World-Class

“We’re going to create a world-class sales organization here.”

I thought I was inspiring my team. They weren’t quite so enthused.

I’d been hired as Head of Sales for a company newly combined from two former competitors. The opportunity was clear, the solutions were industry-leading, and it looked like it could be a juggernaut in the space.

I’d spent some time with this team as a consultant. I knew where the deficiencies were, and what they could be doing better. I knew how to fix things.

We had a lot to do as “One Team,” and time was of the essence. I leaned in with everything I had.

It didn’t go well, and there were a lot of lessons to take away from that experience.

I’d do things differently. I was a bit of a bull in a china shop; in too much of a hurry, and in the end, I made things harder on everybody. There were also a few red flags about the opportunity that I didn’t appreciate until much later, but that’s not really worth getting into.

Let’s go back to the “my team wasn’t quite so enthused” part I mentioned above…

• Yes, I wanted to build a world-class organization…

• Yes, there were things we could improve on…

• Yes, there were AI tools that had recently become available that were going to help us…

But my audacious declaration ignored some key truths…

It turns out that salespeople don’t like it when someone they don’t know well comes in and tells them they’re not good at something.

My three-month engagement and time spent with these sellers was good, but limited. We’d barely gotten to know each other. Then I got a title and assumed it came with authority. That’s just not how it works.

There were some sellers that were already world-class. While I recognized them, I didn’t explicitly acknowledge them often enough. I should have known better. At the time, I didn’t recognize the value of digging into those top performers and what they did. That would have won my team over and enabled the improvements we still needed to see.

There will always be things a sales team can do better. With so many things vying for your attention, it’s easy to take the disciplines for granted. A full pipeline now prevents the activities that create a full one later. A few inbound opportunities and referrals make it easy to take discovery calls for granted. A great reputation in the field makes it easy to forget the disciplines that built it.

But most salespeople still hate the idea of getting trained. They’re not lazy, and it’s not because they think they know it all.

Most sellers feel invalidated and infantilized by typical training sessions. Sure, a few of them “appreciate the refresher,” but that’s usually just a verbal pleasantry acknowledging the silver lining. What that really means is “maybe I’ll be reminded of something I’m forgetting,” and that’s being generous.

If you want to make a real impact, call out the things they’re already doing well. You can look at every person on your team and find something admirable. Even the reps who are struggling are doing something worth calling out.

Call those things out publicly. Ask them how they arrived at that habit. Ask them what it does for them, and how it’s helped. Watch them light up and get eager to share. Watch the rest of your team take notes.

You could dedicate a half day at your next offsite to this, or you could pick one person a week and spend some of your sales team meeting on it. One person gets their flowers, while the rest of the team gets inspired.

We’re dealing with adults. They don’t like to be infantilized, and they work too hard not to get some credit for it. Covey said that in order to have influence over someone, they need to feel like they have influence over you first. That means they need to feel seen and validated before they’re willing to listen. Until that time, they’ll put up resistance and convince themselves that there’s something, anything, better for them to be doing.

Going back in time, my initial assessment was correct. That team had plenty of room to improve. But in the end, it didn’t matter because I didn’t take the time to understand and appreciate what they were already doing well. The best foundation for improvement is a real understanding of why you’re already winning.

Let Me Run Your Next Sales Team Meeting: Free

My summer webinar series concluded last week, and I made an offer to everyone who attended. Pick any one of the three topics I covered, and I’ll deliver it to your team pro bono.

These are fundamental, foundational topics that will make your team think differently, and you have one less meeting to prep for as the leader. If you’re interested, just hit reply and let’s get something on the calendar.

The Shoutout

Growth is awkward. Transformation can be downright ugly. The messy middle is the part few people want to go through, and even fewer want to talk about.

I've been there for the better part of a year. Kathy Keating has been there with me. When the world felt like it was spinning too fast and my mind was in a blender, she had the wherewithal to straighten me out, point me in the right direction, and remind me of what was most important to work on.

She was also quick to remind me of what I do well. That kind of perspective matters most when you need it most.

Grateful for her foresight, wisdom, and generosity.

I’m excited about what I’m working on, and looking forward to sharing more with you. Thanks for being here, and I’ll see you next Sunday.

Cheers,
JB