Excellence, especially in sales, is never an accident. If you want to change a negative sales culture, you must be deliberate and consistent about it.
Putting more pressure on the sales team may be the most obvious thing, but it doesn’t work. You can remind them how behind they are and increase quotas all you want, but it will all be pointless if you don’t change the sales culture.
It motivates them to do just enough to avoid getting fired. Here are a few helpful tips for creating a positive sales culture.
1. Monitor Daily Activity
Keeping track of daily activity in the sales department should give you a clear idea of what is going on. It may help you determine the most appropriate changes to make.
It is impossible to tell what is going on without some analysis. The data you acquire should help you make essential changes in the future.
2. Provide the Right Infrastructure
Your responsibility is to ensure that your sales team has the appropriate infrastructure and training to complete their job. A positive sales culture needs to have systems that empower salespeople to succeed.
The operations tools for sales depend on your specific needs. Your team should help you determine what is essential.
3. Deliberate Hires
When hiring people to join your sales team, be slow and deliberate. The best ones should fit seamlessly into the sales culture you want to promote.
If you are a fast-growing company that needs to hire people quickly, it is easy to hire the wrong people as you may only be focused on their qualifications.
However, having the right qualifications isn’t enough. They must be able to fit into the sales culture you are trying to create.
Take your time to create the image of someone, the anatomy of your ideal salesperson. It would help if you based them on the needs of your target audience and products.
Create a list of everything you’d want in a salesperson and stick to it when hiring. If, for example, teamwork is one of the most essential characteristics for you, you’d be wise to hire a new graduate that was an athlete and knows how to work in a team.
4. Acknowledge Success and Failures Equally
It is vital to acknowledge members of your sales team for their achievements. Celebrate them when they hit set goals and beat deadlines. This way, they will be motivated to always go the extra mile. Celebrating your team makes them feel like an essential part of the team.
If there are failures, talk about them calmly and professionally. Don’t shy away from addressing the shortcomings of your team. However, it would be best if you didn’t criticize them.
Use your talk as an opportunity to identify challenges that they may be facing and find out what you can do to make things better. This creates a culture of accountability, communication, and understanding.
5. Build Your Team’s Confidence
Your sales team does a lot of work. Their role comes with plenty of challenges, and it is easy for self-doubt to crop up.
They deal with rejection, rude clients, and other sets of unique challenges every day. If they don’t get a confidence boost from you, they may not realize how important they are. Put the importance of their position on a pedestal and ensure that they know your business depends on them.
The sales culture of your business affects the functioning of your sales department. It influences habits, attitudes, and values.
There are many ways to create a winning culture and increase the productivity of your team. They include providing the proper infrastructure, building their confidence, and monitoring daily activity.
