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How do you create a powerful sales team — one that is disciplined, focused and interested in advancing the company in addition to their own commissions? This 3-minute video addresses the kind of sales culture your company needs to create through hiring, training, values, goals and attitudes — in short, an emotionally intelligent sales culture.
Colleen Stanley, the President of Sales Leadership, and author of “Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success,” explains in the video in her own words:
Every year companies spend millions of dollars investing in cutting edge technology, research and development, innovation – all very good practices for growing revenues.
Today, I’d like to suggest another one. Take the time to build an emotionally intelligent sales culture.
Webster defines culture as a “shared set of values, goals and attitudes.” Culture will determine who you hire, the customers you serve, and how you serve them.
We’ve noted 3 attributes in emotionally intelligent cultures:
1. They are lifelong learners — These are sales people and sales teams that are on a constant journey of professionalism and professional improvement. This is a sales person who reads books, listens to audio tapes, subscribes to trade publications – and a result, when they show up to a prospect meeting, they show up as a thought leader and one that possesses business acumen. They are not just a typical sales- technique salesperson.
The reason this is important is that we live in the information age. Think about it. Has your business changed from two years ago? Now ask yourself this question: have you changed from two years ago? Are you smarter than you were six months ago. Self-actualized organizations are always on that journey of improvement to provide more value to their customers.
2.) They value collaboration and teamwork — Emotionally intelligent cultures realize “it takes a sales village to win and retain business.” Sure, the sales person is the one who brings home the deal. But there’s a good chance that another department goes out and installs the product and the accounting department needs to bill it accurately. Then your customer service department delivers service after the sale – the wow factor.
Emotionally intelligent sales cultures appreciate every member of the team. They know it “takes a village” to win and retain business in today’s very competitive business environment.
3.) They are generous — In the emotional intelligence world we call this social responsibility. They are willing to contribute to groups and in their communities. One common theme in all organizations that get chosen as “best places to work” is that they practice the mantra: “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
These organizations give back not only of their time, but their money, to those who are less fortunate. People enjoy working there because not only are they being fulfilled by their work, they know they are contributing to a higher purpose.
If you want to grow revenues, sure, continue investing in technology and innovation. Just make sure you are also investing in building an emotionally intelligent sales culture.
This video was produced by the Applegate Network, a content partner of Small Business Trends.
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