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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The answer to this question may seem quite simple: Drive revenue! but the reality is we carry a heavy burden. We have to plan training, observe our teams in action, coach, mentor, attend meetings, run reports, do projections and forecasts, many of us even take on marketing and PR roles in smaller companies, and even with all of this most of us could add on 10 more things under “other duties as assigned” that have little to nothing to do with being a sales manager.

My opinion though if you want to be successful is you only have one real job, and that is to facilitate an environment that maximizes sales productivity. To do that you have to look at things a little differently. I view my primary role as making sure 14 families get fed. I worry very little about my own goals because I am aware that if 80% of my team can hit plan I will have grossly exceeded my own plan. With that in mind, my entire focus is on the team and making sure everyone on it is in the best possible position to be productive, and removing anything that hinders that.

It sounds simple, but you have to take this to extremes, what if the thing that is hindering 13 people from producing at peak performance is your current very needy, drama filled top producer? In my opinion, you eliminate them. Life as both a sales manager and a member of a team is a lot better when there are no primadonnas that feel they are above the rules and are making others lives miserable in the process. Most people have enough stress at work just performing their own sales duties and do not need the extra stress of another’s personal burdens as well. When I talk about the primadonnas, I am not referring to someone who is simply going through a rough patch, this I can help them work through. A primadonna refers to someone who is a constant problem and drain on my team. This is the type of person who comes in each day with a “woe is me” or “I am the center of the universe” attitude and feels that everyone else should share in their misery or bow down to them.

My goal as a sales manager is to eliminate drama, coach, mentor and lead… everything else I do is secondary to that. Every member of my team knows that they are the most important thing in my day and that I would rather be helping them than anything else I do. Because I take this approach towards them and will do anything for them, they will walk through fire for me. Developing this relationship is not easy, it takes time to build trust and send a clear message that this is not the flavor of the week, but the long term benefits are HUGE.

Finally, this does not mean you stop forecasting and doing the other things you do, it is about shifting priorities not responsibilities.

To implement: What is your relationship like with your current team? How do you spend your day? What can you eliminate from your sales environment or process that will improve productivity for everyone? What can you do now to make sure every member of your team understands they THEIR success is the most important thing to you? Do you have a regularly scheduled one on one coaching session with every team member every week? If not why? Reflect review and implement!

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