Sales, Marketing & the Culture of a company

It has been ages since I wrote about anything apart from our products, services, and how good we are. This topic is particularly close to me because of how much I have enjoyed Sales & Marketing over the last two decades and more.

Some time ago, a good friend who used to head Marketing for the company, and I were having a meeting with our teams. It was a fortnightly meeting to discuss the status of inbound leads generated through our marketing efforts. Campaigns on LinkedIn and e-mail, periodic events, online webinars, 'call-in-for-consultation' and other channels were devised, and we had successfully run some of them to generate considerable interest and inquiries in our services. During the meeting, one of the rookie team members asked us "What is the difference between Marketing & Sales?". Vinod immediately responded, "Marketing creates the need that Sales fulfils"

Initially, I thought, "Wait a minute, there is more to Sales than just order fulfilment". But the more I thought about that explanation, the more I was convinced that it was indeed perhaps the shortest and most accurate description of the two functions. You could dissect "creating the need" and "fulfilling it" in many ways to develop processes that satisfy both conditions efficiently. The result would be that both divisions operate like well-oiled machines, generating maximum revenues for an organisation even with minimal investments.

Another interesting conversation I recently had was with a Founder/CEO who wanted to establish a Sales & Marketing division to reduce the risks of having 95% of their revenues coming from one major customer. Over a decade in business and they had grown substantially in global employee strength. Like any fair, trustworthy and honest employer invested in the future and welfare of his employees, the CEO was now assessing the risk of the customer moving these projects in-house, leaving him with the unpleasant task of letting his people go and closing down operations. The only way to mitigate that risk was to diversify, i.e., to find new customers.

Sales & Marketing was the need of the hour—to create and fulfil the need that the company could potentially generate.

Towards the end of that hour, the CEO asked me an intriguing question that prompted this article. He asked, "100% achievement with an unhealthy work culture or 70% achievement with a healthy work culture—which one would you prefer?"

My immediate thought was that those need not be the only two options. There is a third balanced option: doing the right thing, up-skilling every single day, doing what it takes, working smart, competing with your peers and achieving your numbers - all of it while enjoying what you do.

My mind quickly travelled back to when I started my career in Sales, led a team, then led Managers who led their teams, and all the achievements and great memories. Also, the times when I had to make tough decisions to let people go, have unpleasant conversations, give ultimatums, and other 'not so great' memories. One thing was certain though—those who enjoyed success and did not shirk away from the grind before that success, always enjoyed their jobs. I have attempted to break down 'how and why' into three factors, and I will touch upon on each:

1. The Right Recruits
2. Adequate Training
3. Constant Motivation

Recruitment:?Salespeople need to be tough, resilient, and able to take rejection impersonally while persevering despite multiple failures, live in the present keeping that one successful win ahead, on top of their mind. My way of assessing whether they have these abilities was to look for traits like good listening skills, body language, eye contact, presentation, and language. My probing questions included, "What was the biggest disappointment you have had in your career so far?" and "What is that one achievement that you are proud of and why?" Other probing questions were about the toughest deals they had cracked, internal selling to make a deal possible and other such. The people that I wanted on the team had to be persistent, meticulous and disciplined.

I gauge what is important to them through such questions, and fortunately, I have picked some great ones with whom I have lasting friendships.

Training:?The 30-60-90 day plan from an organisation is as important for new employees as it is for employers to understand people during the interview process. Formal induction, training on the product and ideal customer persona, setting expectations, helping them on the job, stepping in when they are stuck and solving impasses are things that give each team member enormous confidence to do the job. Daily stand-up meetings and weekly status meetings make it easy to identify where your people need help and provide the opportunity to step in without them feeling insecure about someone hijacking their opportunity. One of the most important aspects of "on the job training" is advising them when to walk away and not waste time on something with a low probability of closure. Salespeople are probably the most optimistic people on the planet, and they will keep digging away, believing in that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A word of caution there: manage, do not micromanage. Hire adults based on the first factor, the right recruitment, and you will not have to constantly look over their shoulders.

Constant Motivation:?Sales is one of the toughest jobs. It is challenging because of the barriers, leadership, especially in the Enterprise world, put between themselves and those interested in selling to them. It is exasperating because of the high levels of rejection, and stressful due to the pressures from the job, the environment, and the Managers. In my experience, the best salespeople are motivated by money. They are hungry for a better life and will strive constantly to improve their status. Design your compensation so that Salespeople not only get their due on achieving targets but also receive proportionately more for over-achievement. Reward people for a job well done. Another important practice: reward in public and rebuke in private.

Another insight for building a successful team: I have seen a lot of success as a Sales Manager by displaying the top 3 performers and their numbers for everyone to see in the last week of every month, quarter, and year. It not only satisfies the egos of your top performers but also motivates the rest to get on that board. That aspiration in everyone on the team is half the job done as far as your overall numbers go.

Carrots work long-term, while sticks cause early burnout due to undue and unnecessary pressure.

These things help you build a great sales team that achieves its numbers. But the question remains - what about the Company Culture?

The best salespeople are Eagles - they soar higher than everyone else but fly solo!

However, all of them know that it takes an entire village to make big things possible. They understand that they need support when required, which means prioritizing their tasks when deliverables depend on others in the organization. I've had the Head of Engineering once tell me that I was like an attachment to an email because I would send him a request and then walk over to ask when I could expect it. I often got more information about new features over a post-lunch walk or a smoke break than from hour-long product training sessions.

Top sales people know that mutual respect is the best way to build bridges, and that bad attitudes or name-dropping lead nowhere. My best team members would take techies out for lunches and dinners and always had multiple channels to get information or resolve customer issues, even without an upselling opportunity.

Salespeople are naturally extroverted and make friends easily because their jobs depend on it. They excel in extracurricular events and will extend their influence as much as possible. When they do this with humility and empathy, the bond lasts longer.

Bottom line—when you take care of the three aspects of setting up your Sales & Marketing teams, the culture blossoms into one that is collaborative and collective, resulting in a cohesive team that works, plays, and parties together. What targets they are chasing or their achievement against those targets has little to do with the overall culture.

Like one ex-boss told me, they are the ones pumping endorphins into the organization. I believe that while a sales team generally does inject endorphins, a happy sales team induces dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin as well, thus spreading positivity and happiness all around.

Take care of your Sales & Marketing teams, because if you choose, nurture & appreciate them, they will be taking care of your entire organisation.