During one of my ‘pause and ponder’ moments last week I found myself thinking back over the last fifteen years or so. What a tumultuous period it’s been.
It was kicked off by the Northern Rock crisis in 2007 and since then there’s been a series of significant events that has impacted the UK economy and of course everyone in sales.
A reminder…
- The world financial crisis 2007 – 2009 and subsequent recession
- The resulting economic austerity measures 2010 – 2019
- Brexit (the lead up to the vote in 2016, the lead up to the deal in 2020, and the ongoing challenges)
- The climate crisis and its impact on economic policy, corporate strategies, family finances
- COVID 19 – crippling much of the world economy and impacting the health and wellbeing of all
- Ukraine war – a tragedy for all Ukrainians with knock on implications for all of us
Sales leadership has been crucial
Throughout all of this, you’ve still been expected to lead your sales team towards and beyond their targets! You’ve been the one they looked to for support, motivation, inspiration and all-round leadership.
And, striving to deliver team results whilst dealing with your own stuff, navigating your own journey, protecting your future and maybe your family’s future.
So let me say this….
WELL DONE!
Well done to you, well done to your team and to your colleagues that support the sales function. You all deserve the utmost appreciation for getting to this point. It’s a fantastic effort so please give yourself a massive pat on the back.
Clearly the remainder of 2022 will throw up more significant challenges, so you and your team will need to be on top form to navigate it.
How your sales people perform in 2022 doesn’t solely revolve around their technical selling skills and knowledge. This year more than ever it will be their mindset that you need to focus on developing.
All these significant events we’ve been through have impacted the way your sales people think…and perform.
This calls for a more nuanced style of leadership. You’ll need to instil greater confidence, belief and resilience in your team if they are to thrive in 2022.
And what about you?
How are you going to make sure you’re on top of your game?
Resources to help you
Here are lots of resources to help you navigate 2022 …they’re mostly free and you can get direct access to them here…
Gateway to Sales Leaders resources – videos/podcasts/articles/guides
Book: Grow your people, grow your sales
Book: iSell: Unlock your winning sales mindset
Sales Mindset: Team Assessment report
Video: How your thoughts impact your results
The Sales Consultancy Weekly Blogs listings
Explore, pick out the things you like… and commit to testing them with your team 😊
Finally
Next week I’m delivering a free 60 minute live virtual event specifically for sales leaders. It’s called “Sales Leadership Essentials for 2022”
In the session I’ll fill you in on the patterns I’m seeing across the sales organisations, the challenges you’re likely to experience in 2022, and how you can best navigate them to support your team…and yourself.
I hope you can make it. In the meantime, look at those resources.
Whatever you do, now is the time to make sure you and your team are ready for whatever comes your way in the months ahead.
Until next time
Leigh 😊
PS my live virtual event on 24th March will be recorded, so if you can’t make it live, register for the event and we’ll send you a recording afterwards. More details here
