top performance sales teams

Copyright@CE-Consulting Group 2016

Build top performance sales teams

Dr. Manfred Kauffmann

CE-Sales Consulting Group

1Digital Strategy

Agenda Build High Performance Sales Teams

1. Challenges

2. A new definition of performance

3. Team culture and leadership

4. Solutions

5. Early warning system

6. Skill Management

2Sales Leadership and Team Culture

Performance reviews are not systematically

performed

Lack of a motivating

feedback culture and sustainable

staff development

Performance potential remains

unused, performance

deficits are too lateuncovered

How can we improve the sales

manager performance and

build high performance

teams?

Challenges Performance Culture


Performance is measured by quantitative

targets, i.e. new orders

Targets are already quantified and easy to

measure

• no reliable performanceforecasts

• no consecutive measurements

Performance reviews only once a year

Sales manager performance 1 of 2


Low performance becomes obvious, when

too late for mitigationobjectives will not be

achievedsales manager drop out of

performance culturesales manager leave the

company

A simple early warning system is necessary

Sales manager performance 2 of 2


Disadvantages for staff and company

A one-time assessment affects efficiency and effectiveness of

HR actions

Performance reviews may be too late to adjust motivation and raise

performance level

Open questions:

How did the performance of team and sales manager develop?

Has performance changed, increased or decreased?

Disadvantages of one-time performance assessment


Benefits for employees and company

Part performance targets can be set up and easy controlled

Employees receive immediate feedback

Meets requirements of sales manager

Employees are motivated and can be coached better

Increase employee satisfaction and team performance

Advantages of consecutive performance feedback


After three decades General Electric has given up the annual performance review and ranking system

(high, medium and low performers)

Employees receive a series of short-term

targets, objectives and milestones

Feedback on target achievements is

consecutive.Objective is continuous performance

improvement

Although an annual feedback is still used, it is

complemented by continuous performance

feedback

Microsoft, Accenture and Adobe have minimized

the importance of annual performance reviews

Google regards leadership as a coaching

process and supports team responsibility and

accountability

Best practice


An authoritarian management is no longer expedient

Millennials expect a high level of leadership, immediate feedback on achievements and constructive critisism

Employees expect a flexible performance monitoring and timely feedback

Millennials in Europe and US require a new performance culture

Requirements leadership and team culture


Sales leaders have to manage authoritarian control systems and

employee satisfaction-oriented motivation culture

Leadership requires considerable flexibility to manage both top and

low performer without given undue preference

Sales leader requirements 1 of 3

How do executives handle contradictory requirements, without micro

management and spending too much time on HR controlling?


Leadership is no longer a one-dimensional process controlled by superiors and aligned on the staff

Sales leader must prove themselves in a new performance

culture

Sales leader performance is reviewed by his

superiors and by his team



360 degree assessments:

review process by superiors and

colleagues

Sales leader new role: a

charismatic leadership coach

to inspire and motivate teams

Sales processes and structures

must be managed



leadership is not based on hierarchical

authority

leadership is role modeling

leadership is a coaching process

leadership is communication

leadership is empowerment of

teams and situational

leadership needs agile structures and

systems

New leadership culture


Employees motivation is not related to bonus schemes and incentives

Research show that learning culture, flexible work schedule, career options and other factors affect motivation

A open, flexible feedback and performance culture is part of the new team motivation culture

Motivating high performance teams


Use early warning systems

CRM dashboards show target fulfilment at team and

employee level

Performance can be

measured with pipeline and opportunity

reviews

Employees receive

feedback immediately

Sales leader manage

performance problems

Feedback is timely, related

to goals, pragmatic

efficient and cost-effective


Agile feedback culture must include skill management actions and review process

Strengths and weaknesses are analysed to evaluate individual and team performance

Skill management can increase productivity and sales success

An objective assessment of competence and skill level is mandatory

Skill Management 1 of 2


The skill profile evaluates actual and target skill

scores

It shows challenges and potentials in the main areas of

skills and competence (e.g.

industry know-how)

The performance matrix provides a

benchmark analysis of

competence and performance level

Actions for team and individual skill

development

Skill Management 2 of 2


Mandatory for a sustainable performance change is a change in leadership behavior and performance systems. Motivated employees build high

performance sales teams.

High performance teams - Summary

18

CE-Sales Consulting Group

Management

Consulting

Sales and Account Management

Business Development

Business Strategy

Partner Management

Business Coaching

Interim Management

Project and Programm Management

Phone + 49-89-66 81 12

Mobil + 49-170-773 36 30

[email protected]

http://www.ce-sales-consulting.com

Manfred Kauffmann, Managing Partner

mailto:[email protected]