ASSEMBLING A TEAM OF WINNERS

5 Rules for Building a Successful,

Hungry, and Loyal Sales Team
Great teams can do great things—in sports and in B2B sales. But assembling a team
you can rely on to get the job done is a constant challenge. Here are five guidelines
that can help you think about your employee recruitment in a new way—and
assemble a team that will set your business up for success:

1. Experience Isn’t Everything

Experience can matter a lot. Sales people who have been in the game for a long time may offer
valuable wisdom and relationships. But experience isn’t a substitute for passion, good judgment,
or willingness to be part of a team, and it can be harder to “unlearn” outmoded behavior than to
start fresh. Often, an “experienced” new hire begins with a bang and then fades away after they’ve
sold to their previous contacts. If you need a proactive sales hunter, don’t overrate experience.

2. Invest in Your Human Capital

Employee compensation represents one of your largest business costs. It’s tempting to keep it low
where you can. That’s especially true given that a lower-cost employee will always be out there. But
if you want your business to be respected and effective, you need respected and effective people
working for you. In many ways, your business is the people who work for you. When you think of it
that way, investing resources to ensure you have the right people is a no-brainer.

3. The Right Team Deserves the Right Tools

Sales and marketing professionals—especially those at the top of their game—want to work in a
motivated, quality-driven environment, with supportive management, continuous training, and
resources that will lead to success and notoriety. When you invest in top-quality business
development tools, you make an investment in your staff, your company, and your future.

4. You Don’t Need a Whole Team of “Stars”

A team of sales and marketing employees that have a natural knack for the job and need little
training looks great on paper. But with the right training and support, a team of steady producers
can outperform a tandem of one or two “stars” and help you reach and maintain your sales goals.
Employees with an open mind, a desire to improve, and a team-oriented mindset will bring you
success, whether or not they’re sales “superstars.”

5. Strong Recruiting is Strong Retention

Of course, once you build a staff, you’ve got to retain it. And that’s the best part—because strategies
that attract reliable employees are also key to keeping the employees happy. Use these tips as
retention tools, too. And remember: if you treat your employees with less respect than your best
clients, neither will remain loyal.

BusinessWise
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