In the universe of a sales leader where targets increase multifold and teams expand minimal, it often can make you feel like an overstretched rubber band.
As a sales leader your job is not only to ensure that you hit your target but also that your team hits their targets. As a sales leader your role is to ensure that every team member is IN the game and each one knows what his or her unique contribution is. It is only then possible to have a win.
increase no matter how high the score of the opponent. Both parties go on the field with well-crafted and drafted strategies on paper and extremely talented players on field, but only one team takes the game. What makes the difference is not the strategy but the execution.
To achieve your sales target, it is only relatively important as to how many players you have in the game. It’s more about how many motivated, committed and engaged players you have in the game.
How can you ensure that you are achieving higher targets with the same headcount? Here are a few basic ways to start:
1.Understand and make understood each individuals unique contribution
Each member in your team was hired for some unique contribution that you felt would make the achievement of your goals smoother and easier. It is important to identify this unique contribution that you want them to make. Along with this it is important that not only you understand but also the individual has absolute clarity of what is expected of them. And how if they fail to do the same could lead to ultimate failure of the organizations end goal.
2.Realise early where there is no chance of a win
There are ample cases where individuals chase deals despite having signs of never winning the client. Each team player has clients that despite knowing all the odds turn a blind eye and keep chasing a client from where at the current standpoint there is no chance of revenue.
The sales trick lies in understanding at what point to let go off at the current moment and refocus your energy towards another client.
Noticing a red light is not a failure it’s a bigger win, if identified at the right time. “Win Fast, Lose Faster”.
3.Creating a system of accountability
Accountability breed’s results, and the best kind of accountability is that which comes from self-commitment and motivation to perform. And as unbelievable as it may sound in the current moment it is not as difficult to implement. All it requires is for you as a leader to have weekly meetings for not more than 30 minutes on the same day just reviewing your member’s performance towards the achievement of the goal. Its not a space to discuss or defend just simply review. What this does is that, it reflects to the whole team where their individual contribution lies towards the achievement or failure of the goal. Nobody likes to be the cause of the team failing and this will be a direct result without you holding a gun to their head making them accountable to achieve their individual goals.
Sales is not an individual game but a team game. If your team is not aligned to one common goal, failure is inevitable. You can keep increasing the size of your team and keep reaping the same result. The answer is not in the number of people but what you do with your people.