How aware are you of the impact you have as a Sales Leader…on your team and the results they achieve?
It’s easy to determine what behaviours you want from your manager in order to get the best from you. It’s not as easy to determine the actions you should take to create a more successful team.
Be honest…how do your actions affect your sales team?
If you don’t know then you need to get more aware. It’s much easier to do that if you imagine observing yourself doing the behaviour with others…then noticing their reaction. Or imagine someone you respect watching you…what would they think of your actions? What do you think others would say about your behaviour…your manager, other department heads, your colleagues and your peers?
How would you feel if someone behaved in that way towards you?
If your action has a negative impact on others, you need to find a better way of achieving your outcome.
Here are some pointers to think about…
- Always speak with your sales team as you would speak with your customers…with courtesy and respect
- Plan your outcome for every interaction either with the team or with individuals…this gives you a destination to aim for
- Plan your intended actions and behaviours to achieve outcomes that are good for your sales person, the team, you and the business
- Check in with yourself…how would you react to the approach you plan to take?
- Consider what might go wrong…and what action you could take if it does
- Rapport, rapport, rapport…vital for positive outcomes
- Make sure you are feeling positive about your communication before you start…negative thoughts and feelings will impact your interaction…and the result
- Tough love and fairness are important factors in being a great sales leader…done well they will get you far more respect than being nice
- Have those difficult conversations as soon as possible
- Be the leader you would want for yourself…and that lives your leadership values
- Always leave your team feeling positive and empowered
- Stop telling and start asking them what they think
These are some pointers to get you started and by no means exhaustive. It’s best to think about each of your sales people as individuals and use the approach you think would help them most.
It’s also beneficial to check in with yourself at the end of each day to ponder on this question…
What could I have done differently today to have got a more positive result with my sales team?
This daily habit increases your awareness…and making these small changes improves your leadership on an ongoing basis.
I’d like to close with one of my favourite Simon Sinek quotes…
“Leadership is not an excuse to do less…it’s a responsibility to do more!”
Until next time,
