Embrace Teamwork to Improve Sales Results

We attended the Bronco’s game yesterday and as always, I was reminded of the similarities between great athletic teams and great sales teams. The first thing that came to mind is the word team. You can be a great quarterback, however, if the line isn’t tackling for you that beautiful pass never gets released. You can be a talented wide receiver; however, if the quarterback can’t throw with five guys wanting your hide, you will end up with nothing to catch. How many of you put team at the top of your list when hiring salespeople? Many sales organizations believe you must put up with non-team players and prima donnas’ in order to get top producers. These high maintenance salespeople don’t play well with others and feel they can get by with poor behavior because of their talent to sell and influence. Hmm…..wonder what would happen if Peyton Manning would have won yesterday’s game by not engaging with other members of his team? Today’s sales organizations win more business if they embrace the team concept. A recent success story comes from a local firm KPA, who specializes in HR compliance for auto dealerships. Their sales manager, Todd Hotham, holds teamwork as a core value when setting expectations for performance. As a result, his team is hitting and exceeding quota by sharing best practices, offering to help a team member in a slump and high fiving another team member when he/she is top salesperson of the month. They are also calling that top salesperson to find out what they can do better. It makes sense, doesn’t it? There is enough competition out there. Why in the world would you want to be competing with your teammates? Now, don’t misinterpret this statement. We know and expect top salespeople to be competitive. You can still be competitive, strive to be number one---and play well with others. The biggest competitor in sales is with you in executing consistent tactics and strategy that bring in business. Go team! Good Selling, Colleen Stanley Chief Selling Officer