging AI? And even back to your point, and I know I’m kind of going on a little rift here, I want to circle back to your point about the language of leadership. This really does beeline back to that. And one of the things that I write about in my book is the art of enrollment. How do leaders kickstart and ignite conversations that they might perceive as critical or difficult and always come out with a positive new outcome? Well, you’re not going to do it by playing the power card and saying, hey, Mark, listen, got a minute? Oh, for you, boss, I got nothing but time. It’s not like I was sitting here doing nothing.
Keith Rosen :
No, it’s more about being conscious with your language, not just being strategic. You know, show me a leader who’s not strategic. It’s about being a strategic communicator. So it’s not just about when you’re initiating change or need to approach someone and have a critical conversation. It’s not, you know, hey, here’s what’s going on and we need to fix it. Because that’s not building trust and engagement. It’s, here’s what we’re doing, here’s why we’re doing it, and here’s what’s in it for you. Managers are really good at sharing what we’re doing.
Keith Rosen :
Well, we’re changing our comp plan, we’re changing our sales structure, we’re changing our sales process. Well, that’s what we’re doing. Okay, but every single person is tuned into wiifm. What’s in it for me? And that, to me, really goes back to a couple of things. Number one, how do you inspire? How do you ignite motivation? Real simple. Uncover people’s motivations and personal goals and then align them with business objectives. Now, the person could see, wait a second, if I achieve this at work, I achieve this personally. Now there’s a shared goal, a shared vision, a shared, you know, guiding light that people are now following collectively and, you know, to build on that.
Keith Rosen :
A lot of clients, and especially today, they’re struggling with, you know, communication, whether it’s externally or internally, and the language of. Of. Of leadership. And, you know, managers come to me with these complex problems, and of course, our job is to simplify them. And sometimes it’s just a conversation. In fact, most of the time it’s a conversation. So when. When a manager comes to me and says, you know, I got into an argument with, you know, another department, you know, we’re Button heads.
Keith Rosen :
Why are we butting heads? Because no one’s respecting the other person’s agenda and point of view. So people don’t think, oh, I don’t have a second chance for a first impression. No, no, no, no, no. When you’re enrolling, you always have a second chance for a first impression. And that could sound like this. If you and I, Mark, and of course I’m making this up, had a bad conversation or didn’t go the way we wanted, I would take the initiative and say, hey, Mark, you know what? What I want for you is for you to be able to achieve your goals and for me to be a great resource for you. And quite frankly, I think I owe you an apology. I know that the last conversation, it did not go the way we both wanted, and for that I apologize.
Keith Rosen :
That’s why I would love to hit the reset button on that conversation so that you can get what you need and we can redesign our relationship in a way that will be valuable for you and for us to collaborate in a way where we both can reach our goals. Are you open to that? Who’s going to say no to that? If you come from a place of deep authenticity, no one’s going to say no. So, you know, it’s always like, well, Keith, I can’t sell. Well, Keith, I can’t build trust. Well, Keith, I can’t build confidence. Well, it’s like me saying, here’s a spoon. Dig a hundred foot hole. You’re using the wrong tools.
Mark Hunter :
Okay. Wow. Okay. There’s a lot there that you unpack, because just to have that conversation requires a sense of humility, which is something a lot of managers unfortunately don’t have. But on the, on the receiver end, wow, they’re going to see you as being authentic. And as a result, then every conversation you have going forward, they’re going to be receiving with that much more acceptance. But I want to come back to those three things that you said. Here’s what we need to do, here’s why we need to do it, and here’s how it’s going to impact you.
Mark Hunter :
Do you kind of frame that up as that’s coach speak?
Keith Rosen :
I would say that that would be enrollment, for example. Even if someone may be reluctant to be coached, let’s face it, if they were working at another job and the person was coached, and now they’re coming to you as a leader and they don’t want to be coached, I’m not, I’m not one to make assumptions because assumptions kill. But there’s a strong chance that that person is carrying baggage from their other past manager and bringing it to you, taking their face and putting it right on you. And you could be the best leader in the world. So an example here could be, as a leader, I’m sensing something. I could wait this in person’s entire career for them to address it or I have to bring it up. What’s a way I could bring this up that would demonstrate my support for them while being open in what we have to discuss and the benefit for them? So that’s enrollment now coaching. Coaching.
