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How do we know that what we do works?

I am just reading an interesting book: “Spin Sales” by Neil Rackham. Apart from the selling techniques he talks about, I was impressed with how much energy he seems to have put into researching “what works in a sales conversation”. Is this something SF practitioners or coaches in general have overlooked? There must be a lot of research into the efficacy of sales conversations (because that is what will make money — so you spend money researching it).

The difference that I can see is that sales conversations might be seen to have a definite binary outcome: the prospect buys or does not buy whereas in coaching that might be different. So it might be easier to define whether a sales call was effective or not than a coaching session. On the other hand, even if you do not sell at this moment, you might have given a good impression, opened the door for a future sales call — that could be a parallel to the fact that sometimes in coaching the client will not perceive the usefulness of the coaching until weeks later.

In “Spin Sales” Rackham describes a very simple research set-up: Record or observe the sales calls of successful and not so successful sales people and compare (and of course, in sales, you have the numbers that will show you who is successful and who is not). Could one do something similar in coaching? Record coaching conversations, let the coachee scale how useful they thought this conversation was after the conversation and 3 weeks later and then look at what the more successful coaches did in comparison to what the not so successful coaches did (maybe by way of Microanalysis)? And then … who would fund this kind of research (maybe http://www.asfct.org when we have enough members)?

I am very interested in your views!

Kirsten

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3 Antworten auf “How do we know that what we do works?”

  1. Coert Visser sagt:
    13.7.2009 bei 15:17

    Hi Kirsten, Interesting post. I agree that this is comparable and relevant for SF-practitioners. In fact, I think Steve, Insoo, Eve, Wally and all the others of the BFTC have informally done something comparable. They very detailedly and carefully monitored and discussed what happened in all of their conversations with clients. They were looking for things that worked. Of course, they never forgot the fact that there are unique elements in each individual therapy conversation but they also recognized that there was an element of generalizability. They found patterns which work across therapy sessions. From these patterns emerged interventions like scaling questions, miracle question, coping questions, usefulness questions, etc. Also, they were even able to identify formal and semi-formal algorithms which often proved useful. Watching systematically what works over conversations is useful (while always being aware of the unique aspects of each following conversations, of course). You point at an important factor, namely: how do we know when something has worked? What criterion do we use? There are several parameters to take into account: who determines what works: client? therapist? others? some combination?, When is it determined: right away during the conversation?, in next conversations? Soon after the process has been terminated? Long after it has been terminated?, What measures are used: direct verbal reports? observational measures? various objective measures of well being? some combination?
    best wishes,
    Coert
    www.solutionfocusedchange.com

  2. Twitted by KirstenDierolf sagt:
    15.7.2009 bei 03:54

    […] This post was Twitted by KirstenDierolf […]

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