Perhaps the greatest change in organizations today is the shift from independence to interdependence, from individual efforts to teaming. Teamwork is having a profound impact on selling. Many companies today leverage the synergy of teams by sending two or three team members to sell an account. This is especially true when accounts represent significant revenue or when the team will be cross-selling various products. If you're thinking about bringing in a selling partner, or if a sales team is about to be formed, consider these ideas when setting up the team:
Blend people with complementary skills and styles.
The primary value of a sales team is that regardless of the questions asked, the problem posed or the situation encountered, someone on the team can handle it.
Select team members because of special talents or rapport with particular buyers. You may choose a team member who is not in sales per se but has a degree in engineering from the same school as the buyer. Or you may select a team member who is a CPA because the buyer is also a CPA and bases all decisions on spreadsheet analysis. Or you may choose a team member who has firsthand knowledge of the buyer's problems from having worked in the same industry.
Exclude those who want to be stars.
You need a group of team players. The key to teamwork is orchestration with all players doing their part. Sales professionals unwilling to suppress their egos or their need for stardom will hurt the effort.
Select a leader.
Equality is admirable before and after the sales call, but during the meeting one person leads. This can be the person who can best bring in the account and at the same time displays some leadership talent. The leader outlines the contracts established for the meeting and highlights the history of the account to date. The leader also presents possible what-if scenarios for discussion and team choices among alternative responses. The more empowered this sales team is to be, the more appropriate it is that members select the leader.
Develop a clear set of rules.
Everyone on the team must agree to the following:
- There is only one leader.
- Only one person talks at a time.
- No deviations from the rehearsal, except as initiated by the team leader.
- Team members monitor and take their cues from the leader's nonverbal messages.
- Balanced participation--no clamming up and no hogging the airwaves.
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