To catch some folks up from previous posts, we’re talking about High Performing Sales Leaders and character traits we’d like to in addition to hard skills. We talked previously about those character traits and you can access that post here.
Our group then talked about the “hard” skills of a compelling leader. Someone we’d follow into battle. And here are the big ones:
1. Set the vision – are you still talking about call metrics? And activity reports? As a group, we talked about Vision (yes, with a capital V). We’re not JUST a supply company or phone company or . Ed Porter with Sysco Guest Supply gave the example of a telcom provider he worked for and a speech by a VP. The VP essentially shared that it’s not JUST a phone. People will forget their wallet, but not their phone. It’s a connection to their family – a means of saying good night to their babies and family, of keeping in touch, of keeping connected. Wow. That vision gives meaning and purpose to the activities of the sales team. As leaders, we MUST do a great job of communicating our vision and giving purpose to our teams. How’s your vision communicated? Does your team get the vision? When’s the last time it was communicated?
2. Set clear goals – now that the vision is in place, let’s talk about goals. This is where the rubber hits the road and “being engaged in the right activities at the right time” lines up to achieving the agreed upon goals and quota. How clear and attainable are the goals in place for your team?
3. Accountability – aside from endlessly entering data that may or may not be useful to your sales team, what does accountability look like in your team? Is there a scorecard in place? Consistent coaching and feedback loops in place? Here’s the secret, when these pieces of the puzzle are put in place, the benefits are numerous and plentiful. The expectations are set and clear for your team, you as a leader have clear data to share, and there are no surprises at the end of the year come review time. How cool is that.