How to Create Cohesion in Sales Teams
A cohesive environment increases employee satisfaction and builds teamwork towards organizational objectives. Common goals and mission-driven targets are key, but here are a few more things that will help create cohesion in your sales teams.
In the work environment, it is important for all employees to share a common goal so that everyone understands how they are benefiting the company’s bottom line. When sales reps work toward a common goal, it promotes an interdependency and a shared sense of value and purpose.
Clarify roles
With so many different titles, territories and responsibilities, it’s critical for teams to know who’s doing what. There’s inside sales, outside sales, SDR’s, marketing team and so much more that goes into a sales process. So, in order to keep everyone from stepping on each other’s toes be sure to clarify roles well and explain what responsibilities fall to each.
Provide resources
Within all teams, you need team players. Each person has special skills and attributes and each role can provide different resources to others. In order to build cohesion, you’ll need to ensure that every member has the proper resources available, knows how to use them and also knows how to help out as a resource for others.
Use team-building competitions
Sales competitions can be a great way to build team spirit. They raise the levels of awareness, focus and drive across the board. Competitions can also be a great opportunity to get your rockstars to coach and mentor your core performers toward excellence. No matter what, you do not want the competitions to become divisive. So, focus on the positives and communicate success as a whole.
Make everyone a leader
I know what you’re thinking, “easier said than done” but really, it’s quite easy. Most sales teams run into the problem of “too many chiefs and not enough Indians” where each person is out with eyes on their own quota and bonuses; but this can cause problems. Instead, ensure that each person’s own unique skills and abilities are put to use. In order to do this, you’ll need to get on a personal level with your reps to understand their unique attributes better so that you can give them leadership roles.
Reward as a whole
Just as you want to communicate success as a whole, you will want to reward as a whole in order to build rather than break team spirit. Remember, there should be no “losers”. You can reward different prizes to each team but even the last-place finishers should receive something as a token of appreciation and to keep the whole thing fun. Most of the time, competitions are not about the value of the reward but rather they are about the fun of playing.
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