We have discussed, on several occasions, the importance that a winning sales culture can have in a company. The point is to build that winning attitude, and to make sure that every employee embodies it in a satisfactory way. But how is that achieved?

First, we need to know what we mean when we talk about a winning culture. In the context of a company, culture is the shared values of everyone involved in the daily work, including employees, customers, and leaders. Therefore, a successful sales culture brings out the best in its salespeople. In Winning teams – winning cultures, Larry Senn, a psychologist, organizational consultant, and author known for his work in the field of organizational culture and leadership, puts it this way:

• What makes it difficult to implement any change?
• What is the biggest factor that contributes to the lack of full employee engagement?
• Why do important system installations cost more, take longer, and deliver less results than expected?
• What is the number one reason customers are not treated well?
• What is the main reason for the failure of mergers and acquisitions?

“The answer to all of this,” says Senn, “is: culture.”

That is why creating a winning culture should be one of the top priorities for any leader who wants to have a committed and high-performing sales team. But to develop a winning sales culture, and for it to generate positive results for the company, a lot of work is needed at all levels. Every facet and team needs to not only understand the nature of the culture in which it participates, but also agree with it.

So, how do we build a winning sales culture?

There are some initiatives that can be implemented to inspire in the team a winning, positive, collaborative feeling, and eliminate all toxicity from the work environment. Some of these are:

Foster friendly competition

While most salespeople thrive on competition, it is important to avoid letting competitiveness turn into animosity. The rival must be external, a common “rival” (such as other competitors in the market) that will make employees work together and get closer to each other. It is also important to encourage the team and its members to surpass their own records: redirect that competitive energy towards surpassing their own results from the previous month or quarter. In this sense, sales contests and incentives can also be beneficial, and you can reward, for example, the employee who can book the most meetings during a certain month, or the one with the fastest average sales cycle. Varying the contests will make it so that the same person does not always win and that employees do not resent each other.

Combat high sales turnover

Salespeople need the support of coaching from their managers, not only when they start, but also throughout their time at the company. It is necessary to implement surveys constantly to know if salespeople are receiving the training and management they need. In addition, it is important to make sure that employees have a possible path of advancement defined in place. This way, they can advance as they gain more experience and skills, and feel that there is a path that is possible to follow.

Agile philosophy

Agility is an important skill in sales, as it allows teams to adapt quickly to changes in the market and customer needs. By adopting an agile mindset, sales teams can be more efficient and successful. It may be a good idea to foster a culture of “failing fast”: that salespeople take risks, from trying a new prospecting technique to using different negotiation strategies. As long as they document their results and share them with the team, it’s okay if they are not successful, as the results will help everyone learn and improve. It is about celebrating failure, encouraging decision-making, and being flexible so that employees are encouraged to propose.

Building trust and communication

This involves managing on the spot, allowing representatives to work from wherever they are most successful (instead of requiring them to be in the office), and not asking them to devote precious hours to completing useless reports. And above all, keep your word: if a manager commits to something and does not fulfill it, the employee does not forget it, and trust begins to crumble.

Maintaining accountability

Clearly define your expectations. Each salesperson should know exactly what he is supposed to do. This could be a certain number of calls per day, meetings per week or demonstrations per month, or meeting quotas. Having objective standards and making sure everyone knows them helps to avoid unpleasant surprises. And if someone is struggling, don’t wait to see if things will improve. Intervene and ask why he is not performing. Does he feel unmotivated? Is he struggling with a specific part of the sales process? Find the cause and try to help your employee.

Highlighting individual achievements and talents

A positive sales culture should reward the team that works towards a common goal, but also reward individuals. Celebrate whenever someone achieves a great goal, comes up with a great idea, or is doing a good job in a particular area. Celebrating people encourages everyone to keep striving to achieve something more.

Building and maintaining a winning sales culture is possible and, in addition, can have a very significant impact on the satisfaction of our sales team and therefore on business results.