Sales leaders must be both effective managers and great coaches by arming their salespeople with the skills to be successful and managing their strengths.

This week, we identify the final 5 keys to success in leading a sales team.

A good sales manager helps salespeople by arming them with the skills, knowledge, and strategies to help them be successful. A good coach motivates people by managing their strengths, hopes, and dreams, holding them accountable, and helping them recover from negative encounters. A good sales leader must be both a good manager and a good coach.

We have identified 10 keys to success in leading a sales team. In a previous blog, we dove into the first five keys. Today, we will expand on 6-10.

1. Guiding the team to set extraordinary goals
2. Managing excuse making
3. Understanding the Will to Sell and Sales DNA factors beneath sales behavior
4. Following a coaching process
5. Coaching the deal and coaching for skill development
6. Establishing personal and business goal setting
7. Leading consistent sales huddles
8. Creating a hiring profile and having a candidate pipeline
9. Coaching a stage-based sales process
10. The shadow of the leader

Establishing personal and business goal setting: Unfortunately, the results of thousands of sales management evaluations tell us that most managers do not know the personal goals of their salespeople. If a leader needs to get to the heart of why their salesperson is not reaching business sales goals, they must understand how they are motivated and what personally motivates them. Is the salesperson intrinsically or extrinsically motivated? Does their salesperson respond to being at the top of the stack ranking and recognized by others, or is money or freedom to run their business more important? Let’s face it, we all work to have time, money, and freedom. If a sales manager does not understand what is important to the salesperson (vacation, retirement, education, etc.), how can they establish appropriate activity goals and coach their salespeople? We offer a comprehensive Personal & Business Workplan template that can help sales managers with this critical goal-setting process.

Leading consistent sales huddles: Huddles, as defined by Verne Harnish, founder and President of Gazelles, are:

1. A communication process or system that allows for sharing of real-time information
2. An opportunity to focus on “burning platform” issues for a team or company
3. A way to bring sharp focus and attention to a critical business driver
4. The most important 15 minutes in any company

If a sales manager does not have a regular and timely means to monitor what is going on in the field in real-time, they cannot coach or adjust the play or get in front of any client issues or trends. Huddles should provide real-time information so that sales managers can make real-time decisions and provide real-time feedback or coaching.

Creating a hiring profile and having a candidate pipeline: Most sales leaders start the recruiting process when there is an opening. Managers should be recruiting all the time so that when that happens, they are prepared and have a recruiting list. The first step is to create a profile of the ideal person in the role by identifying, evaluating, and listing specific skills and traits of current top producers. Then, gather management and others in the company to ask who they know that fits that description. This is how you start to create a recruiting list. A hiring profile and candidate pipeline are necessary for new and tenured sales leaders. It is a critical piece in any sales management training program.

Coaching a stage-based sales process: According to the #1 sales assessment in the world, elite salespeople follow a stage-based sales system. By mastering the process and asking the right questions at the right time, top producers take the prospect through a discovery process and identify the problem or pain, monetize that pain, and then uncover the time, resources, and budget to fix that problem. Within that stage-based sales process, skilled salespeople also discuss the current provider relationship, decision-making process, and commitment level to make a change. This stage-based process is essential for a coach to help their salespeople discover where they are getting stuck and coach them to the next level. We know that by implementing a consistent sales process, companies can achieve a 15% lift. Make certain that your sales management training program includes this important area.

The shadow of the leader: Being a sales leader is not an easy job- they have many responsibilities with multiple activities to get done throughout the day. But, a sales leader’s #1 job is to make their people wildly successful and improve their skills so they are more successful than they would have been on their own. Casting the shadow of the leader also involves a continual focus on self-development to become a better manager and coach. Commitment cannot be taught, but it can be demonstrated. 

This article is the 1st place winner of the 2022 Sales Pro Central MVP Awards on Sales Leadership!

In our sales management training, we have developed 10 keys and a framework of activities that provide a new or tenured sales leader with a roadmap they need to put in place to help lead their team to greater sales success.

Most companies engage in sales training, but we have found over our 30 years of business that few invest in sales management training. In part, due to the theory that a successful salesperson can transition to teaching and coaching others to do the same. This theory is flawed because there are very different skills required of sales managers than salespeople- the most important being the driving desire to develop and achieve success through others. Both roles do include a focus on relationship selling and the ability to quickly and effectively find and develop a bond with others. However, the core skills of a sales manager involve understanding how to transition from actively doing to teaching and coaching. In our sales management training, we have developed a framework of activities that provide a new or tenured sales leader with specific activities they need to put in place to help lead their team to greater success.

