Make your enablement about results, not effort\u00a0<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Close your revenue gaps and get more out of every rep \u2014 with Sales Programs delivered in your CRM.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n20 Questions Sales Leaders Must Ask Themselves When Reps Underperform<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you want to improve performance, the following checklist represents the questions you should ask yourself about your sales team and processes. Reflect honestly on your answers, and you\u2019ll be able to identify the problems that are holding back your team\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Does your sales team trust you?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The foundation of any good relationship is trust, and relationships in sales are no exception. If your team doesn\u2019t trust that you have their best interests in mind, they won\u2019t respect your decisions or take your direction. Without trust, your team will feel they have to look out for themselves \u2013 because, in their minds, no one else is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So how do you foster a culture of trust on your sales team? Unfortunately, there\u2019s no quick fix that will help you build trust instantly. But, over time, if you stay true to your word, and act with transparency, your team will begin to trust you. Here are a few of our top tips for earning the trust of your team:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Give the why.<\/strong> Always explain the \u2018why\u2019 behind your decisions. It helps your team feel included in big-picture sales strategy and demonstrates the fact that you want what\u2019s best for your team.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Have difficult conversations.<\/strong> Act with transparency even if it means saying the hard things. It\u2019s never easy to discipline or call out someone\u2019s poor performance, but doing so directly and without mincing words will help to build trust. Your team will know that you\u2019re always shooting straight with them, without an ulterior motive or hidden agenda, even when it\u2019s difficult.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Assume the best in people.<\/strong> It\u2019s easy to create stories in your head about how or why someone behaves the way they do, especially when their behaviour impacts you negatively. But the reality is that no one wants to be bad at their job and therefore there\u2019s likely an innocent explanation for poor performance \u2013 lack of resources, misunderstanding, or miscommunication. Jumping to conclusions and acting out of frustration will prevent you from getting to the root of the problem.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Seek out feedback.<\/strong> Asking your team for feedback shows you value their input and understand you\u2019re not perfect. This creates less of a divide between manager and team.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Having a team that trusts you only makes your coaching and direction more impactful. In fact, research shows employees who trust their leaders are 260% more motivated<\/a> to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. How do you react to failure?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Whether an individual sales rep fumbles a deal or you miss your goals as an entire team, how you react sets the tone for how your team will behave moving forward. If your team interprets your reaction to failure as angry, defensive, or negative, you\u2019ll have trouble rallying them around their next set of goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Do you trust your team?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s where you need to be fully honest with yourself. Do you trust your sales team to execute on your direction, do the work needed to hit quota, and represent your organisation in a positive light? If you find yourself micromanaging or keeping close tabs on your team, it might be a sign that they don\u2019t have your trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, you may have a good reason to withhold trust. Perhaps your team isn\u2019t performing, doesn\u2019t listen, or messes up from time to time \u2013 it makes sense why your trust might be a bit shaky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when you don\u2019t trust your team, it often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You feel<\/em> like you can\u2019t trust them, so you start to tighten the reins and apply more pressure. As time goes on, this pressure only makes the situation worse, reps begin to crack, and they behave in ways that only decreases your trust in them further. After a while, it can spiral out of control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So how do you build trust in your team? Here are a few recommendations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Lead by example. <\/strong>Follow through on your promises, act with integrity and transparency, and be open about your own struggles. When your team sees you doing these things, they might rise to the occasion and reciprocate \u2013 making it easier for you to trust them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Provide opportunities to succeed.<\/strong> How can your team prove themselves worthy of responsibility if you never give them any?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Set the outcome but don\u2019t dictate the path.<\/strong> Everyone approaches work differently. Two people might arrive at the same outcome but take two very different paths to get there. By micromanaging and dictating the path, you might actually be the factor hurting your team\u2019s performance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
When you trust your team to do the job you hired them for, not only does it free you up to do other work, but it also promotes confidence and motivation among your reps. Think about it \u2013 when someone trusts you to do quality work, don\u2019t you feel more inclined to live up to that expectation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Do you keep your promises?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Before you answer yes, think about it from the perspective of your team. How often do you follow through on the things you say? Do you ever mention you\u2019ll look into something or follow up with someone, and then months later realise you never did it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moving forward, think about what you say you\u2019ll do and what it may mean to the person you\u2019re talking to. Will it save them time, provide clarity, or move some kind of an obstacle or blocker? If so, you should make an effort to keep your word. If, for some reason, you can\u2019t keep your promise, make sure you follow up and close the communication loop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Small gestures like this can drastically improve the trust between you and your team and, as a result, improve sales performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Do you have established paths toward growth and career progression?