Developing high performing sales teams is essential for any organization looking to maximize revenue growth, which leads me to this…what strong leaders should focus on is how to build successful teams. We are only as strong as our weakest link, right? Below are some key factors to consider when teambuilding:
VISION. Ask each member of your team, “Where do you want to go?” It is your job as a leader to know what it will take for them to get there, what resources will be needed and how committed the stakeholders are in their support.
CORE COMPETENCY. What do your team members do well and understand why. Engage others to learn more about how he/she leads and explore ways to further perfect their strengths and improve upon their weaknesses.
PERSUASIVENESS. Does your team influence others? To help them achieve this, team leaders can and should promote and encourage diversity, inspire others to be champions of change and motivate employees to outperform expectations while operating in-line with corporate values.
It is important that sales leaders looking to achieve and surpass strategic goals understand how to direct the people who are interacting with clients on a daily basis. Three points a leader must be mindful of are:
- Establishing trust among members of the team. As briefly mentioned above, “trust” is key to encouraging buy-in and ownership throughout, as each individual must believe that their opinion is valued. There is a level of freedom that is created when everyone believes in each other and feels supported by leadership.
- Crafting a detailed plan for reaching sales goals. Getting each member to visualize the critical role they play in the overall success of the team is imperative to all achieving the most optimal outcome.
- Providing the tools necessary to navigate the road towards achieving success. This may include additional training, constant feedback and coaching, as well as the celebration of obtaining key milestones throughout the process.
Sales leaders must establish the direction and pace at which the team operates. Managing the team through the highs and lows of the sales cycle is important to maintaining energy and focus. When there is trust and a belief in the plan and preparation, the task at hand can be far reaching but attainable.
As we rise from the chaos caused by the current pandemic, there will be winners and losers for sure. The realities of how to exist and compete in the world are being faced by individuals and organizations globally. Superior organizations will be revered for how quickly they are able to deal with the fear of the unknown, mobilize their teams and resources and adjust to alternative supply networks, distance working and communication technologies. Their ability to embrace the disruption of normal business practices while providing clarity and comfort to customers, will be the result of solid leadership preparation. These leaders will be praised for organizing fluid teams, equipped with the data and tools to present sound solutions to futuristic problems.