- What do you think is the most important element
in building a successful sales team?
That's a tough one, right?
I think it's having the right people
for your unique company and industry.
To make sure you're hiring the best candidates
for your team, the first thing you'll need to do
is ask yourself, "What kind of sales team
"do I want to build?"
Your product, industry, and clients determine
the nature of your sales team.
For example, the kind of salespeople
that you'll bring onboard if you sell
cloud storage systems will be very different
from what you'd end up with if you sell
organic granola bars, right?
In the first case, a great sales team
would be one that is not only persuasive,
but also has deep technical expertise.
These deals usually have long sales cycles,
so you need someone that's good at prospecting
to keep the pipeline full at all times.
In addition, since they'll be meeting
with high level executives, you need people on your team
that are socially intelligent, and capable
of connecting with execs.
On the other hand, the granola bar industry
is really competitive, so you need sales reps
that have a knack for identifying holes
in their competitor's products.
This industry also has a high customer churn rate,
so you'll want to seek out reps
that excel at building long lasting relationships
so that customers don't jump ship.
Your customer and prospect base will be relatively
large here, so you'll want someone
who is methodical with their planning
and follow up processes.
Efficiency is key.
While building your team, you'll also need to consider
what's the revenue generated by one single customer?
The bigger the number, and the more you have
to spend to acquire a new customer,
the more important retaining each customer becomes.
So if you sell a high value product,
it's important to hire salespeople
that understand that the closing stage
isn't the end of the sale, but really just the beginning.
Touching base regularly and ensuring
that your customers are satisfied at all times
are just as important as closing the deal.
What team size are you hiring for?
The smaller the team, the more important it is
for the members to be well rounded.
With larger teams, it's more effective to hire people
with specialized skills, so that they can carry out
more specific tasks.
Last but not least, you'll need to make sure
candidates fit with the company culture
and team hierarchy.
Some people work better in a flatter structure,
while others prefer a more hierarchical organization.
Once you know your team's overall goals,
selling strategy, and culture, you'll have a better
understanding of what to look for when hiring.
Now, think about five characteristics
that are unique to your situation,
and then map those characteristics to your team.
Do they fit?
Great.
If not, what adjustments do you need to make
to your hiring process to ensure
that you're creating the team that you need
to get the results that you want?