Here are 10 keys to success for leading a sales team:

1. Guiding the team to set extraordinary goals
2. Managing excuse-making
3. Understanding the Will to Sell and Sales DNA factors beneath sales behavior
4. Following a coaching process
5. Coaching the deal and coaching for skill development
6. Establishing personal and business goal setting
7. Leading consistent sales huddles
8. Creating a hiring profile and having a candidate pipeline
9. Coaching a stage-based sales process
10. The shadow of the leader

Guiding the team to set extraordinary goals: One of the biggest complaints of most salespeople is that their goals are set by the company and are not realistic. What is interesting about that is if a sales leader effectively takes their salespeople through a process of establishing their own goals, salespeople will typically set them higher than the company might. In our sales management training, we help managers with a specific approach of establishing Extraordinary Goals. Utilizing a matrix like the one below, a sales manager begins by asking the salesperson what a good goal for their year is, then discusses poor and failing levels. Once those are established they have a conversation about what an Excellent year would look like and then what an Extraordinary year would be. Numbers are essential, along with a discussion of what would be needed to achieve these levels. Once all those numbers are established the sales leader asks the salespeople to which level they want to be managed and coached. Most high-performing salespeople will choose the top level. The key, however, is the sales leader must ask the salesperson if they will allow them to be coached to that level, and gains the understanding that it will be hard and challenging. Utilizing this process, the salesperson has established their own goal and will be more committed to doing what it takes to achieve it.

Managing excuse-making: We all make excuses, but one of the skills of top-performing salespeople is their ability to own their outcomes and results. In our sales management training, we help sales leaders understand the commitment levels of their salespeople and then how to coach to those various levels. We can all recognize some salespeople will do Whatever It Takes, which we call WIT. These salespeople rarely, if ever, blame the market, the company, or anything other than their actions for lack of success. So here is the strategy. When asked, "Why do you think you did not reach your annual goal, Joe?” Joe says, “Look how many accounts I am managing! How can I do this client servicing work and still bring in new business?” The sales manager replies, “If I did not let you use that excuse, what would you have done differently?” This approach reaps great success because it puts the ball squarely back in the salesperson's court, and they must think about how they could have adjusted their activities to achieve a different result. They must own it.

Understanding the Will to Sell and Sales DNA factors beneath sales behavior: When a salesperson does not prospect enough, avoids asking about the budget in the sales process, or does not ask enough strong qualifying questions, it is often the result of their underlying Will to Sell and Sales DNA. It is impossible to coach these behaviors without understanding what lies beneath the salesperson's actions. Relationship selling is a complex skill, and a sales coach will want to understand these underlying factors about their salespeople to effectively coach them to higher levels of performance. For example, if a salesperson does not believe that they have the right to ask budget questions or is uncomfortable doing so (uncomfortable discussing money), they won't ask. It is easy to teach a technique and help them with questions they can be comfortable with once they understand what is getting in their way.

1. Gain insight: find out what is happening or not happening through huddle data or observational coaching, schedule a coaching session
2. Provide feedback: have quality conversations that are timely and specific, asking questions of their salespeople to help them self-discover, and gain agreement on the real problems
3. Demonstrate and instruct: Identify skill gaps, demonstrate mastery of the skill, and instruction on critical steps to improve
4. Roleplay: Complete a pre-call for an upcoming call, RM roleplays, complete a post-call debrief together, coach gaps
5. Develop an action plan: determine action steps, observe, inspect and coach again, celebrate results, and address failure
   

Coaching the deal and coaching for skill development: Many sales coaches are great at coaching the deal, helping a salesperson understand if the prospect fits their target, researching the industry and issues, the complexities of the structure of the deal, etc. However, at a separate time, sales managers must focus on sales behaviors to help a salesperson make improvements in their strategies, skills, and approach. We recommend establishing coaching hours on the calendar. This is when a salesperson commits to a meeting with their manager, reviews a prospect pre or post-call and reviews the questions they will ask/asked, and completes a qualifying scorecard on the prospect. This is time to sharpen their sword. One of the most important jobs of the sales manager is to practice with their salespeople, take time to help them with a new approach, ask questions differently, and help them get comfortable with closing questions. This time is set aside not to focus on a deal but to improve skills and affect behavior change. Remember, change takes repetition and practice!

