BY C. Lee Smith
Many sales managers believe that having top talent is the way to meet their department’s goals. Jon Levy, author of "Team Intelligence: How Brilliant Leaders Unlock Collective Intelligence," says it’s more complicated. And our research indicates that the recipe for developing a successful sales team requires an optimal mix of ingredients and preparation.
The challenge of using top talent
There’s an old saying that too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth. All those cooks will insist on doing things their way and no acceptable flavor will emerge.
Business leaders often pay top money for as much talent as they can get. They know that great talent will produce great products. But, like the cooks-in-the-kitchen problem, team members with great talent often clash. They may deliberately sink someone else’s great idea because they want their moment to shine.
How to build a team with the right skills
Each time a manager adds a new member to the sales team, they have the opportunity to strengthen team unity and outcomes. To understand how a prospective new hire will impact a team, managers should turn to an assessment platform like TeamTrait.
Assessment results allow managers to see the skill and work gaps in their existing teams. Understanding the work traits of the existing team can guide managers as they review the skills and attributes of job applicants.
The unique Team Traits report lists and scores the attributes necessary for success and benchmarks them against a global average. If the current team members score lower than average in a key area, such as problem and situation analysis, managers must try to close the gap.
The hiring manager should focus on applicants who excel at sales discovery. This type of sales professional could elevate the performance of the entire team. They can lead by example in terms of their discovery process.
How to hire for manager fit
A good fit with the potential manager is another critical consideration when hiring a new team member. The relationship between a manager and a team member is key. We asked sales professionals if they would follow their current manager to another company in the absence of contract conflicts. Only 43% said yes. This low level of allegiance is concerning.
Part of the poor fit between a manager and employee centers around communication. Other factors may include work style and the way a manager provides feedback.
TeamTrait’s assessments provide insight into how well a candidate will fit with a prospective manager. A manager can always hire an employee where the fit isn’t optimal. In these cases, they’ll want to be intentional about reviewing the ways they can improve their interaction with these employees. Doing so lifts the performance of that employee and the entire team.
How to improve leadership
Levy emphasizes that success is “about how we align, focus and unlock the resources within our teams.” Every leader has unique superpowers and weaknesses. They aren’t good at everything.
For example, our research shows sales reps have frustrations regarding their managers. The top weaknesses of their managers are:
- Not motivating 25%
- Micromanaging 25%
- Shifts blame 24%
There are other leadership issues that result in a struggle to manage a successful sales team. A deeper dive into our data indicates that only 61% of sales professionals have a crystal-clear idea of the best way to work and communicate with others in the company.
Communication skills focus
Managing a team requires excellent communication skills. As a manager, you owe it to your team to study your own assessment data. If the results point to room for improvement, commit to taking courses.
In one-on-one meetings, you can also guide team members. Using their assessment data, talk with them about the best ways to interact with team members and with contacts outside the business.
Managers make a big difference in terms of whether employees fit together as a team. To lead your successful sale team, emphasize healthy interaction and communication. And make the most of the ingredients — team members — you have by using assessment data when making decisions.
Image by Yan Krukau on Pexels.
