Collaboration – A State Of Mind

For the uninitiated, sales would likely be thought of as a great example of collaboration, not only individuals collaborating, but whole teams or departments working together for a united cause: revenue through client satisfaction.  Sales people seen as quarterbacks of resource and specialists, working together to craft and deliver solutions made up of the best of everyone’s contributions.  As you look at sales teams that have been consistently successful in both revenue attainment and client satisfaction, you do find that of the common characteristics is that they are indeed collaborative.  

As you look closer at these organizations, you find that the thing that enables them to collaborate so well goes way beyond technology, and is usually rooted in the culture of the organization.  Their collaboration is driven by their view of their customers, their obligation to the customer, and the realization that maintain a leadership role through a commitment to excellence and improvement.

While technology empowers companies and individuals, it can not drive the process.  Looked at another way, technology does not create pull-through in team dynamics and execution.  Going back to things like Louts Notes, to the first wave of portals, intranets, all the power of technology in ones palm, it always took more.  These things changed the way we did things but did not always change the productivity, efficiency and most importantly, the client experience.

Collaboration happens when individuals with in an organization realize two key things and then commit unconditionally to them.  First is the understanding that the customer pays for everything, and even after you have sucked every last questionable expense out of the system, you still need revenue at the top to realize returns on the bottom; and the only source for revenue is the customer, so you better do everything satisfy the customer so they will give you revenue.  The second is the acceptance that everyone in the client chain is capable and committed to the same cause as you, so if you focus on what you need to do, like everyone else who is involved before and after you in the chain, the customer will get the best possible outcome, and give you revenue.  Combined these two elements create the right conditions for collaboration. Again, the conditions, you still need to execute, but if these elements are not driving the process, the resulting action will fall short of collaboration. 

To further complicate things, this also has to happen on a team level as well.  Sales have to play nicely with all the other groups in the client chain.  While an internally competitive environment is good, it also has to be kept at a level where it contributes to efficiency, not overshadow it for ego reasons.  When the competitiveness drives client satisfaction, great, otherwise it impedes collaboration and is likely impacting the big goals.

 The above may seem straight forward, but that does not make them simple.  The hardest part is managing ones ego.  It is hard when you have the ego and drive that many sales people do, to work in an environment where the work of the whole group determines success.  So have difficulty letting go, all to often we here sales people say they need to be involved in implementation, delivery, etc.  While they mean well, and probably think they are “collaborating”, they are not.  They are perceived to be, and likely are, interfering in some way; condescending, as they are saying directly or just by their actions, that they need to supervise, and there by do not trust the others to do their work, this clearly decreases efficiency.  In most instances, the sales person is there to ensure client satisfaction, but the result is different.

Not to take it to a Zen level, but efficiency in collaboration is to make sure that you maximize and produce the best results in you link of the client chain; having been handed the absolutes best from the previous link, you want to build on that with your work and hand on the absolute best to the next link.  The complete trust in the other team members, organizationally the other groups, is what allows collaboration.  Technology facilitates execution, attitude, vision and market view create and enable collaboration.

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