Tune in to our blog next week for the Sales Leader's final 5 keys to leading their team to success!

1. Know and Focus on Your Target: If you are familiar with the 80/20 Rule, you know that the majority of your revenue comes from about 20% of your clients. Spend time defining their profile and determining how to find and reach more of them. You may have several profiles; for example, we work with both banks and insurance firms. In my outbound sales efforts, however, I must focus and put on one of my profile hats. If I am looking to increase my outbound lead generation with banks, I need to think about where bank CEOs spend time, what they read, their biggest problems, and what my message to them will be. LinkedIn, Google, associations, and competitors are all great resources to help you refine your prospect approach. This is not a one-time event; you should always be gathering industry information about your target.
   
   
2. Do Your Research: Think about all the irrelevant emails you receive and dedicate yourself to not being one of those senders. There is a place for mass emails, but here, I’m speaking of one-to-one outbound lead generation. Once you've determined that a particular company is worthy of outreach, find out everything you can about them. If you have a resource like HubSpot, you can see other connections within the company. If you utilize ZoomInfo, you can pull down contact information and even org charts to help customize your outbound sales efforts.
   
   
3. Customize Your Outreach: We are not big proponents of systematic emails – you will have a greater chance of being noticed if you customize your email or call with something you know is on your prospect’s mind. I do outbound calling for bank and insurance associations, and every single time, before I reach out, I visit their websites to see what’s new and what events they are working on. It takes time, but it makes my message more relevant. If you are working within an industry, you can use information you’ve learned from one company for another. I religiously read our industry newsletters and competitors’ marketing messages to my target as it helps me be smarter and more relevant with my outbound sales outreach.
   
   
4. Don’t Expect a Response: We all know that our increasingly virtual world has increased the likelihood of being ignored. Yesterday I sent out 11 custom email outreaches and heard back from 1. Today, I will follow up with all 11 and send out 11 more. In a couple of weeks, I will reach out again, further refining my message. Some prospects never respond, which may mean they are not a prospect, or at least not right now. Your outbound sales strategy must include being resilient and persistent. Let’s face it – you have to prove your way in the door, find a connection, and give a compelling reason for that person to engage with you. Don’t expect a response, but be thrilled if you get one, and…
   
   
5. Respond Quickly and Efficiently: This might go without saying, but your level of enthusiasm and timeliness in responding is critical. Don’t overwhelm the prospect with everything you have. Answer their questions and offer one additional helpful suggestion – what has worked for others is always a good idea. This is a conversation, not a sales pitch, so focus on how to help. If helping your prospect solve a problem is always your goal, your outbound sales strategy will be effective.
   
   
6. Be Excellent with the Details: Try to minimize the back-and-forth communication by anticipating what the prospect will need. Make it as easy as possible for them once they are engaged. Be the resource that makes them think, "Wow, that was a great experience, and I got what I needed." Deliver what you promise, and remember the adage: don’t overpromise and underdeliver. Give them more than they asked for.
   
   
7. Don’t Forget to Thank Them, Follow Up, and Build the Relationship: This may seem obvious, but think of your outbound lead generation strategy as a pipeline to others. Thank them, ask for feedback, and see if you can help in any other way. If you feel confident they were pleased, ask for a testimonial, a Google review, or an introduction to another company. If a salesperson truly understands your business, provides an excellent solution, and is easy and efficient to work with, wouldn’t you want to help them grow their business?

• I never want to miss these sales meetings
• I am more motivated to go sell now
• I learned something today that will help me be more successful

Effective sales meeting strategies begin with understanding what it takes to be a motivational leader. We partner with Objective Management Group, the pioneer and leader in sales evaluations who has identified these 4 strengths in top performing, motivational leaders: they know what motivates their people, they have a strong self-image, they give recognition regularly, and they do not accept mediocrity. Another strength of motivational leaders is the ability to understand how their people are motivated, whether that is intrinsically or extrinsically. Tied very closely to understanding motivation is the ability to drive successful goal setting efforts to uncover both personal and professional goals that will motivate and drive the necessary activities to achieve established goals and results. Too many sales leaders do not understand how and why their salespeople are motivated. While there is no pixie dust to motivating people; if there was, it would be understanding what makes salespeople tick, whether it is college education for their 3 kids or recognition and status of being a top performer. Sales leaders must know this about their people.