Keith Rosen :
When managers come to, to, to you, which you know is basically their entire day. That’s why I always, like I said earlier, you know, if managers have time to ask a question mark, they have time to give an answer. They have time to be directive, but they don’t have time to coach. Wait a second. Time is the only constant. You’re either giving an answer and being directive, and you’ll be doing that for the rest of that person’s career because you can’t scale dependency. Or you coach them and it might take literally just a few extra minutes. And what do you do? You honor their line of thinking, you honor their skills, you honor their beliefs, you honor their opinion.
Keith Rosen :
What do you think that’s going to do to their confidence? What do you think that’s going to do to the trust between you and them? Conversely, what managers don’t realize is while they think they’re doing their directs a favor by giving them the answer, what they don’t see is that person leaving saying, gee, I guess my manager doesn’t trust me. Why did they have to give me the answer? I guess they don’t have confidence in me. And what do you think that’s going to do to their level of confidence and disengagement? So you’re, you’re talking about languaging and then, you know, shifting into, you know, when, which is most of the time every day. Hey, boss, I need your help. I need your help. I need your help. Okay, well, what’s a better way to respond to that than just giving the answer? Managers say they help. No.
Keith Rosen :
No time to coach because they’re spending most of their time putting out fires. Well, here’s a one minute strategy, Mark. Do we have one minute to share to all these leaders a strategy that they could use every day in every conversation to coach? Okay, I’ll make it 30 seconds. Here we go. Someone direct report comes to me, okay, I have a choice. I could react and I could say, okay, I’VE been in their position. I know what to do. Okay? When I was in your shoes, this is what I did.
Keith Rosen :
So you should do it, too. I E one of the worst toxic coaching habits, coaching and managing in your own image. Or I could take a step back and say, you want to know what? Happy to share my opinion with you. However, you’re a lot closer to this than I am and I trust you and I trust your judgment. So what’s your opinion on how to resolve this or achieve your goals? That’s less than 30 seconds. And managers, what they’re doing there. And I got, quite frankly, so tired of hearing managers tell me it takes too long to coach. So I created this.
Keith Rosen :
If you weave that language in, you’re acknowledging them, you’re acknowledging their position in the situation, you’re acknowledging you trust them and you trust their judgment. That’s going to build trust and confidence in them. And again, noticing the precision of coaching, just like a language, every word counts. I didn’t ask what’s your answer. I didn’t ask what’s your solution. I didn’t ask what’s your strategy. I asked what your opinion was. Because opinions are not right or wrong, they just are.
Keith Rosen :
And everyone has an opinion, which is why they can’t respond with, well, I don’t know. You don’t have an opinion. So I encourage every manager to use that daily. And it will.
Mark Hunter :
It would.
Keith Rosen :
Literally, it’s a game changer. Just that alone.
Mark Hunter :
That is a great way to end the show. We’ve been talking today with Keith Rose. He’s the author of the book Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions. New version is out, new edition is out now. And like you said, like, 80% of it’s new from the first one. So even if you got the first one, you got to get the second one. Keith, how do people get in touch with you?
Keith Rosen :
Oh, they could go out and reach out to me anytime on my website, keithrosen.com and of course, they could ping me via email. Keith riethrosen.com of course, certainly. Let’s make sure we’re all connected on LinkedIn and make sure that I’m a resource for you because especially now with my new book being released. Tons of free resources that I’m sharing.
Mark Hunter :
I tell you what, he is a gift to the sales world. And it is. Coaching is, I think, the untapped secret to really success in sales. You’ve been listening to the Sales Hunter podcast. Two episodes a week, one like this, where we do a deep dive with a subject matter expert. I’d say Keith Rosen certainly qualifies. There second episode is just me with a single topic where I dive deep. Hey, why do we do the show? It’s to help you see and achieve what you didn’t think was possible.
Mark Hunter :
Do me a favor. After you’ve picked up Steve’s new book, you know, I want I. Steve, what did I say? Steve. I’m thinking of Steve Rosen, who wrote the book Focused. I’m sorry.
Keith Rosen :
He just came out with another book. I was talking to him the other day.
Mark Hunter :
Yeah, you’re right. I was. I had him on the podcast, too. Keith. This is Keith Rosen.
Keith Rosen :
You know what? Let’s wait a second. Let’s give Steve a shameless plug for his new book as well.
Mark Hunter :
We will give him a shameless plug for his new book Focused. And with that, I won’t even mention my book integrity first selling. So, Keith, thank you so much for being on the show today. My name is Mark Hunter of the Sales Hunter. See you on the next episode.
Keith Rosen :
Keep safe.
