Title: Lead, Follow, AND Get Out of the Way! How to Build a Great Sales Team! 2009 was a trying and difficult year for businesses of any size. Regardless of the industry, product sales suffered greatly last year. This left many companies in the catch 22 of having to downsize — even in the sales department — just to survive the economic landslide of ’09. Organizations were forced to reduce their ability to reach out to clients just at the point where they needed even more face time and client “touches” to maintain market share. The calendar page has turned and 2010 is looking more promising. The big challenge now is how to recover the lost contact with clients and begin to rebuild and grow sales. My thoughts on this issue may be a bit unique, but I can tell you that these strategies have worked for my sales team in both 2009 and 2010. Our results were impressive — our market was down 25% in 2009, but we grew 12% and INCREASED our market share! Our momentum continued right into 2010, and our 1st quarter ’10 sales figures showed a recovering market (+5%) but we were almost four times that growth (+19%)! My philosophy is simple — LEAD, FOLLOW AND GET OUT OF THE WAY! LEAD — Leadership is a complicated and deep issue and I’m not going to try and address every nuance of it here. However, here are three ways I prepare my team for battle each and every day. 1- Aptitude — We have weekly sales meetings that do much more than just cover general housekeeping items. I plan my meetings in a series, much like sermons, to keep the attention and energy flowing from one week to the next. I incorporate current industry trends, late breaking info, enhanced product knowledge and more into my topics. Also, I actively engage my team with a monthly feature called “You Run the Meeting” — each team member is responsible for planning one meeting per month on any relevant topic they choose. Sometimes they bring in outside speakers, take the team on a field trip to see a new business, or prepare their own PowerPoint presentation on a topic they are passionate about. 2- Attitude — At least 50% of my work effort revolves around making sure that my team is prepared mentally for the task at hand. I reward great performances publicly during the sales meetings, with a “Wall of Fame” where great sales are posted, and individually with small gifts and tokens to let each person know that I care about them and value their efforts. If an attitude needs to be “enhanced” I usually take that person to lunch and talk about what is clouding their vision and try to help them get back on the path to positivity quickly. 3- Trust — I try to instill a belief in each sales person that I trust them and their ability to make decisions on the company’s behalf. If they make a mistake, I always back them up and help solve the problem while teaching them so the mistake is not repeated. I value their opinions and push them up the line to upper management when appropriate. In short, I treat them like adults and professionals, and try to create an atmosphere of teamwork, camaraderie, and unity of focus on our goals. FOLLOW — Very simply, “following” means listening and taking into account suggestions and ideas that can make our department function at a higher level. Here are 3 ways I try to “follow”: 1- Channel The Energy - I have a team of eight highly trained, focused, driven, type A sales persons. They each have their own unique set of experiences, hopes, dreams, passions, and desires for their careers, and that diversity of thought is very powerful if channeled properly. I use their individual energy, creativity and problem solving solutions to take the collective team to a higher level. 2- Build Attitudes from Within — Channeling and directing their energy helps to create a culture of teamwork, trust, and respect in our department. This positive environment breeds the positive attitude that we strive for and increases productivity. 3- Have Fun — My team has gotten to the point where they can sense building tensions in the department, and one of them will suggest something to ease the stress. We have had impromptu lunches together, gone to a movie as a group, hit happy hour on a Friday — whatever turns the knob on the stress relief valve and gets the pressure off, at least for a while! GET OUT OF THE WAY- I know that some of you will have a problem with this one. If you are a micro-manager, a task-master, or you really don’t trust your sales folks to fend for themselves, you will not agree with me on this one. I’m okay with that — I know that this tactic works and I encourage you to open your mind and try it. It will take courage and strength, but it is the most empowering way you can motivate your sales team, especially after the tough year each of them lived through in 2009: 1- Decisions are Made in the Field — My sales persons know that if they get into a tough negotiation with a buyer, that I trust them to use their knowledge, experience and intellect to make the call they need to make on pricing, production timing, etc. I do not want them calling me every time it gets tough — if that happens, their power in dealing with the client in the future is severely crippled, and their confidence in handling tough situations will be greatly diminished. 2- Mistakes Happen and So Does Learning — The only way sales people really learn their craft is in making mistakes. Selling is not a black and white function, especially in an industry like ours that deals in intangibles. We sell confidence and trust just as much if not more than the success of our products. If one of my sales folks makes a questionable decision, I always back them up with the client and upper management, we learn from it, and we move on! 3- Pave the Road — I never take credit for my sales team’s success — each of them individually performs at a high level to contribute to the team’s achievement. What I do take credit for is creating the environment that allows each person to flourish. I call this “paving the road”. I smooth out the bumps, put up signs telling them when danger is approaching or a sharp curve is coming, and then get out of the way and let them drive as fast as possible toward their personal goals! Take a look at your sales organization and think long and hard about the culture of the department. Are you ready to thrive and not just survive in 2010? I suggest you LEAD, FOLLOW, AND GET OUT THE WAY — your team will respond and your bottom line will reach new heights in the months ahead!