Being a successful sales leader requires an understanding of the sales process and your team’s strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, many sales leaders make common mistakes based on misconceptions, or delusions, about how their team should operate. Let’s take a look at four delusions that sales leaders often make and how to avoid them.
Delusion #1: More is Always Better when it comes to sales targets
Many sales leaders create aggressive targets for their teams with the idea that more is always better. However, this can lead to burnout and frustration as team members struggle to meet unrealistic goals. To get the best performance from your team, be realistic when setting goals and reward progress towards those goals in order to drive motivation. For better sales you can use the sales enablement process because it provides better resources to your sales team to close more deals.
Delusion #2: Everyone on the Team should have the Same Approach
Not every member of your sales force is going to respond well to the same tactics or strategies. While it’s important for there to be consistency across the board, it’s also important for each individual member of your team to find what works best for them in order to optimize their performance. Allow members of your team some freedom within boundaries so that they can develop their own strategies while also staying within company guidelines.
Delusion #3: Cold Calling is Dead
Cold calling may not be as popular as it once was but it still remains one of the most effective ways of generating leads and converting prospects into customers. It takes time, persistence and professionalism but cold calling can still be a game-changer in any salesperson’s playbook if used correctly. Encourage your team members who are hesitant about cold calling by providing tips on how they can improve their effectiveness on calls while also managing any potential objections they may face from prospects in order to maximize success rates.
Delusion #4: Customer Service doesn’t Matter in Sales
Many times, customer service gets overlooked in favour of closing deals quickly but nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to making sure customers are happy with their purchases in the long run—and this starts before they even buy anything! Make sure that all members of your team have an understanding of customer service principles such as taking time with customers, answering questions accurately, listening carefully and responding promptly so as not to lose out on opportunities or referrals down the line due to poor customer service practices.
Conclusion
As a successful sales leader, being aware of these four common delusions will help you become more mindful about how you manage your team and ensure that everyone stays focused on reaching their goals without sacrificing quality customer service or running into burnout due to unrealistic expectations. Keep these points top-of-mind when leading a successful sales force! Also, invest in automation technologies like Salesforce Integration, zapier integrations, hubspot integrations and more for your business growth.