HTSS205 - Why your sales team is failing (part 2) - Scott Sylvan Bell

The reasons why your sales team is failing 

This may be a tough conversation for some Executives, Business Owners as well as Managers. It's not always the sales team's problem that creates a lack of sales. For this reason, we are not going to talk about salespeople. We will exclude salespeople from this conversation just for a moment. For a moment we will imagine that they are perfect. This is the only way we can examine this side of the conversation. 

The problems internally in your business

When you look at the people inside your business running they show, are they the right people? You could have the right team inside the sales department with a great manager and great team.   You could have a wrong culture outside of the sales team. Your support staff may be the problem. There is no common goal to take care of the client. There is the idea “I need to get my job done and the client will work around me”. This is where the office makes it difficult to do business:

• They reschedule
• They don’t call back / email
• They don’t care about the outcome of the client
• The process is more important than anything else
• They talk trash on salespeople
• They say persnickety things to salespeople

The office created problems for salespeople 

When the office staff doesn't want to help clients or help salespeople in their roles it creates chaos. Salespeople can hit downturns in sales for the sole reason they get caught up in all of the office issues. These feelings can make salespeople question, their role as well as if the buyer is going to be happy with the product, service, install or delivery. This is a tough feeling for salespeople as they can think internally:

• You want me to close the deal but you don't want to give me the help I need
• You want me to get the “gross profit” but the office can hinder the process 
• You want me to keep clients “happy” after they have had problems with the office
• You want a ton of things, but what you don't want to do is focus on the client 

Salespeople end up thinking "Now I'm worried" and they are not focused on closing the deals. They start to focus on all of the problems they are going to face after the deal. 

How your office also creates problems for salespeople 

Sometimes your staff looks for perfection that can never be obtained. People in the office are paid by the hour or by salary from the deal that has been closed. They just want to get "their task" done. Sometimes the office just doesn't care. There are also times where there are bullies in the office. Where this business disconnect comes from:

• Ownership and or upper management that doesn’t see the problem – they don’t know its happening
• Ownership and upper management doesnt care – things are good the way they are
• People who have never seen the other side of the rainbow – small companies that have never been big
• Legacy managers – those who want things the way they have always been
• Bullies – someone who always has to get their way or always be in control
• A belief in the office that salespeople are evil and overpaid – I am going to punish them for past sins of horrible people
• The lack of saying what needs to be said in company meetings
• Poor accountability over time

How to make your sales team perform better 

Your sales team has the capability of being great. There are actions you can take as an Executive, Business Owner, or Manager. Some of these truths may be uncomfortable to hear and or see. Here are the places you may hear about the problems you have in your office:

• A consultant friend hears and shares this episode of the "How to sell show"
• A Sales manager goes to the ownership and or management
• The topic is brought up ion a sales meeting
• Old employees bring it up
• A new employees bring it up
• People leave and the conversation happens at the end of the term
• Your clients cancel and or complain

Why your sales team fails from the office results in 

There are real-life problems created by issues in your office. The repercussions of a office that is stuck in doing things their way hurt your business. They also can make Executives, Business Owners, and Managers look ineffective and weak. You can end up with: 

• Lost deals
• Lost revenue
• Lost office staff
• Lost salespeople
• Bad reputations

Here is how you can fix poor office performance 

There are ways for you to get back on track. Your ability to find a path to helping a sales team is possible. Here are some steps you can take to get a high-performance sales team:

• Really examine what happens in an organization
• Listen to what the team is saying – sometimes you will have to go to them and ask. If you have people that don’t complain and now they are… there is a problem.
• Allow for candid feedback – Know some Managers held meetings before the meetings to “put everyone in their place”. 
• Outside interviews – Hire consultants
• Client surveys – on-site interviews and face-to-face conversations.