Request (actually require) that the field salesperson provide you with a call plan for the day you are to be with her. Not just who the customer is, but why the call is being made. This should be accompanied with a brief historical perspective of each of the account’s activities and the relationship with your organization, including any customer personality issues you will need to be aware of. Ask the salesperson to make sure that his calls are a mixture of established customers, at various stages of the sales process, and new prospects, where the door is still to be opened fully.

During your preliminary discussions, establish a non-disruptive communications signal that will let you know when the salesperson would like you to jump into the conversation and will let the salesperson know when you feel you have something to add. There are silent signals such as crossing of the legs or a shift of the briefcase, as well as verbal indicators such as commenting on how interesting a subject is or a straight-out request for the other’s involvement. This is just to smooth the baton hand-off in the most professional way.

While still in the relaxed preliminary morning talks, show the salesperson the evaluation forms you’ll be using during the day so he can understand your focus.

One final note regarding the early morning planning activity. Reach agreement on how you will be introduced when first meeting the customers, and how your role during the day will be explained. There is probably a clear understanding between you and the salesperson, but every once in a while it can create confusion or hesitation in the customer’s mind. You might, for example, inform the customer that you are field riding with the salesperson to collect market intelligence about the changing use of technology.

Coach on the particular skill set immediately after each call. Don’t wait until lunch or the end of the day. Work with your personnel while the events are still fresh in his mind and when he can best prepare for changed behavior at the next call.

At the end of the day, or days, spend a few moments providing the salesperson with your overall impressions of his skills. Remember to be positive before you criticize. Also, let him know what will follow. Let him know how you will document the day’s activities and when you would like to ride along with him again.

When you return to the office, transfer your notes onto a formal evaluation form. Put a copy in the salesperson’s personnel file and send him a copy of it.

Before you ride along with him again, always review your previous records so you have a benchmark to measure performance growth.

Never interrupt or correct the salesperson in front of the customer unless she has just given life-threatening information, as in the pharmaceutical and medical industries where a situation needs to be corrected immediately. I know this might be hard, but if you interrupt or correct her, her credibility is diminished and it will make it hard for her on future solo calls. Also, the customer will have a tendency to migrate to the highest expertise level they can in your selling organizations, resulting in your getting all the direct inquiry calls that should have been handled by your salespeople. If your team member makes a mistake, part of the learning process is to develop skills at correcting errors made in the field. This is a skill you can coach well on, since you probably remember when you made errors and what you had to do to fix the problem.

Never avoid documentation! This is an important function of your role and will have ramifications for all concerned. Take notes, transfer them to formal evaluation forms, and store the information away for future reference when you might be called upon to make another field visit or promote, counsel, or dismiss the salesperson.