What is your sales culture? Do you even have one?
We frequently hear from sales managers the need for a “sales culture,” but often they don’t really know what their own sales culture is or how to build one.
How to Create a Sales Culture
1. Set expectations that are clearly defined and understood by all.
When everyone understands the expectations, your organization is much more likely to see success.
2. Ensure that everyone is “speaking the same language.”
A sales culture cannot thrive if managers have different labels for everyday sales activities, like account list management systems, individual focus meetings, etc.
3. Make sure that ALL managers involved in sales are “ringing the same bell.”
In other words, they are all on the same page in their definition of what the sales culture should be. You cannot have one manager focusing on short-term, tactical business, and another manager focusing on long-term, strategic business. Especially if the goal with most companies is to do both.
4. Goals, missions, and values must be aligned.
Align your goals, make sure everyone knows exactly the mission and values to the point where they become the values of everyone.
5. Everyone, managers and sellers alike, must be pulling in the same direction with the ultimate goal in mind.
And that goal must be talked about constantly in everyday conversations.
If you could identify one word that describes a way to create a successful and ongoing sales culture that would be CONSISTENCY.
Consistent goals, mission, values, language, expectations, and focus that are not only aligned but are executed and implemented by everyone involved in sales and sales management all of the time.
A healthy and consistent sales culture gives you a daily road map of where you need to be and how to get there. How is your sales culture?
Editor's Note: This post was originally published on March 26, 2015, and has been updated.
