In this Guest Article Leigh Ashton explains why taking the time to notice and then act on sales team patterns can have a positive impact on sales team performance.
Over the many years of working with sales teams from different organisations around the globe who are selling different offerings to different audiences there is one thing that consistently shows up…the top performers equate to approx. 10% of the sales team.
It’s always clear to me why these guys are the top 10%…they are naturally Growth Mindset individuals, self-driven, highly motivated to achieve, adaptable, self-leading, resilient to name but a few of their characteristics.
To be honest, they don’t even need a Sales Leader. Even when their Sales Leader isn’t that good, they are still a top performer.
I also notice that there are about 10% of the sales team that are significantly under-performing. They have generally checked out already because of a story that they are telling themselves. Consequently, they don’t need sales leadership either…they just need to decide to either save themselves or move on. Despite this, Sales Leaders often spend excessive amounts of time trying to save them and fail to do so…prolonging the agony for all concerned.
Then there’s the 80% in the middle. These are the Sales People that want to generate more sales but haven’t quite figured out how they can do it. These guys really do need a great Sales Leader. One that focuses on personal development. Someone that coaches them. One that nudges them out of their comfort zone in a manageable step by step way that grows their confidence, self-belief and sales success.
This is where the big wins are for every sales organisation and yet it isn’t happening.
Why is that?
One of the reasons is that most Sales Leaders are often top performing Sales People…the 10% that simply can’t relate to the way an 80% Sales Person thinks and behaves.
Why don’t they just do it? is one of the most common questions Sales Leaders ask me.
Because they are not YOU…I tell them.
You can’t make them think like you either. You must navigate their psychology, meet them where they are and lead them from that point to a better place. That takes time and an alternative approach for a top performer.
…and there are more sales team patterns!
Here’s something else to throw into the mix…Price’s Law. Never heard of it?Well let me share why it’s super important for a Sales Leader to understand this.
Price’s Law states that the square root of the sales team will create 50% of all sales. Yes 50%!
So, if you have 100 sales people…the square root being 10 means that as few as 10 sales people are creating 50% of your revenue.
They are also very likely to be better deals, with better clients and more profitable.
The deals that the bottom 10% generate are more likely to be less profitable and from more problematical clients.
By focusing your attention on developing your 80% Sales People who already have a desire to be more successful…you can easily smash your current revenue ceilings.
What can you do about it?
Once a Sales Person has learned and mastered your sales process, focus on developing their mindset. This is a life long journey…for them and you. We have so many layers, that uncovering what’s below the surface is the only way to understand and resolve the inner barriers that get in the way of the results that a person can achieve.
Einstein said “You cannot fix a problem at the level at which it was created”.
Therefore, you can’t resolve the issues in your sales team unless you up your mindset development skills as a Sales Leader.
If you want your team to generate more sales…it must start with you.
Before you order every book on psychology, growth mindset, quantum physics, cosmology, neurology (honestly, I could easily go on but I’ll stop there) Stop and read the next bit!
Take one thing and do it every single day until it becomes your habit. You do it without having to think about it.
Start with being curious about each person in your team.
Simply stop telling and start asking.
Ask them how they are doing? AND then shut up and listen. Don’t interrupt. Don’t jump in to fix things.
Simple though not easy…especially if you are a talker!
What you learn from doing this will uncover the best next step.
The step that will make the biggest positive impact for you and your team!
Leigh Ashton is the author of iSell, a speaker, trainer, coach…and founder of The Sales Consultancy. She develops Sales Leaders and Teams to think and perform at higher levels. She is known for increasing performance…and leaves people feeling confident, motivated and inspired to go beyond their comfort zone to achieve greater success!
We hope you’ve enjoyed Leigh’s advice on why it is important to act on Sales Team Patterns! Press the Subscribe button now to receive more Guest Articles and fresh insight from The Humble Sale straight to your inbox!
Image by Steve Johnson
