6 Essential Features of a Strong Sales Culture

Sales is as much an art as it is a science. In order to boost your bottom line, increase conversions, and raise your revenue, your company needs to cultivate a high-performing sales culture that establishes a firm footing for both your individual salespeople as well as your sales team as a whole.

Many companies focus their efforts on the sales process itself to increase team performance, but a solid, cooperative sales culture is essential for any company with ambitious sales goals. Take a look at the elements of a high-performing sales culture that are more likely to help your team reach quotas, increase productivity, and better embody your company’s values through their sales practices.

1. Human-Centered Objectives

Sales are certainly a numbers game. However, at the end of the day, your team members are real people dealing with real people. A high-performing sales culture keeps in mind that clear, friendly communication delivered with charisma is more likely to facilitate the development of a person-to-person relationship with a potential client than a rote, impersonal delivery.

A positive relationship between your salespeople and your clients results in client trust and loyalty, and a longstanding client is great news for your sales numbers over time.

2. Ongoing Training

A sales team is only as strong as its weakest link, and the strongest teams aim to keep all members ahead of the curve with continual education and training. The behavior of your target consumers is ever-evolving, and the best sales teams are equipped to navigate market trends and anticipate and maneuver through obstacles that may appear at various stages in the sales funnel.

Ongoing education also helps your team to feel confident and prepared when they work with clients, and the better your salespeople feel about their approach, the more likely their approach is to be genuine and effective.

3. Friendly Competition

A strong sales culture harnesses the energy of the hustle to encourage salespeople to tap into their inner competitors in a friendly, cooperative way. A leaderboard, sales incentives, awards, or other accolades can motivate your team members to push ahead of the pack, but the best sales cultures emphasize cooperation over competition. After all, a sale for one is a win for the whole company.

4. Actionable Goals

Your sales team may be aware of their target quotas and company objectives, but smaller, actionable goals can better direct their efforts when in the field when they’re aware of the micro-goals that will take them to the top.

One of the most effective goal-setting methods is the SMART goal format, which includes:

• S — Specific objectives
• M — Measurable outcomes
• A — Attainable results
• R — Relevant actions
• T — Time-based deadlines

5. Integrity

Clients know a sales pitch when it happens, but when they feel as though they’re the subject of a transaction, they’re less likely to commit. A high-performing sales culture prioritizes integrity above all else. Each member of these teams communicates clearly and honestly with the clients, as well as with one another.

Your clients should feel as though they can trust your sales team through every step of the process, so your sales team should feel as though they can believe in your company and the process you have in place. A strong sales culture is built through forthrightness, transparency, and mutual support for all parties involved.

6. The Right Tools

Your teams’ success depends on a variety of factors, but high-performing teams more regularly achieve their goals when they have the right tools and information to do their jobs thoroughly and effectively.

Treeline’s Sales Recruiters services can help you to build a team of successful salespeople, refine your sales process, and better establish a strong, positive sales culture with our top sales recruiters. Contact our representatives to find out more.