Getting feedback from your sales manager can be scary. Especially if you struggle with a need for approval from others. But as they say, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions,” and like breakfast, get coaching and feedback everyday to take your sales career to the next level.

The more feedback you can get, and apply, the less of a surprise it will be, the less stressful it will be, and you will have more opportunities to change your behavior.

But what kind of feedback should you be asking for?

Most of us when asking for feedback will say things like “What do you think of it?” This kind of feedback is looking for validation and approval. Get your approval from your family, not your manager.

Ed Batista, at Stanford Graduate School of Business, did some research and found that people who asked for negative, or critical feedback (in other words- not looking for compliments) show more commitment to success, adapt more quickly to new roles, and get higher performance reviews.

Now, how do you ask for feedback that you can easily apply to change your behaviors?

First, know what you are looking for. Be specific in how you ask. For example, “How do you feel about how I opened this sales call- did the buyer seem eager to engage?” or “What questions did I miss during this discovery call?” and “How could I better manage my calendar to be more productive?”

Being specific will also help to keep feedback in manageable chunks. Too much information will overload you, and you won’t remember it- never mind be able to apply it in the real world.

Also ask your manager for examples when the feedback seems vague. If your manager says “You need to be more assertive in the close” ask “Can you tell more? How would that sound, or what would that look like to you?”

And if your manager, or your peers, can’t or won’t give you feedback- that is why we have our recordings from the Live Sales Labs available to watch now!