Is your sales culture worthy?
Is your sales culture worthy of the love from the best-of-the-best sales professional, the Sales Wolf?
Not so fast... Don't assume you have a Sales Wolf on your team because it is possible but unlikely.
Reality check - A salesperson who outsells everyone on your sales team is not necessarily a Sales Wolf.
Sales Wolves are rare.
Most everyone wants to win at some level.
What separates Sales Wolves from everyone else is the level they will push themselves to win.
Sales Wolves are absolutely relentless.
When a Sales Wolf loses (which isn't often), they quickly look in the mirror at the cause of their lost sale. They autopsy to see where they can improve. They then make improvements and repeat.
Sales Wolves abhor excuses. They hate posers. They hate wasting time.
Sales Wolves LOVE the hunt and they LOVE results.
Sales Wolves consistently sell in the top 20th percentile of their sales team. In a typical sales team Sales Wolves outsell everyone else combined by a multiple.
If you wish to truly know if a particular salesperson is an actual Sales Wolf, contact us and we will assess them.
Stop giving your Sales Wolves reason to hate you.
Running a sales team is a challenge. Strong sales management is both art and science yet not brain surgery.
Couple strong sales management with real Sales Wolves, strong sales processes and solid sales culture and you will have magic.
It is rare that I see all three combined. Unfortunately, sales management is often complicated by conflict avoidance and some level of incompetence.
Are you creating a sales culture Sales Wolves hate?
Which are you guilty of?
- Playing favorites.
- Failing to model personal accountability.
- Hiring weak salespeople.
- Retaining low performers.
- Failing to invest in your sales team.
Never, ever play favorites.
You know if you are playing favorites. And so do your Sales Wolves.
When you give someone undue attention or favor who is not a Sales Wolf, you are guilty of playing favorites.
Sales Wolves hate any kind of favor that isn't directly-tied to getting results.
Only Sales Wolves can be your true favorites and they aren't favorites. They are Sales Wolves.
Sales Wolves deserve your attention.
Model personal accountability.
Few things frustrate a Sales Wolf more than being around someone who cannot own up to mistakes they make.
Sales Wolves aren't interested in blame. They are committed to action.
Sales Wolves are focused on continuously improving. They always look into the mirror to engage the only person they have control over to get it done - themselves.
You would be wise to do the same.
Stop hiring posers.
There are two kinds of salespeople - Sales Wolves and everyone else posing as sales professionals.
Thanks to modern sales personality testing coupled with solid hiring practices, you should be able to consistently hire Sales Wolves.
One of the serious consequences of choosing to not consistently hire Sales Wolves is the lost belief of your existing Sales Wolves. Hire a poser and your existing Sales Wolves will know immediately.
Regardless of how desperate you are for a body in the street or on the phone, you should never hire anyone who does not have the requisite sales personality and sales background.
Show low performers the door.
When you allow a low performer to stay on your sales team, they use resources others could and should be using. Worse yet, you make a statement that mediocrity is acceptable.
Sales Wolves HATE mediocrity. It makes them want to vomit (literally). Sales Wolves will distance themselves from you and eventually your company if ANY mediocrity is allowed.
Take decisive, fair action with low performers.
Invest in your sales team.
Sales Wolves LOVE to learn and they LOVE the latest in technology and processes. It is IMPOSSIBLE to invest too much on learning and technology for your Sales Wolves.
Few companies get this because they are paying for low performers and the spinning recruitment door.
Keep your sales team geared up with the latest training, technology and processes.
Take stock, then take action.
Chances are one or more of the previously-mentioned five areas rung a bell with you.
Take stock and take action. NOW.
Better yet... If you, yourself are Wolf Class, you will engage your Sales Wolves in a candid dialogue. Ask your Sales Wolves what is working and not working for them. Don't invite any posers for obvious reasons.
Then take action.
