In a recent conference, a sales manager commented on the idea that it was difficult, if not impossible, to foster an ethical team-sales culture for a sales force. For his sales force it is impossible because he believes it can't be done. That mindset, either actively or passively, has already been transferred to his staff. To change that mindset would take either the hiring of a new sales manager or a complete mental reprogramming of the current manager, as well as the staff, over a long period of time. The first option is by far the easier of the two since it isn't feasible to attempt to enlighten the unconscious.
However, for those of us who have based our careers on sound business practices, an ethical team-sales culture can be achieved. It simply requires the ability to lay down the ground rules, the tenacity to stick to the principles, and the discipline to continually reinforce them.
First let's examine what is meant by an ethical team-sales culture. Many leaders have talked about building a sales culture. That roughly translates into instilling the mindset among staff to proactively seek out opportunities to bring in new business and expand on existing relationships. An ethical sales culture implies that staff will play an active role of making members aware of the benefits of using certain products by concentrating on their needs. To put it bluntly, employees are trained not to push down people's throats services they don't need.
Adding the concept of "team" brings the culture up one more level. Basically it is the act of instilling the idea that despite what incentives or contests are put in place, the competition lies outside the institution. This is unlike "Boiler Room" type brokerage firms that encourage reps to compete with each other in order to build a competitive edge.
What has a tendency to happen when sales reps, who are independent by nature to begin with, are allowed to, or worse encouraged to, compete with each other is the creation of an aura of distrust. The person that ultimately gets hurt in this type of culture is the last person you ever want to hurt-the client.
Here are three inevitable scenarios that occur in an internally competitive culture:
Withholding Valuable Information
A seasoned rep sees another salesperson in the office struggling. He or she has a clear idea of how to help both the rep and the rep's clients. Instead of coaching and sharing the information for the ultimate benefit of the institution and the members, he or she withholds the information with the thought that the rep will fail and get fired, and that the failed rep's clients will be transferred to that veteran after the termination.
Passive Aggression
This usually rears its ugly head in the form of not assisting reps with their clients when they are unavailable. A common example of this is John taking a message from Jane's client and never giving Jane the message. John then claims he never spoke to the client or that the message was left on Jane's desk and "she must've lost it."
Active Aggression
This happens less often than passive aggression since it can get the aggressor fired depending on the circumstances. This usually pertains to one rep being or creating a hindrance for another, usually with the intent of winning a sales contest. Usual tactics of active aggression take the form of stealing clients or making disparaging remarks concerning another rep.
How To Stay Focused On members
Despite the sometimes ultra-competitive nature of sales, there are ways to develop and foster an ethical team-sales culture.
Here are some tips to keep your salespeople focused on the needs of the team and members:
* Achieving goals is the aim of sales managers but not at any cost. In a recent article in Business 2.0 magazine on Oracle's sales culture, former sales chief Gary Kennedy was quoted as saying he wished he had told his sales force that "in a world of two bad choices-miss your quota or break the rules-it's much, much better to miss your quota." The stress and problems associated with not hitting a target are nothing compared to the embarrassment and chaos caused from unethical behavior.
* Sales contests are not only a useful technique to motivate salespeople but also to add some entertainment to the job. It's important for the sales manager to stress just that-a contest is in place to add some fun. Good sales managers emphasize that the real competition is external with other vendors and that it is of the utmost importance to assist other staff members for the good of the team. It's usually a good idea to chastise reps that don't follow the rules.
* While most salespeople are individualistic, they also like to win. Being on a winning team satisfies that need. A team incentive can help bring people together to achieve a common objective. A collective team target can be set with an incentive that is shared equally by everyone. This is in addition to the various quotas and individual goals each salesperson has. It's important that there are still individual achievements and accolades but they can easily coincide with team success.
Ken Bator is president of Bator Training & Consulting, Inc. Mr. Bator can be reached at P.O. Box 4844, Naperville, IL 60567; at 630-854-6380, or at kbator btcinc.net.
