5 Elements to Developing an Effective B2B Sales Mafia
Adapting to current industry dynamics and economic conditions is critical for any sales program to succeed. Change is inevitable, whether you like it or not, so it makes sense to tackle the things you can manage, so you’re better prepared for those outside your realm of control.
These 5 key elements can help any organization develop and grow an effective and successful sales team:
1. Culture
It is important to establish a cultural foundation you can build upon. This is the core of your team and your organization as a whole. For example, we structured our sales recruiting and talent development around five main pillars that in part represent our culture:
- Preparedness | Brevity | Adaptability | Passion | Prescriptive Approach
This core DNA is used to support every activity and every day-to-day task of the sales team, and it provides something to bolster team growth.
2. Talent Development
Having talent is one thing, but it’s not the thing. You must have a program in place to identify and nurture that talent so that your star sales team members stay with you and grow with you. When people are happy with the support they receive, they perform better and stay longer. Make sure you examine your talent development program on an annual basis to ensure you’re doing what you can to spark your team’s success and passion.
3. Align Incentives
The goals of a new company are very different from the goals of a company with thousands of clients and an established product. The key is to align the incentives of the sales team to the main goals of your company at whatever stage it’s in. This may sound rudimentary, but going through the exercise of aligning specific incentives to what the company wants to drive is key.
Goals can be in the form of revenue, customer service, marketing, community, etc. Just make sure to have the incentives drive the results you are looking to achieve.
4. Immediate and Unexpected Rewards
It is important to continually reinforce positive behavior, especially when directly tied to your overall goals. Offering immediate rewards provides the right incentive and motivation for your sales team.
Reward your team unexpectedly when they go above and beyond. One of the best ways to encourage top performance at all times is to acknowledge those who deserve extra recognition when they least expect it. This doesn’t mean throwing out sums of money. Tokens of appreciation go a long way. This sends the message:
“I appreciate your contributions to the team, keep up the great work!”
5. Clear Targets for the Team and Individual Members
The sales targets for your organization should not only be achievable, but they should also be very clear as to how deals are calculated. The goal targets shouldn’t be muddy or vague -- rather, each individual should understand how success is measured in your organization.
It’s also imperative that the overall team sales goals tie to the revenue target of the firm. For example, if the firm has a target of $100m of new booked business with five regional sales teams then the new business target should be allocated among the five teams with quarterly targets. Checking in early and often is key to monitoring the targets for each person, team and overall firm.
Has your firm implemented a structure that you felt had a very meaningful and positive impact? Would welcome any thoughts or ideas for sales structures and incentives that that have worked with your organization.