Dynamic Sales Teams in Tech Start-Ups

A Revolving Door Is Not a Sign of a Dynamic Sales Team

“This book was written primarily for the benefit of Frontline and Mid-level Sales Leaders.”

Ryan Johns

In his recent book “The LeaderShift towards Functional Know-How” Ryan Johns writes about critical leadership skills for a dynamic sales team:

“One of the most glaring challenges that I have seen globally, among both senior and frontline leadership teams, is the inability to formalize a clear vision for their company or business unit. Without it, it becomes almost impossible to properly align talent and the resources needed to achieve the company’s mission.”

Some employees do work that's not exciting or stimulating. It may be repetitive and, at times, even boring. But if you have a meaningful mission, then no matter what they're doing, employees can say their activity has impact and meaning. That connection can be a powerful motivator. (https://www.vendux.org/blog/motivation-101-for-sales-leaders)

Ryan: “This is when the claim of “hiring the right talent is sometimes a crapshoot” becomes an almost certain reality. This is also when some leaders blame the employees when things go wrong instead of taking culpability. The reason being is because pointing the finger at the lack of talent seems to be the most universally accepted option.”

Accountability is one of those traits that makes a great leader. They take responsibility for the results, and in the process, take a little more than their share in the blame and a little less in praise. They accept the blame for the team result and do not play the blame game. (https://www.vendux.org/blog/what-makes-a-great-sales-leader-the-ultimate-guide)

Ryan: “A number of organizations, especially in the start-up sector, assume that firing quickly is the most plausible course of action. I honestly think it’s because they excel on the process and technology sides but struggle to truly understand the human element of business. We tend to discard the thing that we comprehend the least.”

A revolving door is not a sign of a dynamic sales team, just the opposite. Sales is a people business. A sales team is a group of often highly individualistic members selling in turn to a diverse group of decision-makers, people buying from people. B2B is a misnomer. We are selling to people within a business, and people are much more complex and unpredictable than the companies they represent. We need to think about their workplace dynamics, their ambitions, their inherent biases, and so forth. (https://www.vendux.org/blog/does-your-sales-team-keep-you-up-at-night)

Ryan: “Technology is often the variable in which we over-index it’s value. That’s probably why there is such an overabundance of it on the market today. There are three critical elements to achieving predictable team success. They are what I call the 3 Ts of Effective Team Performance.

1.     Talent - understanding the “natural” cognitive and behavioral tendencies of an individual

2.     Training - the process of cultivating talent into repeatable and quantifiable skill

3.     Technology - the relevant software tools that we should leverage to accelerate and systematize performance

The best Leaders have the ability to objectively identify, assess, and maximize all three.”

And you can follow a checklist! Here is an example. Start at the beginning, check each step off before moving to the next, and do not jump to the end because hiring is indeed the last step of a process.

• Based on your initial sales, clearly describe the need(s) you are addressing with your product (and test your positioning with potential clients).

• Define your target market(s) and target persona(s). Homogeneous markets with the least level of granularity.

• Create your messaging. One clear message is better than a smorgasbord of buying reasons. 

• Create your pricing. Be very specific, tie it to the value of your product, provide the justification, and avoid any ambiguity.

• Create your collateral, the tools you and your hires will use to bring the messaging and pricing to your potential customers.

• Define your sales process. 5-7 steps that everyone follows every time.

• Establish the system infrastructure you want to use in your sales process. CRM+.

• Sales Leads: identify your lead source(s), definition, and lead qualification process.

• Determine your sales team composition and hiring sequence. Inside, Field, Account, SDR, Key Account, Customer Success, full time, fractional, interim… there are many ways to skin the cat.

• Write a compelling job description(s). 

• Now, …hire, onboard, train, and continually coach.

Contact us to find out how an experienced sales leader may be able to help.

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Ryan Johns - The LeaderShift towards Functional Know-How