Sales leaders have one of the toughest jobs in business. They are tugged at from their manager, senior leaders, customers, and team members with demands and high expectations for deliverables, time, and energy. This is why I work so hard to help sales leaders become more effective and efficient with processes and tools that build a winning team.
Equipping leaders to build and sustain a winning team has its challenges. Their demanding schedules and need to constantly “put out fires” creates barriers for their attention and commitment to the activities that could really make their life easier.
We have to make their activities simple, effective, and able to be acted upon quickly. This is why during a skills training session with sales leaders last week when we discussed the time challenges of leading a sales team, , I said I would “net out” the one thing they should do to build a top performing team.
It wasn’t hard to decide what that one activity should be. The one thing managers can do to build a top performing team is this: Treat their employees or reps like they treat their customers.
That’s it. The one thing that has the biggest and most positive impact on making a sales manager’s job easier is simple…in theory.
Think about it. For our customers, we:
- Pay attention to them.
- Help them get what they want or need.
- Stop multi-tasking when we communicate with them.
- Identify special ways to strengthen the relationship and trust.
- Make contact with them consistently to ensure they are satisfied or loyal.
Yet with our employees, we:
- Talk at them more than converse with them.
- Tell them what we/the company need or want.
- Half-listen or give half-attention when they come to us.
- Seldom think about the strength of the relationship or whether they trust us, but we do think about how much we trust them.
- Are well intentioned with the amount of time we want to spend with them in coaching, training, or follow-up, but when other things come up like a manager meeting, customer situation, or deadline, we cancel because it seems there are less negative consequences.
When leaders treat their employees like customers, their lives are made easier and the ensuing results become stronger. So, how do we accomplish this?
- 1:1 conversations. Even just 15 minutes of focused conversation with each person makes them feel valued.
- Learn what they want or need in their job, career, and day. Then help them get it. Ask non-threatening questions about their goals and rewards that are important to them. This helps you identify their personal motivators. Don’t stop with their first answer, use probing questions to get to the deeper material and emotional rewards they seek.
- Give them your full attention. Stop multi-tasking! I have seen magic happen when a leader mutes their mobile device, shuts off their computer screen, closes their door, or stops multi-tasking in any way.
- Do something special to recognize a specific behavior or result from the previous month. A few ideas: a handwritten note, an email of gratitude with no other agenda items included, or a small special treat of some sort.
- Ask them how satisfied they are. Brace yourself to learn the answer on their satisfaction levels with the job, their relationship with you, their progress, or opportunities.
- Provide ongoing development opportunities. Find the opportunity and means for them to sharpen their skills, stay engaged, and build relationships with the rest of the team. There are many options and price points available for internal, external, individual, or team development opportunities.
These actions move you from spreadsheet leadership, where your conversations, focus, and time are spent on data and metrics, to what really leverages the investments in your products, services, tools, and technology: The people who sell and serve your customers.
The actions aren’t technology based or driven; they are fully under your control.
Executing them often doesn’t cost hard dollars, but the financial return is strong. It begins with a mind shift of slowing down to connect, engage, and equip your team to succeed. It means real conversations with the individuals on the team and a focus on What’s in it for Them.
If you are able to do these things with your customers, I have faith you can do them with your people. If not, you can build and strengthen these coaching and conversation skills.
Treat your team members, employees, and reps like your customers.
It’s that easy…and challenging at the same time. Yet the gains in trust, belief, commitment, and activity will drive the results that allow your sellers, your company, your customers, and you to all win. And that’s what we net out and call the Win4 (win-quad) that builds a winning team.