The keys to a great sales team at your organization
A great sales operation is the key to growth and profitability. While oftentimes it's a role looked at individually, it's important to look at your sales team as that - a team.
Below are qualities to look for in individuals to make sure you have the right people in place for a great sales organization.
• Salespeople who work as a team. There's a reason it's called a sales team, but too often in organizations, salespeople are pitted against one another and work in silos. The secret to great sales functions is hiring salespeople who will not only exceed their own metrics, but who push others to do the same. They aren't managers, but top performers who bring together peers regardless of tenure and motivate them. A good team also holds each other accountable and calls one another out if someone could be doing better or more. They understand that the sum is greater than the parts.
• Salespeople who are vulnerable. Vulnerable salespeople aren't scared to share their losses and learns. They share with their peers when they've screwed up, to not only help build trust among the team, but more importantly so they don't repeat it. They want others to learn from their shortcomings and mistakes to help shorten the learning curve so they can execute at a quicker pace and achieve more. On the client side, vulnerable salespeople are asking clients for the bad news. They want to know where they are falling short so they can course-correct. It's not easy to hear what you're doing wrong, but having this trait allows you to save a client relationship.
• Salespeople who take time to think. Sales is a very metrics-driven environment, but that doesn't mean salespeople shouldn't take the time to reflect and evaluate their processes/strategies, big wins and losses. Professionals who reflect on their days are quicker to pivot when something's not working to get the results they want. If they missed a year goal, they reflect on what didn't work (hopefully they're reflecting more often than year to actually hit their goal!) If they hit a goal, they reflect on what made them successful and what tweak they can make the next time around to achieve more. They reflect on why they didn't hit their goal, or if they did, what made it successful? What could have made it an even better year? Salespeople who go above hitting metrics are making a list of the top clients and making note of how they've interacted with those contacts beyond business-related matters? They're making a list of their weakest client relationships and evaluating how they've invested in each of those relationships.
• Salespeople who manage up effectively. Great sales people know how to effectively communicate with their boss and understand what information they need to hear. They don't talk about pipelines because pipelines are intangible. Instead, they talk about what actually closed, or recap a conversation they had with a client or a successful meeting with a top prospect. They talk about the prospect's sales process and how they plan to be there for every step. What the competitors in the space are doing to get the company's attention …. knowing what their tactics are, and where they plan to insert themselves into that process. They know when to loop in their manager and when to ask for help.
Every business wants to grow and make money and an effective sales strategy is key to success. Organizations should make sure they're hiring talent with the right qualities to build a powerful and cohesive sales team.
• Tom Gimbel is founder and CEO of the LaSalle Network.