All that said, what then specifically can help sales managers be more effective with their sales meetings? Ideally, leaders have two different kinds of meetings regularly with their teams:  Huddles and Sales Meetings. Huddles focus on burning platform issues, they are brief (15 minutes typically) and urgent on a consistent time/day & agenda and involve reporting on smart numbers/predictive indicators that drive success for the organization. Sales Huddles are a communication process that helps managers gain real-time information for real-time coaching and always include an action plan and follow-up.  Huddles help managers identify who needs coaching for future one on one coaching sessions. They also typically include a scorecard that stack ranks their people on the smart numbers, adding transparency and competitiveness to the Huddle. Here is an example of a Huddle Scorecard:

For longer, usually monthly meetings, here are 4 effective sales meeting strategies:

1. They must have a Purpose: Recognition, important sales information, interaction, learning, skill development
2. They must have appropriate Frequency & Duration: Driven by the “sales cycle”, monthly recognition for success, long enough to cover sales but short enough to hold attention
3. They must have a compelling Structure: CEO message (high-level production), results (stack ranking)
4. They must share Great Content: Sales idea/concept, stories of success and failure, including examples outside of the company including Ted Talks and other motivational resources

If sales leaders deliver these 4 strategies above, they will likely have sales meetings that have their salespeople thinking “I never want to miss these.” Their salespeople will learn something, leave the meeting feeling motivated and with something that will help them TODAY. 

Much like a salesperson who should “never leave home” without a pre-call plan, sales managers must own the responsibility to plan, develop and deliver motivational sales meetings. Put your sales meetings to the test today by implementing these 4 effective sales meeting strategies above.

With today’s current interest rate environment, inflation and intense competition, many banks are struggling with a flat or declining deposit forecast. There has never been a more critical time for setting the strategy, implementing a plan and leading the charge for deposit growth. Here are 3 steps your bank can implement that are working for community banks across the country to drive growth.

• Set the Strategy: Leadership must be clear as to the best strategies to drive growth and communicate those clearly, train around the strategy and monitor results. Several current growth strategies include focusing your people on deposit rich industries and creating teams of expertise for serving those clients. Small and mid-size businesses are looking for experts and advice in their industry so this is a long-term focus. Another strategy involves the much needed “financial wellness” advantage that banks inherently have but do not often leverage.
  
  Recent studies indicate that less than 40% of consumers think they are on track to meet financial goals. Your people must be trained on how to navigate from a transactional event to a broader exploratory conversation.
  
  A third strategy to consider is better utilizing the power of rewards checking programs. Having well trained frontline personnel ready to effectively communicate the benefits to adding additional accounts to receive benefits can be a game changer. In fact, one recent study validated that there is a direct correlation between the success of a rewards-checking program and the level of employee engagement. Setting the strategy is crucial to leading the charge for customer acquisition and driving deposit growth.
  
  
• Implement the Plan: Keeping the plan simple and visible are two keys to its’ success. Implementing a Success Formula by region, branch, and individual like the sample below is one way to clearly establish the goals and gain the engagement from the branch CSR, as they help establish the activity goals. 

The Success Formula helps the individual and the bank understand where the problem areas are, such as not enough outreach or not enough appointments. By monitoring and updating the Success Formula, the branch manager can help coach their people for skill development, which of course is the long-term goal. Implementing a plan to establish goals and monitor success is key to achieving success with client acquisition and deposit growth.

• Leading the Charge: Often referred to as Shadow of the Leader, one impactful way to lead the charge is to engage and share how you, the leader will contribute to the growth goals. In most markets, bank execs are very connected to the community and have enormous opportunity to connect and drive new business and growth. Leading the charge should also be through holding Huddles with your teams focusing on specific, established burning platform metrics.  Everyone attends the weekly huddle, reports on activity, no excuses. It is a great way to keep the focus on this important initiative and can create a team friendly and competitive environment.
  
  The most important component in leading is the ability to not accept excuses. When faced with reasons why they cannot perform, consider asking your people this question; “If I did not allow you to use that as an excuse, what would you do differently?” You may well be surprised with what your people can do when they are forced to take responsibility for their activities and goal attainment.