How to Build a Winning Sales Team

Your sales team can make or break your company. A cohesive, and successful team will ensure revenue, growth, and longevity in your industry. On the other hand, a poorly run sales team with low performers can be disastrous. We spoke with multiple C-suite executives to share their tips in building a winning sales team from the hiring process, to onboarding, and beyond.

Know your people

“It’s important to get to know your team both professionally and personally. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with your sales team, so find out who they are, what motivates them, and what they’re looking for career-wise,” says Michael Fischer, Founder of Elite HRT.

“It’s true when they say, if you buy into your people, they’re going to buy into you. So, don’t be afraid to dig deep and get personal. It will help create a cohesive team,” says Fischer.

Give them autonomy

“If your employees are performing well, give them autonomy. Top talent should be able to own their role and treat it as their own personal business,” says Leo Livshetz, Founder & CEO of UnHide. “Your team is more likely to succeed if it’s made up of people who are heavily invested in the company. The best way to cultivate invested people is to give them a sense of ownership, responsibility, and independence.”

Encourage collaboration

“As a sales leader, creating a strong collaborative culture is the first thing I set out to do. You spend more time during the week at work with your team than you do with family and I am very intentional in building a team environment that supports that,” says Tom Lawton, Chief Revenue Officer at Chowly.

Some companies encourage competition, rather than collaboration, but that is the wrong approach. When you motivate your team to work alongside each other, they’re able to share leads, tips, and practices to avoid. You’re simply building a stronger sales team when you collaborate. Everyone is working for the greater good of the company.

Build momentum

“I believe that being a positive, high-energy servant leader is the most effective blueprint to building consistently high-performing sales teams. We have an extreme passion for winning, ensuring our teams relish the grind required to do so consistently,” says Christopher Jones, CRO and Head of Global Field Operations at BetterCloud.

It’s important for leaders to be great motivators. For a sales team to truly succeed, they need their bosses and coworkers cheering them on. Create an energetic environment that is not only motivating but inspiring as well.

Rally around performance

“Don’t shy away from the numbers. A big part of sales is the actual performance. How is your team doing? If they’re crushing it, celebrate their wins! If they’re not, then talk about how they can improve,” says Adam Reed, CEO of Crown and Paw.

 

“It’s important to frequently discuss how everyone is doing. When your team knows their individual performance is being evaluated on a regular basis, they’re going to be more motivated to succeed, especially if their wins are celebrated openly,” says Reed.

Focus on your managers

Successful managers produce successful salespeople. Make sure your managers are well trained, confident, and empowered to make decisions. They need to be able to act as leaders, coaches, and teachers. The more prepared they are to fill those roles, the better equipped they’ll be to lead your sales team to success.

Hire for culture fit

“Evaluate the current culture of your company and your sales team in particular. When adding to an existing team, you want to make sure that new hires are a good fit. They need to be able to gel with the energy already established, or else things could derail quickly. You don’t want to chip away at the success you’ve already seen,” says Dan Potter, Managing Director and CEO of CRAFTD.

On the flip side, if your current team is not performing well, then it may be wise to shake things up. Hire team players who share a high-intensity, winning mentality. A winning sales team needs to be energetic, go-getters who thrive on achievements.

Employ clear metrics

“Make sure you don’t create a culture of uncertainty by employing clear metrics from the get-go. Your sales team needs to know what’s expected of them from the start. Make sure your expectations are fair, your goals are attainable, and your metrics are direct. When people have a solid understanding of what they’re striving for they’re more likely to hit their marks,” says Andrew Ferenci, CEO and Founder of Comrad Socks.

Which metrics you use and how you use them also need to be just. You want to set your sales team up for success, not failure. Clear and fair metrics also eliminate the risk of infighting and fear.

Find coachable people

“Make sure you don’t hire a know-it-all. It’s imperative that your sales team is made up of coachable people. No one is perfect, and everyone has room for improvement,” says William Schumacher, Founder and CEO of Uprising Food. “To be the best one needs to realize their shortcomings. A winning sales team is made up of people who want to learn, grow, and better themselves. Ensure you hire people that are adaptable.”

Complement your weaknesses

“For a truly cohesive sales team, you need people that complement each other’s weaknesses. Your team should be made up of people with different strengths. The best teams are a united front where everyone is helping each other out. This cuts down on competition, and instead fosters camaraderie and collaboration,” says Elliot Schwarcz, CEO of Becca’s Home.

Assess the situation

“When building a winning sales team, it’s important to look at the factors surrounding your team, including outside influences. Do you have a high demand for your product, but a low supply of salespeople? Does your current team have the right resources available? These are important questions to ask yourself,” says Amanda E. Johnson, Chief Marketing Officer of TatBrow.

Sometimes you may be starting from the ground up which is great, because you have a clean slate, but it’s still important to anticipate challenges that may come your team’s way. Make sure you equip your team with the necessary tools to become winners.

Know who you need

Look at your current team (if you have one) and figure out each of their strengths. Once you do that, what are you missing? Is your team mainly composed of people who are excellent at customer service, but aren’t as aggressive as they should be? Or, maybe your team is filled with lots of dynamos, but they aren’t skilled at the customer care aspect of the role. Whatever the case may be, make sure your team is diverse in their skill set. The best teams have superstars from every angle.

Have an awesome hiring process

“Don’t slack on your hiring process. It’s important to get quality people through the door from the start. Gear your interviews carefully. Each salesperson should be thoroughly vetted. Sales is not easy, and it’s best that people understand that from the beginning,” says Kevin Miller, Founder of Kevin Miller.

In addition to the traditional job posting route, it’s also smart to hold a recruiting event. These events usually are filled with people hungry for a job. Also, ask for referrals. Some of the best sales teams are made up of people who were referred by other salespeople. Referrals are usually pre-qualified, so make sure you’re incentivizing your current employees for recommendations.

Invest in quality onboarding

“Good onboarding practices are key to building a winning sales team. Don’t skip this step. It’s important to take the time to go over your company’s goals, objectives, and metrics for success. Be transparent. It’s better for your salespeople to know your expectations upfront, so there isn’t any misunderstanding down the line,” says Tri Nguyen, Co-Founder and CEO of Network Capital.

“One way to do this is through comprehensive training. Utilize skills-based training programs where your employees can learn in real-time with hands-on exercises. Real-world application is the best way for your team to learn and ultimately succeed in their roles,” says Nguyen.

Communicate excessively

In today’s world with many companies employing a remote or hybrid workforce, communication is key. While giving your sales team autonomy is important, it’s also critical that you’re communicating with them regularly. It’s paramount to make sure your team is doing things correctly on a daily basis.

Mistakes are caught much more quickly, and if tweaks need to be made, they can be made immediately. You don’t have to sit for days or weeks on end to fix something, because it’s known right away and can be fixed immediately with constant communication.

Building a winning sales team may seem like a daunting task at first, but it doesn’t have to be. Follow the proven strategies listed above, and your company will soon have a successful team that is consistently bringing in revenue and contributing to your business’ growth and bottom line.

The post How to Build a Winning Sales Team appeared first on 360PRWire.

Adam Ali