Any high-performing sales team must have strict processes in place and focus on the organization of the team. Sales managers must hit quarterly and monthly goals, but they must also have the cooperation of the sales team. Sale reps also have personal goals and aren’t likely to care about how other sales reps fare. In some cases, incentives for the most sales creates an environment where salespeople sabotage each other to get ahead. Most teams have some of these five distinct dysfunctions that keep them from success.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Sales Team Include:
No Trust
If sales reps on the team don’t trust each other, they can’t take action or say anything because they’re fearful of blowback. Trust is the foundation of sales team success, and nothing happens without it. Sales managers should make this a priority. You can build trust within your sales team by spending more time with them, ensuring you are communicating effectively, hold your sales team accountable,
Too Much Conflict
While you should always strive to minimize conflict, you must also be willing to address it quickly to ‘nip it in the bud.’ When team members trust each other, they know that they can voice their opinion or say what they feel without it being considered a personal attack. However, if you are experiencing higher levels of conflict within your sales team, make sure that you put guidelines in place to manage that conflict in a practical way.
Too Little Commitment
While being part of the goal-setting or decision-making process is a start, these methods only give salespeople partial commitment to the company. Without commitment, there is no action. Everyone should be committed to the success of the sales team as a single unit. When your sales team is aligned in such a way, sales goals are much easier to achieve because your sales reps can communicate openly and rely on one another to help when needed. Your sales reps should be at such a place where they are able to openly agree/disagree with others and explain why they disagreed/agreed.
No Accountability
Most of the time, people think accountability is only for the sales manager, but every salesperson needs to be accountable to themselves, the team, and the department. When your team is held accountable your team works better together and the entire group operates more smoothly. Avoid using accountability as a means of punishment but try to work it in as a way to better operate as a single unit.
Not Getting Results
While all these dysfunctions need to be addressed and can help you deal with the inability to see results, everyone has to do their work and perform their best to get those results. When all the other elements are in play, it’s easier to get work done and achieve those results.
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