5 Things the Best Sales Teams Do Differently
“In the absence of clearly defined goals we become strangely loyal to daily acts of trivia”
After seeing the inside of several sales organizations here are a few things that stuck out about the highest performing teams.
This is by no means meant to be a dissertation on developing a world class sales organization, but rather a few quick gems I’ve noticed over time.
Engaged reps: The best organizations have reps that are engaged not only in their own business, but engaged in product, their sales team and with operations… They are actively participating in helping their company fulfill it’s mission.
A keen understanding of their customer(s): They understand both internal and external customers at a level that their competitors don’t. Internal Customer = someone in the company helping to deliver their service. External Customer = someone outside the company making the buy decision.
A clear understanding of their value in the market place: What problem do they solve and how do they solve it in a way that in unique and different than competitors. Not only do they have a clear understanding but can articulate it to in any connection and interaction.
Commitment to planning, tracking and accountability: This is the hardest part for relationship driven sales people – and is one of the key differentiators to world class teams. They embrace planning, tracking and accountability, they do not shy away.
“In the absence of clearly defined goals we become strangely loyal to daily acts of trivia” - Robert A. Heinlein
Clear expectations about what success looks like: Managing the sales ecosystem comes with clarity about success, and that success is not just “hitting budget or quota” but also include the actions and details on how to get there.
Take a look at your team… how are you doing on these 5 core qualities? It’s no accident that many of these are in some way related to how clear you can help make things as a sales leader.
Give yourself a score from 1-5 on each one, then create a plan to move your lowest score up one or two notches in the next 90 days.
Reach out if you want to brainstorm or discuss!
-Joe