As a sales manager, you want your team to be motivated, engaged, and accountable for their results. But how can you foster a culture of ownership where each salesperson takes responsibility for their performance and improvement? In this article, we'll share some tips and strategies to help you encourage ownership of sales performance among your sales reps.
One of the first steps to encourage ownership is to set clear and realistic goals for your sales team. Goals should be aligned with your company's vision, mission, and values, as well as your sales strategy and objectives. They should also be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. By defining clear and realistic goals, you can help your sales reps understand what is expected of them, how they will be measured, and how they can contribute to the overall success of the team and the organization.
I begin by discussing measurable, and achievable sales goals based on individual circumstances. We take the previous month or quarters data (depending on the metric) and we look to enhance that by being clear in a 1-2-1 coaching session. Sometimes it can be small incremental changes but other times if something isn't working we might try something completely different (alongside what is working) with buy in from the salesperson. I find that when salespeople have a hand in defining their targets and feel comfortable in what we set out then they are more likely to take ownership of their performance.
Another way to encourage ownership is to provide regular and constructive feedback and coaching to your sales reps. Feedback and coaching should be based on the goals you have set, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each salesperson. You should praise their achievements, recognize their efforts, and celebrate their wins. You should also identify their areas of improvement, offer suggestions, and provide support. By providing feedback and coaching, you can help your sales reps learn from their mistakes, grow their skills, and boost their confidence.
Being a laissez-faire type of manager I trust my team to be able to carry out their sales role from a process perspective. It is my job to provide consistent and constructive feedback to help improve their quality of conversation, quote and close rates based on the type of project. I find an open door policy on coaching sessions works well and coaching sessions should be a collaborative effort, focusing on skill development and goal attainment rather than micromanagement.
A third way to encourage ownership is to empower your sales reps to make decisions and solve problems on their own. Instead of telling them what to do or how to do it, you should ask them open-ended questions, listen to their ideas, and encourage them to find solutions. You should also give them the autonomy and authority to act on their decisions, as long as they are aligned with the goals and values of the team and the organization. By empowering decision-making and problem-solving, you can help your sales reps develop their creativity, initiative, and accountability.
This is the most important part of getting your reps to take ownership of their performance. If your team does not have ownership for the day-to-day work they are doing, they cannot possibly take ownership of their subsequent results and outcomes. Reps need to be in the driver seat of their work, encouraged to be autonomous, and take the lead of their own coaching and development. Your interactions with your reps are an opportunity to continuously shape this type of environment.
A fourth way to encourage ownership is to involve your sales reps in planning and evaluation processes. You should invite them to share their input, feedback, and suggestions on how to improve the sales strategy, tactics, and operations. You should also ask them to evaluate their own performance, reflect on their achievements and challenges, and set their own action plans for improvement. By involving them in planning and evaluation, you can help your sales reps feel valued, respected, and engaged.
A fifth way to encourage ownership is to reward and recognize your sales reps for taking ownership of their performance. You should use both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, such as praise, recognition, incentives, bonuses, promotions, or career development opportunities. You should also link the rewards and recognition to the goals and values of the team and the organization, as well as the individual preferences and motivations of each salesperson. By rewarding and recognizing ownership, you can help your sales reps feel appreciated, satisfied, and loyal.
A sixth and final way to encourage ownership is to lead by example. You should demonstrate ownership of your own performance as a sales manager, by setting and pursuing your own goals, seeking and applying feedback and coaching, making and implementing decisions and solutions, participating and contributing to planning and evaluation, and celebrating and rewarding your own achievements. You should also show ownership of your team's performance, by supporting, guiding, and inspiring your sales reps, as well as taking responsibility for the team's results. By leading by example, you can help your sales reps emulate your behavior and attitude, and foster a culture of ownership in your sales team.
As a sales manager, I take ownership of my team's success seriously. That's why I make it a priority to encourage the same sense of ownership in each of my sales reps. I do this by coaching and mentoring them, fostering healthy competition through contests, and conducting stay interviews to understand their motivations. I give my reps flexibility to build processes that play to their strengths and think entrepreneurially about their territory. Wins are celebrated publicly and I share performance data transparently so they can self-manage. Rather than prescribe solutions, I ask for their input on fixing issues. By empowering reps to make decisions, connecting their work to our mission, and leading by example.