To someone outside of the sales profession (read: me), good salespeople are something akin to wizards. Their drive and dedication to what they do is both inspiring and intimidating. But today I learned that there’s even a difference between good salespeople and great ones. The difference, according to a survey reported by Recruiter Daily, is that "high-performing organisations invest seven times the amount of time on identifying sales opportunities that other organisations do — equating to more than one day each week." That is, organizations with great sales put emphasis on breadth as well as depth. No resting on laurels here: These people work under the idea that there are always more opportunities to be found, no matter how things are going.
Another key to sales success is belief in the sales strategies of a company. This makes sense, as it’s easier to convince someone to buy something you value yourself, isn’t it? Those who believe in their company’s sales strategy "account for nearly half of all employees in these companies (45%), compared to just 27 per cent in average companies." The lower the percentage of "believers," the more the company must examine its processes and make sure that they are enabling rather than inhibiting their employees. Examining the techniques employed by the "mavericks" is also useful, as out-of-the-box thinking can revolutionize a company and help separate itself from competitors.
But is it that easy to cultivate these "believers"? Is it reasonable to expect everyone on a sales staff to be 100% committed? Whether it is or not, it is still certainly worth the effort to get as many people on board as possible. A cohesive sales team is a rare and beautiful thing, and nurturing employees toward that goal can only lead to good results.
