Forgive me. I am a big believer in dad jokes and puns, and this topic makes it too easy. Begging for change is something you usually see on the streets and not in the office. Both literally and figuratively. Now, like most puns and dad jokes, neither situation is very funny when it comes to change. Often the thing that needs to change the most for our sales team is the culture, but more often than not we focus more on changing policies. Why, because policies are easier to change than culture. Sadly, policies aren’t very easy to change either. But are your salespeople begging for change? Well, they might be if you are noticing high turnover rates on your team or sales are dropping.
To be clear, when most people talk about change, what they really mean is that they want everything and everyone around them to change. They have very little interest in doing it themselves. Just remember that we are creatures bound to the laws of evolution and we have every ability to adapt. The question is, how can we go about it without turning everything into a fight. Salespeople love a good fight and they aren’t too afraid to roll up their sleeves and dig in their heels. I get it, but that in and of itself is all the more reason why your culture has to change. It all starts by having the right conversation with the right person in the right way, and here is how you can do it.
- Identify the problem – Ideally, you do this as a team. More often than not, you will find that you have been a part of the problem and that’s ok. As a manager, we all find out that our breath stinks sooner or later. But more importantly, once you identify the problem, describe the outcomes you desire and the solution will start to present itself.
- Examine the evidence – When you want to improve your sales culture, you have to distinguish everyone’s feedback between noise (insignificant) and a signal (important). What trends are you and the team observing that can be addressed. Again, the solution becomes more clear.
- Create an achievable goal – You are not going to fix everything at once, but you need a series of attainable and sustainable victories. What is your best path to a win and start there if you can.
- Make simple habits – Small meaningful habits compound into big results over time. It’s just like going to the gym. Pick a routine that you and your team can stick to and you will see the results and, in many cases, sooner than you think.
- Stay committed – Change is not a pass/ fail test. You can try something for a short period of time and just walk away from it. Change is one step at a time. Adjust your strategy and approach if you must, just don’t give up. The change in your sales culture will be worth it.