9 Immutable Laws of Building High Output Sales Teams

Build a High-Output Sales Team with a Culture of Performance and Accountability.

Through working with high-output Sales teams over the past twenty five years certain traits have become clear. These traits or laws or principles are equally important and all evident in high-output Sales teams.  We refer to them as laws because Sales leaders and Sales managers violate them at their own peril.

1. People

Achieving significant revenue targets requires a high level of quota attainment from each and every team member.  Achieving this requires that right Sales people are hired resulting in a great fit for both the company and the individual contributor. Finding and hiring the right fit requires forethought and definition of the traits which align with the specific type of sale. For this we refer to the great work by Derek Gatehouse, “The Perfect Salesforce”.

Companies are sometimes inclined to hire Sales people largely based on success with different types of sales (e.g. selling in a transactional sale type when this sale requires a strategic approach). Another common misstep is to be overly concerned with the cost of hiring (e.g. recruitment fees) rather than focussing on the right fit. Wasting valuable time training the wrong people, not building pipelines and not generating revenue is almost always more costly.

2. Sales Incentives

Just because an incentive might be generous or exciting does not mean it’s the right incentive for the situation. Typically, two things matter:  First, the incentive must resonate with the intended recipients. If unsure, give the Sales team the chance to participate in the definition of the incentives. Second, the incentives selected must strictly relate to the behaviors required to execute the Sales activities which are derivative of the annual plan and desired business results. Authors Jason Jordan and Michelle Vazzana shed bright light on this in their book “Cracking the Sales Management Code“.

3. Sales Measures

Measure only the activities that are in the explicit control of the Sales people. These measures must be evenly and transparently applied without bias or favor.  Sales activities include metrics such as number of calls made per rep, percentage of reps using the CRM, percentage of account plans completed. Sales activity metrics measure the things that a Sales force actually does. Sales people don’t “do” revenue or market share, but they do make calls. Dashboards should be visible and part of the daily cadence.

4. Accountability

Performance standards must be fair, perfectly balanced and based on the established measures. When a Sales person is not performing, coach them. If coaching does not correct the issue, the team member is not the right fit and should be replaced. Accountability is also a standard to be upheld by everyone in every role at every level. This applies to how we interact with people (and platforms), how we communicate, and how we follow-up and follow through. In this sense, accountability is a building block of mutual respect which is a vital element of any healthy corporate culture.

5. Trust

Trust is a corporate asset and force multiplier. Credit and blame are the antithesis of accountability, and are trust killers. Teams which perpetuate credit and blame have higher perceived and actual levels of politics and favoritism.  It is in these environments where undue attribution and reliance on “They” versus “Us/We” and “Me’ are found. Most importantly, it is near impossible to promote and sustain trust. The presence of trust in a culture both enables and inspires people to share ideas and to be open about failures, to take chances, to innovate and exceed. If you could have only one sentiment barometer you would want that to be a trust barometer.

6. Sales Enablement

Simply put: enable success relative to the defined Sales activities.This is where it all starts. Automate what you can. Address friction points to the extent possible recognizing that efficiency is also a force multiplier.

This includes sales tools, easily accessible and up-to-date marketing collateral, third party credibility, case studies, and anecdotes all of which help the sales team to engage and enlist prospects. Sales enablement is the discipline (be it a department, group, person, or shared responsibility) that provides ongoing training to help Sales people execute the sales system, relate, handle objections, and move sales processes forward. Sales enablement functions also provide and streamline wherever possible the CRM and other platforms. This includes access to data and analytics.

7. Sales Selling System (aka Sales Selling Methodology)

Define the perimeters, behaviors and tactics to successfully convert through the stages of a sales process. Consistency is king! Ongoing training, practice, and demonstrations of mastery are required.

Not every sales methodology is a fit for your company, culture, and type of sale. Good Sales selling systems define the character, tone, and tactics used by Sales people to move prospects through the phases of the sales process to close. Sandler, SPIN Selling, and The Challenger Sale are some of the prominent examples. The Sales selling system is also one of the origins of a common language used by the team. Many people, one sheet of music.

8. Unity 

Unity is important. Sales objectives and desired business results are in focus for sure but it’s not just about measures and metrics. This is about one team with shared goals of significance and providing the opportunity to be part of something big and meaningful and important and larger than any one person yet requiring every person.

Team events help to create the bonds of success as do active collaboration and group projects.  Volunteerism and community work provide additional chances to build connections. In this area, it’s more important to get started than to worry about the perfect events.  Remember, perfect is the enemy of the good.

9. Belief

Belief is perhaps the toughest of the immutable laws because it is the outcome of all of the other laws. There are many dimensions of belief and this is an area for Sales managers to assess on an ongoing basis for both individual and organizational opportunities for improvement. Some of the dimensions include Belief in the Sales compensation plan (incentives and positive/neg consequence); Belief in the quality and efficacy of the product or service; Belief in the company to live up to expectations set i.e. measures and accountability (if not the company, then the Sales Organization); Belief in one’s self to achieve success.

For companies looking to elevate their sales team, Treeline Inc. provides tailored recruiting solutions, industry expertise, and the technology-driven support necessary to succeed. Contact Us today to speak with an expert.