Growing up, we all have this idea in our heads that we have to be good at everything. Our parents tell us that we can achieve anything that we set our minds to. Thus, strong mindsets are formed. Although it’s completely true that you should be thinking positively, it is insanely unrealistic that we could be good at everything at the SAME TIME. I put emphasis on “same time” because that’s what makes that statement true. Let me quickly explain. See, when we think of people like Michal Jordan, Jackie Chan, and Ronaldinho we think of them as the very best.
This is true, but only in their respective sport. If you switch it up and have Jackie Chan play basketball, MJ play soccer and Ronaldinho kick some ass; I’m sure they’d be good, but they wouldn’t be the best. That’s because, in order to be the best at what they do, they had to focus their energy on the ONE thing that they wanted to excel in. There was no way that Jordan would be the legend that he is now if he had only spent 1 hour a day on basketball and the rest on practicing karate and soccer moves. It simply isn’t possible.
Let me ask you, if we don’t expect professional athletes to excel in every sport, why do we expect that from our sales staff? Now I want to clarify that I’m not saying that salespeople shouldn’t be expected to perform all areas of a sale, just that they should really focus on cultivating the skills that they are naturally good at.
If you haven’t read my author bio, I’d like to talk about myself for a second and use my team as an example of a phenomenal sales team. I am a real estate agent on the Buyer team at The Loken Group with Keller Williams Platinum. This group is ranked as the #1 team in Texas and #8 out of all real estate teams in America! We were ranked as the #1 place to work in Houston by the Houston Business Journal. We are setting record breaking numbers every year and in reality, we just keep beating our own records. We are on target to close $575,000,000 in transactions this year. I know this sounds like a sales pitch and if you need a realtor I would love to help. However, I say all this because Lance and Karina Loken have truly mastered the art of crafting a team. You’re probably thinking this team has been around for years, so that’s why they’re so great. This team is 7 years old and (yes you read that right). The Loken’s created this team in 2011 with only 4 employees and now we are about to surpass 100.
Sales Teams Are Strategically Built
Wouldn’t you love for your business to thrive the way TLG has!? No one in the world would say no to that. So, let me share the secret with you. If you read carefully, I said I was on the Buyer team. Most realtors do everything from listing, prospecting, marketing, helping buyers and everything in between on their own. Which makes sense because we are independent contractors. However, Lance and Karina built a team that works as a team. I know, crazy concept. They understood that in order to make their business grow and thrive, they had to celebrate differences. Our sales team is separated into 4 sections. We have the buying side which focuses on helping buyers find the perfect home. We have the listing team which works with clients wanting to sell their home. Our inside sales team focuses on lead generation and cultivation of clients who are not quite ready to sell or buy but will be in the near future. Lastly, our transaction coordinators help both the listing and buying side with all the paperwork that comes with the sale and purchase of a home. Those 4 areas make up our direct sales team. Each one of those pieces requires someone with a very different type of personality. The Loken Group uses the DISC assessment during the interviewing process to evaluate where each person would thrive. When I applied for TLG I didn’t actually know what position I was applying for. I just interviewed for the company and they told me where they thought I would fit best. The reason is that I am a very high “I” which means I love talking to people, building relationships and I don’t really like repetition in my day-to-day. So, had they put me in the office doing inside sales or transaction coordinating, I would have burnt-out extremely quick and increased their turnover rate. That’s the key to creating a successful sales team. Hire people for what they are good at, simply because they will constantly feel like they are succeeding, thus leading to more productivity within your organization and more retention.
Sales Culture is Key
The second key to building a successful sales team is instilling a strong company culture. This is a very new concept for a lot of people. Employees do not just want to go to work, do their job and come home anymore. They want to feel like they belong, and that work is a second home. If you are working 40 hours a week, which most sales professionals work more, then you are spending 24% of your week at work. That’s a minimum of a forth of your time spent with the people you work with. There are many different types of company cultures and I can’t decide for you what the best one is for your organization. What I can tell you, however, is that it’s important for you to establish what it is and make sure you find people who fit within it. Remember that you’re interviewing someone not just for their competency, but also to see if they are a good fit for the role and the company. As I said above, when I applied for my position, I didn’t even know what job I was applying to. For The Loken Group, it was important to them that together we both felt that I fit in with the environment before we proceeded any further. The main point here is if your sales team is truly happy in their personal lives, then sales and business will always follow.
There’s a quote by Albert Einstein that says “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” We all have areas that we excel in naturally and we all have areas in which we just shouldn’t be the one in charge. If you’re looking at creating a sales team that is successful, I encourage you to take a step back and really evaluate the structure you’ve created. Are your people truly doing what they are best at every single day? If the answer to that is no, then figure out where they belong and put them there.
