Sales & Business Development Blog

Leading the sales force out into what we call the ‘performance zone’, where extraordinary results are achieved, requires brilliant leadership skills.

Yet our experience shows that too many sales leaders share the same challenges and limitations as those they are trying to lead.

Without investment in the development and growth of the sales leadership team, however, it is doubtful that any sales training or accreditation initiative will have its desired effect…

Great leaders are able to deliver a real shift in the attitudes and behaviour of those that they lead. They know that transforming behaviour and attitudes are the result of shifting beliefs.

Beliefs such as “Our solution is actually not that good” or “All customers care about is price”, have an inevitable impact on any sales person’s behaviour and performance. Beliefs drive behaviour whether they’re logical or deeply flawed and we are usually unaware of flawed belief patterns that drive our dysfunctional behaviour. When leaders understand this phenomenon and learn to achieve a ‘belief-shift’ in themselves and in those they lead, we see a performance breakthrough time after time.

Deliver a shift in the beliefs, behaviours and attitudes of your sales teams

It is therefore apparent that real growth and development for a sales leader involves exposing and challenging some of their own unnoticed beliefs and assumptions which limit their behavioural scope and make it impossible for them to lead powerfully, even when they want to.

As these beliefs are exposed and challenged, sales leaders will be less driven by automatic patterns and will be more able to choose the appropriate leadership responses to the situations that they face. They will access strengths and parts of themselves that were previously inaccessible and grow into much ‘bigger’ leaders. An inspirational leadership team will set the standard for commitment and effective action throughout the company and will attract the brightest and the best sales people.

Attitudinal and behavioural growth in the sales leadership team directly leads to business growth. A great sales team is one that is highly motivated and inspired by its leaders and has total belief in its own and its company’s ability.

An effective business development plan and sales training initiative will enable sales leadership teams to deliver the growth that a company seeks. Critically, this will ensure that underlying sales force development initiatives add sustained value and make a transformational contribution to a company’s business results, rather than being an expensive overhead and a burden to your sales team.

The content, length of modules, and even the resourcing levels for an effective sales leadership development programme should be determined as a response to specific business challenges and aspirations. A discovery phase should shape a common agreement and understanding of the challenges that need to be met. Some parts of the design should also be deliberately kept flexible to accommodate new insights as the programme progresses. The team should be challenged, supported, coached, assisted and trained to become the leadership team they need to be in order to deliver those results.

To deliver a sustained shift in your leadership skills and the results of your sales team, check out our leadership development solutions.

Written by: Steve Eungblut, Managing Director of Sterling Chase