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Employees in the modern workforce understand their value and they want to commit their working hours to companies who also understand their value. So if you don\u2019t provide your sales employees with a clear path to advance their career, you\u2019re setting yourself up for failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you don\u2019t have a career progression strategy in place, you\u2019ll risk losing your best talent to an organisation that does have one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Have you taken the time to get to know each of the individual contributors on your team?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Do you really know each member of your team? Think beyond surface-level details and ask yourself if you know what motivates each rep, what their preferred work style is, what type of feedback they prefer, what their home life is like, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The more you know a person, the easier it is to tailor your management style to their wants and needs. No two people are exactly the same, and therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach to management will never be the most effective sales management tactic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7. What does your team\u2019s work-life balance look like?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Although it may seem counterintuitive, spending time away from work and prioritising work-life balance can dramatically improve a person or team\u2019s performance. Check in with your team and see if they\u2019re experiencing burnout. Stress the importance of balance and make sure they\u2019re taking care of themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, make sure you lead by example. If you tell your team not to work unreasonable hours, you shouldn\u2019t be working unreasonable hours. Take mid-day breaks to show your team it\u2019s okay for them to do so as well. It\u2019s one thing to hear a boss deliver empty platitudes about work-life balance \u2013 but it\u2019s another thing to see them practice what they preach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. Have you set S.M.A.R.T. goals for your team?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Every sales team has goals, which typically come in the form of a sales quota<\/a>. But, if you\u2019re struggling to hit your goals or notice your team\u2019s performance dip, it might be time to revisit these goals just to confirm nothing\u2019s amiss. Using the S.M.A.R.T. goal framework, here\u2019s what we recommend you look at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Are your goals specific enough?<\/strong> If the only goal you give your team is a quota, maybe you need to get more specific and set goals around the sales activities you want to drive. Consider setting goals for number of calls made, number of meetings set, number of emails sent, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Are your goals measurable?<\/strong> Attaching a number to a goal and making sure it\u2019s something you can easily track plays a huge role in motivating a team.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Are your goals attainable?<\/strong> Is your team struggling to hit their numbers because of their own actions or is it that your goals are just unrealistic? As a leader, it can be tempting to constantly set stretch goals in an effort to motivate your team. But as a team member, it can be demoralizing to constantly feel like you\u2019re underperforming.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Are your goals relevant? <\/strong>Do your goals correlate with the organization\u2019s overarching goals? Or are your team\u2019s goals created in a silo, separate from the organization\u2019s priorities? If your team\u2019s goals aren\u2019t aligned with the major goals coming from the very top, their impact won\u2019t be optimal. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Are your goals tied to a specific time period?<\/strong> And is that time period appropriate for the goal at hand? Sales reps will be set up for success if they not only have goals, but also know the amount of time it should take them to achieve those goals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
9. How often do you talk to your team as a group?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
As a sales leader, it\u2019s important to dedicate an hour or so each week to meeting with your team as a group. Come up with an agenda and allow your team to weigh in on the items included. Then, use the time to go over numbers, offer sales training, swap anecdotes, and allow your team to interact with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Team meetings also give you the opportunity to address your reps all at once. Not only is this helpful logistically when making important announcements, but it also helps with consistency. Your reps will hear the same information delivered at the same time and in the same exact way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
10. How often do you talk to your team as individuals?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Meeting with your reps one-on-one is just as important as meeting with them as a group. The group setting is all about camaraderie and consistency, but when you\u2019re meeting with an individual, you have the opportunity to dig a little deeper and personalise your management approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is where you have the opportunity to get to know your team members as individuals and coach them in ways that aren\u2019t possible in the group setting. To ensure your one-on-ones are effective, be sure to always set an agenda or framework and let your reps know ahead of time what you expect them to bring to the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
11. Does your team have a hand in choosing their own incentives?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- Are your goals measurable?<\/strong> Attaching a number to a goal and making sure it\u2019s something you can easily track plays a huge role in motivating a team.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Provide opportunities to succeed.<\/strong> How can your team prove themselves worthy of responsibility if you never give them any?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Have difficult conversations.<\/strong> Act with transparency even if it means saying the hard things. It\u2019s never easy to discipline or call out someone\u2019s poor performance, but doing so directly and without mincing words will help to build trust. Your team will know that you\u2019re always shooting straight with them, without an ulterior motive or hidden agenda, even when it\u2019s difficult.<\/li>\n\n\n\n