Tips For Building And Scaling Your Sales Team From Scratch

So, you're at that point in your organisation where you're ready to build a sales team... from scratch. 

Now, there are plenty of tips we could give you for hiring your first salesperson, but what about the core things to keep in mind when looking at the overall team?

It takes more than just hiring the top people in the industry, it's about creating an environment where they can thrive. This not only makes the company desirable when you're building the team, but it ensures success is sustained to equip you to scale when the time comes.

Hire the Right Personality

First things first - you've got to hire the right people. 

Look for people who aren't just good on paper - the salespeople who have made a ton of money and brought on a ton of clients - but consider personality and character. 

You want to look for resilient, adaptable and driven individuals who don't just thrive in general sales environments but are passionate about your company, the industry, and the service they'll be selling. A salesperson can thrive in one environment and not in another, which is why it's important to look beyond the numbers. 

Not to mention, your first hires are what the foundation of the culture will be built upon. Ask yourself: would you want this person's attitude to be the attitude of the rest of the team? Think about character traits such as:

• Collaborative

• Empathetic

• Personable

• Hard-working

• Passion

This not only brings a positive attitude to the internal culture, but it sets a standard for how your salespeople will speak with prospects and clients, display your product/ service, and evidently represent your company. 

So, sure, technical skills matter, but it's the character that really sets the top performers apart.

Train Your Team Effectively

Training should be the first thing on your list once you've hired someone into your sales team. 

Are you only hiring experienced salespeople right now? Still train them.

People assume training is just about sales knowledge and techniques (valuable things of course), but it's also about how to sell the service and reach out to prospects in a way that aligns with the company's values and ambitions. 

This won't just make your short-term salespeople feel valued from the get-go, it creates structure from day one so as you develop your sales team you're developing your training. 

And it shouldn't stop there. Create a learning culture that encourages employees to not only independently learn and develop, but also feel as though they can reach out to senior members for on-the-job mentorship.

Build an Engaging Culture

Culture is everything.

It's what keeps your team motivated, engaged, and excited to come to work every day. And whilst carefully hiring people who bring value to the culture is an important step - it's only the first step. As a leader, you need to be intentional to cultivate an environment where the culture thrives and people are engaged. You can't sit back and let the culture thrive on its own - especially in a sales environment where motivation is needed at all times to hit targets. 

Some tips for an engaging culture are:

• Celebrate wins (individual and overall team)

• Regular socials

• Being present as a manager

• Conduct regular 1-1 meetings

• Allow for innovation

• Encourage open communication

Set Clear Expectations

Your sales team can't hit their targets if they don't know what they're aiming for... or how to aim.

It's common for sales teams to have targets in place, but often the expectations stop there. There's rarely any guidance on how salespeople can reach these goals. Whether it's direction on the types of clients to reach out to, how you expect them to sell the service, and any little goals leading up to securing the deal. 

Of course, the overall goal for any salesperson is to make as much money as possible, but what will truly motivate them and make them feel as though they're succeeding is giving them expectations around that obvious end goal. They want to know what success looks like in your eyes and it's your job to properly communicate that with them. 

One way of doing this is through having a structured performance management strategy where salespeople can see where they are and how they can improve. 

Give Consistent Feedback

Feedback is fuel for growth and salespeople need it regularly.

A sales career can be one of minimal structure where employees are figuring it out as they go along. And whilst it's good to take initiative and try new things, having that accountability from a manager where they're helping them to see what's working, what's not working, and how they can improve will go a long way.

Allow Autonomy

Consistent feedback needs to be paired with giving your salespeople autonomy.

This can be daunting for any organisation, especially an organisation who are only just introducing a sales department. You're going to be concerned about performance and whether people are doing the right thing but for a job like sales where it requires innovation and trial and error, you can't afford to restrict and micromanage. 

Empower them to make decisions, take risks, and think outside the box - something can be done whilst effectively managing and tracking performance. One of the biggest things that salespeople will want to feel at work is trust. Trust that they have the skills and knowledge to get the job done, and watch as they exceed your expectations.

Encourage Collaboration

Sales departments can often have a lone-wolf culture where employees aren't encouraged to collaborate. Not only does this limit the possibilities of success, but it can cause unhealthy competition, making the culture feel cutthroat and unsupportive.

If you didn't know already - sales team retention rates are already low - and a large part of that probably comes down to the stereotypical sink-or-swim environments. 

Instead, be that employer that not only allows collaboration and idea sharing but encourages it. A sales team that is based on supporting each other and sharing best practices, is a team that is well equipped to scale as the people currently there are happy.

- Written by Arun Sutton

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