16 Mar How Pride Can Influence Your Sales Strategy
If you search “Sales Strategy” it will return 500 million results. Half a billion. First page titles include ‘5 Keys to Successful Sales Strategies’ and ’10 Easy Sales Strategies for Small Companies’ along with a ton of software companies that promise to make it so easy for you to maximize efficiency and close more deals. I’ve been in the sales game for a long time and the word easy is not one I would use to describe my job. If it was easy, everyone would be a killer sales rep and companies wouldn’t have any issues with growing sales and closing deals.
There is one key driving factor to successful sales strategies and activities that leadership should focus on developing within their sales people. It’s a strategy that should be part of every company’s commitment to its employees: Pride.
When you are proud of the company you work for you will handle sales challenges in a completely different way. It doesn’t make it easy but having pride in your company does make it easier to tackle the sales challenges that every person on the front-line faces. Prospecting and cold calling, leaving voicemails that don’t get returned and crafting emails that don’t get a reply while also getting told NO much more than told YES is tough work. Being in sales definitely requires a certain skill set and natural ambition to be successful and not having pride in your company is a sales buzz kill.
We just had an incredible experience that certainly made me proud to work for Carusele and Ignite Social Media: #MysteryTrip2016
When we shared with customers and prospects that Ignite and Carusele would be shutting the office for 2 days to take every employee on a Mystery Trip (we went to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic) I got responses like, “I want to work there”, “wow my company would never do that”, “I’m so jealous, send pictures” and “that may be the best perk I have ever heard of.” Did I mention that the trip was all expenses paid? The whole company takes off on a 4 day trip in the name of team building. Go ahead and beat that.
The Mystery Trip was adopted when Ignite started back in 2007 as a way to build rapport between the two offices (one in Michigan and the other in North Carolina) and as a way to create employee retention. But over the years it has becomes so much more and it’s brilliant on so many levels.
It Sets You Apart:
When you are interviewing potential employees and share the Mystery Trip story, it’s becomes pretty easy (there is that word again) to separate the company’s values and commitments from other companies. It’s something they will not hear from anywhere else and will make them want to be a proud worker for you.
It Generates Pride:
The pride and gratification that everyone has when they tell the Mystery Trip story to their friends, families and customers. Priceless.
It Builds Collaboration:
Having your company split between offices that are 700 miles apart is difficult. Especially when you work as close together as our teams do. But I know a lot more people now than I did a week before the trip and my meetings and projects are way more aligned. Not only was I able to get to know them outside of the office but now I also know what you look like in a bathing suit. Lol.
It sparks Motivation:
I think it’s fair to say that after experiencing the celebration of our company’s’ success everyone is more invested in Ignite and Carusele than ever. We are now more motivated to exceed our client’s expectations and succeed as a company so we can continue to be able do this every year.
From the first announcement of the Mystery Trip through all of the vague clues and guessing games to now, 2 weeks after the trip, there is a noticeable bounce in everyone’s step. Our sales and client facing teams have pride when telling the story and sharing with everyone how unique and cool the Mystery Trip was. The high opinion of Ignite as a company and how we treat employees was evidenced in a huge way with a sunny stay in the Dominican Republic. For sales people, when you are proud of your company and you whole-heartedly feel it, it translates clearly to everyone you speak with including your family, friends and prospects.
Obviously, pride isn’t automatic just because you go on a company trip. The company you work for, your leadership, your colleagues and the product you represent all give you opportunities to be proud. You will never be as effective as you could be, in any role, if that pride is missing. If the pride isn’t there, consider the reasons why and make the change. Companies and leadership should be developing pride within their organization every day. It’s the key indicator that prospects see when they consider working with you. Get it right and things get…well, easier.
