You know, there isn\u2019t a more dangerous myth in sales than that of the \u201clone wolf.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n I am sure some of you have probably heard of some story about a super salesperson. Who single-handedly turned a company around with outstanding sales figures!<\/p>\n But chances are, that\u2019s just a bedtime story!\u00a0In reality, wolves work best when cooperating in a pack<\/b>.<\/p>\n By hunting as a team,\u00a0the \u2018wolves\u2019 in a sales team can tackle larger targets<\/b>\u00a0that provide a taste of\u00a0success for the whole group<\/b>.<\/p>\n Selling is a cat-and-mouse game, especially if you\u2019re in start-up territory. Staying nimble and adaptive requires every member of the pack to play their part. So, try the following to get your salespeople to work as one:<\/p>\n I always ask my team to formally or informally give me feedback so they see\u00a0sharing criticism as a positive force<\/b>, not a negative one. It can be uncomfortable, to be sure, but feedback is growth fuel for sales teams.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not sure where to start, pick a particular function to share feedback around. Rachel Clapp Miller, U.S. sales effectiveness consulting firm Force Management\u2019s VP of marketing and digital engagement, uses sales calls as an example. She makes a habit of\u00a0asking co-workers to evaluate her call performance<\/b>. In turn, she offers opinions to employees,\u00a0providing feedback to reinforce what\u2019s working well and to fix what isn\u2019t<\/b>. She urges workers to talk about their performances objectively and without self-strangling skepticism. Not only does this tactic help her and her teammates improve, but it also turns to share feedback into a cultural expectation.<\/p>\n Candid cross-pollination of ideas often works best when the boss isn\u2019t around. Sales leaders should set the process in motion but then step back and trust the team to share ideas without them.<\/p>\n Members of an effective sales team often get together for what they call their \u201cwar stories\u201d meetings. This is when they swap sales tips, vent, and coach one another.<\/b>\u00a0It\u2019s not a formal event; they meet as needed and without leaders looking over their shoulders.<\/p>\n Ringgit signs rule the minds of most salespeople. But\u00a0if you\u2019re tying your representatives\u2019 paychecks solely to what they do on their own, you\u2019re undermining the team<\/b>. At the same time, eliminating individual commissions makes it easy for poor performers to coast on the backs of sales experts.<\/p>\n Optimizing the ratio of individual-to-team compensation is tricky, but it\u2019s not impossible. Many models link somewhere between 10 and 25 percent of variable compensation to team performance<\/b>. If team targets can\u2019t be built into each individual\u2019s plan, then offer bonuses for team performance instead to demonstrate leadership\u2019s commitment to the team\u2019s success.<\/p>\n Still, have a few hold-outs on your sales team who won\u2019t get on board with collaboration?\u00a0Create a promotion policy that requires regular sharing of ideas<\/b>. Most \u201cA players\u201d are ambitious people who seek higher titles and responsibilities, and they\u2019ll do what\u2019s needed to get there.<\/p>\n Employers should dictate between eight or 10 behaviors for personal progression<\/b>. Be specific, though. It\u2019s not enough to tell salespeople to be more team-oriented. You might stipulate, for instance, that they consistently lead sales knowledge transfer sessions as part of your criteria.<\/p>\n Sales don\u2019t work the same way it did 20, 10, or even five years ago<\/b>. Buyers have gotten smarter, competitors have gotten more cunning, and market spaces have become more crowded.\u00a0\u201cLone wolf\u201d salespeople aren\u2019t bagging sales like they used to<\/b>.<\/p>\n Nowadays, it\u2019s\u00a0collaborative teams that are taking home the trophies<\/b>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Get the sales juices flowing by collaborating with colleagues and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,50,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-motivation","category-sales-leadership","category-sales-motivation"],"yoast_head":"\n1. Make healthy feedback a part of the process.<\/h4>\n
2. Encourage knowledge sharing when you\u2019re not around.<\/h4>\n
3. Balance individual and team-based compensation.<\/h4>\n
4. Build team-building into promotion criteria.<\/h4>\n