What makes a sales team successful?
How do you empower your sales team to do more than simply meet targets?
- I think on a core level you have to give them bandwidth to adapt to your own personal style by not being overly rigid in sales scripts.
- I also think you need to show them that you are listening and acting on their feedback (and the feedback they receive from potential and/or current customers).
- Ask them individually and as a group what processes they think are working and which one needs to be improved (follow ups, sales funnel, etc).
- Show them that they are rewarded for their contributions to the overall business not just hitting sales targets.
I have seen in great companies that the teams are motivated by a shared purposed that is understood by each person and has meaning for each of them.
This links in with Dan Pink's work on the 3 key motivations:
Autonomy
Mastery
Purpose
Being able to satisfy these 3 things by connecting them to something bigger than themselves is extremely motivating and also engenders loyalty that goes beyond money.
For a sales team this can be tricky as they are traditionally recognised by money however in my sessions with sales managers in current times with tight budgets, they have learned that their team members want more than money. Money is a hygiene factor and to push for long term high performance you need to satisfy those 3 key motivations:
Empower them to do their job - Autonomy
Train them to do their job well - Mastery
Link what they do to something bigger - Purpose
Great contribution to this question, @Shannon Young ! When you discuss purpose, are you focusing on discovering the individual's purpose, or enrolling them onto a larger purpose, that they might not have yet identified? Or both?
What I have found particularly powerful with coaching clients is helping people see something for themselves in a larger narrative of a project or company.
Thanks for the tag Eloah!
Wow, broad question! There are so many factors that come into play:
Culture & Management
- Have a clear vision and inspire purpose
- Hire the right people
- Set the right cultural tone; lead by example
Process
- Have an established system
- Coach & train them in the process, while allowing for flexibility
- Minimise administrative burden
- Set the right KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and rewards
Each of these points could be a book or blog in itself!
Thanks for the response @Benjamin Lai !
Agree with all those points. Sales teams in a nutshell.
High churn rate in sales team members is not uncommon, if not expected. I think both you and @Shannon Young hit the nail on the head. Clear vision and purpose is so important to the retention and success of quality sales people. Monetary rewards alone are not enough. There will always be another company offering higher earning potential.
I once heard from a senior sales manager for IBM that to retain staff, you need to fulfil at least two of three criteria: Money, Work, and Colleagues.
A person might tolerate negative colleagues if they are earning a lot and enjoy their work. Or, they may accept a paycut for a positive work environment. Violate more than one of these and a person will surely leave!
Eloah Paes Ramalho, Community Manager at SavvySME
Appreciating your reflections on active listening and iterating processes, @Jef Lippiatt !
How do you "show that they're rewarded for contributions to the overall business" and how do you even identify those beyond sales numbers?