If you can’t build a team you can’t create leverage.
If your whole business and income is going to rely on you then you are limited. If you are limited than you are going to work forever. To grow a business you have to be able to build a Championship team.
Easier said than done though for most people.
Building an effective team in any environment is never an easy task, let alone Building a Sales team. As soon as you put more than one person together that’s when the problems begin. Why? Because we are humans. We have different wants, needs, desires, and oh yes Emotions.
Sadly I deal with many self-employed people who either work by themselves or have small teams in admin and support but will not, don’t want to, or can’t build a sales team.
Why won’t they build a sales team? I hear reasons like – “I have tried that before and they just don’t work”, “I spend more time managing them than doing any work”, “I can’t afford to pay them for not producing”, “Sales people are lazy”, “I will rather do it myself and know that it is going to get done properly”, and many other reasons.
Well, if you want to build your business bigger than you, then at some stage you are going to need to build a sales team. A team of highly driven individuals, who produce the goods and make you, your business, and themselves a whole pile of money.
Here are 5 ways to build a highly effective Sales Team:
- Be Clear on your expectation:
Right form the onset make sure that you are very clear on what you expect from your Sales Team. Ensure that your expectation is in writing and that each individual member fully understands and buys into your expectation. Maintain a high level of consistency in what you expect from your team.
- Each person is different – understand who they are:
Who is on your team? My mentor Blair Singer wrote an awesome book called Sales Dogs. In that book he examines the different breeds of dogs as if they were Sales People. The breeds are Poodle, Chi Wawa, Basset Hound, Golden Retriever, Pit Bull, and the Super Mutt. When you understand who is in your kennel, and what they are good at doing you can channel different people in different directions. You can get your team to play to their strengths.
- Drive Activity NOT Results:
Sales is an Action based process. I have observed too many Sales Managers and Business owners getting stuck on driving the results. Are Results important? Of course they are. However results come from Behaviours, and Behaviours are Action based. Consistent action over a sustained period of time creates results. Phone Calls, Physical calls, appointments, quotes, follow ups, all these are Sales Activities. Drive these activities and the results will come.
- Cut Non performers loose quickly:
“Get rid of the pain immediately” In any Championship team you cannot afford to carry people who are not playing 100%. To create championship results you need to have a team where everyone is always playing, and always playing at 100%. This is often the hardest part for Managers and Owners, to cut loose those members who do not fit in, who do not perform, who do not play at 100%. I learnt this the hard way too often. I gave people too many chances, and in the end it bit me on my arse. When your gut tells you they are not right, and they are not following the agreed to game plan, you need to act fast and decisively. Cut them loose.
- Measure numbers daily / weekly – make them visible
Numbers are the language of business. If you know your numbers you know your business. Sales is a numbers game. If you know your numbers in Sales you know your game. Be clear on the numbers you are going to measure. Make sure they are linked to your activity plan. Measure your activity numbers. Measure your results. Make them visible for all to see. Capture them daily. Review them weekly with the whole team. Have each member report back on their own numbers. At the end of the day numbers don’t lie, they always tell a story.
- Celebrate all wins
Build a culture of Celebration in your Team. Celebrate every Win. Find ways that allow your team to own the good things they are doing. Always focus on the things that are working and the successes that you have had, and then, and only then, look at what is not working and the problems you have. I observe way too many Managers and Owners focusing on all the negative stuff first. Remember that HIGHEST ENERGY WINS, and when you constantly celebrate wins you drive the energy up, and when you drive the energy up you build a winning team.
Building a great Team is not always easy, but it definitely is worth it. Remember that it’s an honour to lead and build a Team.
Uncover Their Greatness
Barry