Consult Carson 5/19: “I’ve taken over a struggling sales team. Where do I begin?”

From today’s mailbag: “I’ve taken over a struggling sales team. Where do I begin?”

Carson: As a sales leader, in no matter what predicament you find yourself, the key is to always re-focus and remind yourself of the two defining principles of sales/sales leadership: people and process.

Up to this point, if a sales team is struggling, the process is likely defunct and the people may be disenfranchised. However, where many managers go wrong is coming in, firing people and making changes without even knowing what they are doing.

Get to know the people on the project. Spend time with them and see for yourself, first hand, what is working and what isn’t. Get their feedback on the project – what they feel is working well, what could stand to be changed, and what their motivation is. In order to gain their buy-in, you must know your team, you must make plans with them to get them where they want to go, and you must make well thought-out decisions. Do not let anyone force your hand on making gut reactions or quick decisions.

Over a period of days and weeks, you can start to form in your mind an opinion of what the process should be. Ultimately, you will need to make changes in process and perhaps in personnel. Furthermore, you must realize that many of these people have likely seen other bosses; they may have heard the “clean slate” and “fresh start” lines before. I’ve learned that even letting them know – “Hey, I’m going to say clean slate and fresh start, but WE are making these changes together and WE will consistently revisit the process that WE put in place to ensure all of us – myself included – are living up to our commitments to one another.” And live up to that. Revisit that commitment regularly so they can see you mean what you say and your actions will serve to gain their trust over time.

After you have formulated the new process based on feedback from the team and from your observations of what works and what doesn’t, you make changes. I wouldn’t wait more than a month, frankly. Sometimes, I would make some changes within the second and third weeks. There must be a grace period, however, where you are gathering information and showing that you legitimately care about the feedback of your team. Be cognoscente that no matter what, they will throw former managers under the bus as they play hot potato with the blame game. Be sympathetic, but also be firm that changes must be made and you will make them with the team.

In the end, your focus on people first and on “selling” the new process and holding everyone – yourself included – to it will define the success of this project. Sales teams only falter when the right people follow the wrong process or when the wrong people follow no process. Simplify it in this manner and you cannot lose!

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Carson V. Heady posts for “Consult Carson” serving as the “Dear Abby” of sales and sales leadership. You may post any question that puzzles you regarding sales and sales leadership careers: interviewing, the sales process, advancing and achieving. You will also be directly contributing to his third book, “A Salesman Forever.”

Question submissions can be made via LinkedIn to Carson V. Heady, this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carson-V-Heady/125078150858064?ref=hl , Twitter via @cvheady007 or e-mail at cvheady007@yahoo.com or you may post an anonymous comment as a reply to my WordPress blog at the bottom of this page: https://carsonvheady.wordpress.com/the-home-of-birth-of-a-salesman-2010-published-by-world-audience-inc-and-the-salesman-against-the-world-2014/

Carson V. Heady has written a book entitled “Birth of a Salesman” that has a unique spin that shows you proven sales principles designed to birth in you the top producer you were born to be.

If you would like to strengthen your sales skills, go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICRVMI2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_yGXKtb0G28TWF