“In order to successfully lead your people, you must first love your people.” – John Maxwell

Building and managing a successful sales team is crucial for any business to thrive. Yet, it is not easy.

Most managers believe that pep talks and motivation tools are enough to build a sales team that delivers results. They are, of course, off the mark.

The foundation of building a thriving sales team lies in establishing a culture that fosters empathy, curiosity, and the determination to evolve and improve.

Developing an effective sales team begins with creating a business environment that encourages empathy and caring.  

It is also important to remember that putting together and nurturing a sales team to achieve success doesn’t happen overnight. As a team leader, you must put time and effort into building a team to achieve your business goals.

And while you are at it, these are the steps you must focus on:

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Create A Culture of Engagement

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A sales culture focused on engagement goes beyond superficial perks like mini-vacation and attractive incentives for performance. It focuses on how employees genuinely perceive and connect with their team and how their thoughts and emotions influence their behavior at the workplace.

As team leaders, your primary responsibility lies in influencing and inspiring your teams. The goal must be to optimize the performance of each team member and consistently motivate them. You must strive to cultivate a mindset within the teams where they have no hesitation in taking the initiative and assuming ownership to propel the business forward.

How can you effectively guide them toward achieving this state of mind?

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Identify The Most Critical Skills And Pick Relevant Candidates

To effectively build a high-performing sales team, it is crucial to identify and prioritize the most important skills for the desired outcomes. When evaluating your existing team members who consistently meet targets and drive significant revenue, consider the qualities they exhibit. They can serve as valuable points of reference.

Some of the key qualities to look for in potential candidates are

• The readiness to receive coaching
• High ambitions
• Eager to take on challenges
• Always have a hunger for success

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You may have your own priorities for identifying the traits you value the most. However, it is important to ask the right questions to uncover candidates with these crucial skills. It is a simple way of assembling a team that meets expectations and goes above and beyond in delivering exceptional results.

You can select the perfect sales team that consistently meets and surpasses expectations by evaluating candidates based on these traits.

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Introduce Technology Into The Sales Process

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Thanks to the rapid advancement of technology, salespeople can handle processes faster and more effortlessly. Many sales teams use cloud-based CRM for better collaboration and keeping track of calls and clients.

In addition, many sales-specific devices are available that allow salespeople to multitask effortlessly.  They can document client meetings and calls without losing focus on their clients.

To make technology work well for your sales team, ensure its seamless integration with the existing tools and systems. It's equally important to stay updated on the latest developments to optimize productivity and efficiency.

You can also ask your sales team for their input in identifying tech tools that would help enhance their job performance.

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Set Your Expectations High And Clear

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Clarifying expectations for your sales team is crucial for keeping them engaged and motivated. Make sure to communicate the priorities of your business. Align them with your overall sales goals so the team has clarity regarding what they are working to achieve.

Team managers must guide the representatives in understanding what constitutes quality work. Provide examples of successful sales interactions and highlight the reasons for success. By periodically reviewing highly successful sales calls, your team can draw valuable points from them and emulate the behaviors that contributed to those positive outcomes.

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Encourage Team Members To Set Personal Goals

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Motivating team members to establish personal goals and communicating sales targets are crucial. Managers must emphasize the importance of providing their team with a clear direction and expectations for growth.

Encourage sales representatives to plan their desired future position and show them how their current tasks can contribute to achieving it. By setting individual development goals, your team members can maintain a high level of motivation and stay focused on advancing their careers.

Allow salespeople to determine their own path toward progress instead of dictating their trajectory.

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Celebrate Every Win - Team And Individual

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Some sales managers do not acknowledge and celebrate team accomplishments, less for individual achievements. If you are one among those, you are not aware of the negative consequences it may have on the team and the organization.

Make sure you recognize and celebrate wins within your sales team. It can have significant advantages, such as heightened job satisfaction, increased productivity, and enhanced motivation.

Employees feel more motivated when they receive recognition. There is much stress associated with sales, and that’s why maintaining a positive and happy atmosphere whenever possible is crucial. Acknowledging other salespeople's achievements will also inspire your team to try for greater success for themselves.

Part of this recognition and celebration involves sitting down with the team and analyzing the positives and the downsides. Explore ways to incorporate the positives into future sales strategies.

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Conclusion

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Collaborating and strategizing with your sales team is vital to get closer to your sales goals. At the same time, ensure that you don’t lose the human touch. Empathy plays a crucial role in the success of sales teams. It helps establish great interpersonal relationships and provides meaningful connections with customers. By using the above tips and by demonstrating empathy towards your sales team, you can cultivate a work environment that is both positive and conducive to productivity.

Momentum Consulting Group has a reputation for its exceptional ability to build strong sales teams across various industries, in fact, we have built more sales organizations than anyone. We are driven by a strong commitment to understanding your business and offering solutions that can take you closer to your goals.  If you want to start, grow, expand your sales division domestically or internationally, reach out to us at info@MomentumConsultingGrp.com 

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