If you are in sales, you know that sales is not like every other job. In fact, it is an extremely competitive environment where sales people need to do whatever it takes to survive in the industry. If you are a sales manager or oversee a group of sales people, you understand the importance of leadership. Sales is a numbers game and a mental game. You need to have the mental discipline to go above and beyond your sales goals, constantly stay confident and energized, and be able to handle hearing the word “no.” No matter how many “no’s” you get, that “yes” is just around the corner, so do not give up!
Have you been having trouble leading your sales people? Have your sales people not been hitting their numbers? Keep reading to see the best leadership strategies that you could implement into your business. (all of the information I talk about has come from speaking with professional sales people personally).
1. Communicate Core Values
Every business or organization needs to have their own set of core values, so they have some sort of compass that will guide them to where they want to get. Without a couple core values set in place, there is no plan, purpose, or direction. This is why it is so important for sales people to set core values when managing their sales team. The core values that you set in place for your organization or sales team is like a guiding compass.
I highly recommend really reflecting on what you want your team’s or businesses vision to look like. For example, if you look at any big brand in the world, I guarantee they have core values that they communicate with their employees and encourage them to follow. Furthermore, once you have figured out what core values you want your team to represent, it is key you communicate those values to your team constantly. Without communication, there is zero leadership, and with zero leadership there is zero sales. Communicate your core values to your team daily to remind them of what your business stands for.
2. You are the Role Model
As a leader, you need to set a good example and be the best role model for your people. Whoever you lead, they look up to you and will copy all of your actions. So if you think you are a successful leader, but have a habit of going out on the weekends and spending lots of money on partying, your people are going to see that and think it is okay for them to do it. That’s bad leadership.
Set the tone for the people you lead and encourage them to do things out of their comfort zone. The only way you and your team are going to grow is if they try new things, fail, fail harder, and learn from their mistakes. However, it starts with you, the leader. YOU need to be actively doing the things you want your people to do as well. You want people to get to the office early, YOU need to get to the office early. As well as spilling your confidence and motivation into your team will also help tremendously and help build your reputation as a leader.
3. Spill Your Positive Mindset
Like I said in the section above, spilling out your positive mindset onto your team will allow them to reach the confidence and outgoingness they need to be outstanding team members. Being a motivating source for them is critical when leading a team. You do not want to have any weak points in your team and by being a positive and motivating source for your team, that will in return, have everyone performing at their highest level.
Having negative energy in your workplace can make getting results a lot harder. Instead of being negative, adjust the way you look at things (or your perspective) in a positive manner and your team will run like a well-oiled machine. I say that because if you are being an amazing, positive boss to a group of sales people, they are going to be happy to come into work, they are going to love to work under you, and they are going to learn so much from you. Be careful of how you communicate with your team and always be the most positive in the room.
4. Be an Active Listener
This tip usually gets overlooked because of how simple it sounds. However, this is one of the most important tactics to consider when leading a team. Active listening is not staring your team into the eyes and nodding your head to make them feel better about themselves. Active listening is actually comprehending, understanding, and digesting what is being said by the people you’re leading. Being an active listener for your people is so important because you need to be be able to fulfill their needs and attack their weak points. Without actively listening, in return brings, poor leadership.
5. Being Remote can be an Advantage
Ever since the strike of COVID-19, many people have been conducting their meetings over Zoom, Google Meet, WebEx, etc. Conducting meetings or having a quick call remotely can actually be an advantage for you as a leader. Doing things remotely comes with convenience and simplicity for you and your team. If you want to meet for 15 minutes, 3 times a day, and don’t want to go to the office, you can. Technology has improved so much over the past couple of years and has brought convenience with it. Utilize the amount of convenience this technology brings to you and allow it to help you become a better leader.
Learn Anything?
If you are a leader or are aspiring to be a leader of any form, try these tips out! Write them down and practice them and see if they work. These are all strategies I have learned from sales professionals I have spoken with and put into action to see if they actually work. They were right. They work. So, try them out and let me know how they have impacted you!
Hope you enjoyed this read and I hope you learned something from it! Live for the climb.
Godspeed,
NL