The role of sales is to help others solve their problems, alleviate their pain points and help them achieve their success. When you view it within that scope – how has sales become such a daily grind with stress clinging itself to the role – almost like it’s built into the job description?
It doesn’t have to be this way – nor should it be.
The fabric of your team will ultimately make or break the overall success of your company. Demoralizing employees leads to inefficiency – which leads to high turnover – which consequently will result in a damaged bottom line. Poor workplace moral is a slippery slope that too many organizations have fallen victim to.
The modern sales role isn’t exactly for the faint of heart and can be a daily challenge – but at the end of the day, it’s all about your mentality and how you approach it. Going back to the framework of the sales role that kicked off this article – get back to basics and look at the role as a problem solver instead of just as a salesperson.
Here are four ideas on how to realign your sales team with a fresh perspective.
- Focus on quality – not quantity
Too often we see sales teams embodied purely around their numbers as they chase the proverbial carrot on a stick to meet their quotas. The idiom, “less is more” should help be a driver to deliver less in terms of quantity – but a higher level of quality. Less emails and less phone calls frees up more time to refocus on quality targets that you can nurture with a higher level of efficiency.
- Facilitate a creative workplace environment
This extends to the actual environment your team is involved in. Even if it’s a home office – nobody draws inspiration from a lifeless ecosystem that is completely void of colour, creativity and vibrancy. A spatial environment needs to be a breading ground that brings out the absolute best from employees. It doesn’t have to be much – a splash of colour, proper lighting, areas for rest and relaxation as well as the autonomy to work remotely so they aren’t confined to one spot 40 hours a week.
- Have rewards that go beyond monetary value
This has been a hotly contested topic in the realm of compensation across any industry – but people do want some type of reward system that doesn’t just revolve around an extra zero on their biweekly paycheque. While money is still a big motivational driver, appeal more to the emotional side of people.
- Lead by example
When times get tough and numbers aren’t being met – finger pointing sets in and everyone has one basic instinct: survival. Realign the team of the overall vision and how your solution is helping to change your customers’ lives. Having a manager being on the front lines with the team shows unification and a solid bond, so players are playing for the name on the front of their jersey, instead of the back – so to speak.
While you may not be able to eliminate turnover 100% – you can definitely take steps to manage it. Master the art of hiring top sales talent – and learn how to stop losing your top performers to free agency.
