Every new reality in a business creates unseen challenges for staff. What’s important for the business is that leaders recognise these challenges and adapt and remodel their management practices to ensure they help provide solutions.

For sales teams, this has never been more important than it is right now.

The fourth edition of the State of Sales report, which evolved from a survey of almost 6,000 sales professionals worldwide in May and June 2020, revealed that just 26% of sales leaders feel completely capable of adapting team culture, and 28% say the same about staff skills.

These stats on their own reveal an enormous chasm between the expectations of senior management and the reality closer to the ground.

As individuals in sales teams have been physically separated by work-from-home orders, and as customers in that environment have begun to expect greater empathy, trust and personalisation, team culture and skills have been far more difficult to manage and mould.

Our research tells us it’s time for a new approach by leaders, one that better suits the new reality of a post-COVID market.

Leadership is no longer about authority

What is that new reality? It’s one in which the typically co-existing and complementary concepts of leadership and authority have been decoupled. It’s one in which the structure the office once gave to relationships and channels of communication have been shattered. And it’s one in which trust and capability walk hand in hand – the leader’s job is to ensure their people have the necessary capabilities to do the required work, and then to trust them to get it done.

The successful sales leader in today’s environment will democratise leadership. In other words, they will accept that every member of their team is now, by necessity, a leader. As such, they must be provided with the right tools, offered powerful motivation, then encouraged to add value to the business in an environment of collective power and responsibility.

What does this mean on a practical level? In terms of providing their people with the right tools, it means sales leaders must accelerate digital transformation and ensure their people are confident with using the new systems.

The State of Sales report told us 77% of sales leaders say their digital transformation has accelerated since 2019. This is an excellent sign, as it means members of sales teams will be better equipped to build relationships with customers independently and effortlessly.

In fact, digital technology’s automation of previously manual processes – logging sales data, generating quotes and proposals, prioritising leads, reporting progress, etc. – will free sales team members to focus more on increasingly important issues, such as building trust with customers.

The report also points to the necessity for greater training of sales staff. Tellingly, our research said high performing sales leaders are 4.8 times more confident in their training abilities than their underperforming peers.

With 70% of businesses currently retraining their field reps to sell from home using new tech and different communications methods, it means those that don’t continually train teams to adapt in new conditions will be left behind.

Sales leaders must take a reality check

Is it any wonder that sales leaders are having a difficult time managing culture, when sales reps themselves are struggling with having to adapt to new ways of selling? In fact, 79% of sales reps tell us they’ve had to adapt to new ways of selling very quickly.

In that case, the leader’s task changes from one of setting performance goals to enabling success through empowerment and training. That empowerment comes through a mix of technology, new responsibilities, changing sales metrics and shifting focus – to the building of trust with customers, for example.

Importantly, the expectations of leaders must change. Our research revealed just 54% of outside reps feel expectations from sales leadership match the current selling reality. And only 46% feel their relationships with customers are stronger than they were in 2019.

Becoming familiar with the reality of the market and aligning expectations with that reality are vital ingredients for sales leadership success. That familiarity, the State of Sales report tells us, comes from a mix of national, local and industry news sources and internal insights such as customer communication and customer purchase activity.

Sales leaders must get comfortable at the big table

The big-picture shift is in the fact that the strategic importance of sales operations is increasing.

To experience success, sales leaders must not only focus more clearly on the changing market and on their own, individual staff members. They must also focus upwards, on the organisation’s strategies, to ensure their own goals and processes are aligned.

This is clearly happening right now, since 75% of sales operations professionals tell us they have new responsibilities and 85% sales professionals agree sales operations is increasingly strategic.

Further, 89% of sales professionals tell us sales operations plays a critical role in growing the business.

To navigate uncharted territory, organisations have to become tighter units, all sharing a clear understanding of a common goal. Sales teams, with silo walls removed, have become a vital part of that goal becoming a reality.

Find out the latest sales trends and insights guiding sales professionals to recover and grow in the fourth edition of the State of Sales report.

Want to hear what other sales leaders think about the future of selling? Register for our upcoming webinar Unpacking the State of Sales: What are the next steps for sales leaders? on 29 October, 2020 and hear from the best in the business, including sales expert Tony Hughes, Trailblazer Fisher & Paykel and Salesforce ANZ Chief Commercial Officer Ian McAdam.

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The best salespeople make it seem like an art form. Today, more than ever, it’s an art that flourishes with a disciplined approach, when backed by science and engaged with by a team empowered by the best digital and cultural tools.

Great works include a comprehensive CRM, a refined sales funnel, aligned departments, diverse teams, great culture and a strategic approach to AI-powered tools. And the artist’s handbook? Our new ebook of 50 pro sales tips from the best in the business across Australia and New Zealand.

Death of a salesman? Not so fast.

Customers can now buy whatever they want, whenever they want, from whatever device they prefer. What’s more, thanks to the internet, they can do their own research into a product or service or just check social media to see what’s being said.

Many feared the internet would see the end of the need for salespeople. What could they possibly say or do if customers were already as informed as them?

Instead, successful sales teams have discovered that rather than being shut down by the digital revolution, it’s given them a million new colours to paint with.

For example, AI-powered tools allow sales reps to offload time-consuming, manual tasks and focus on what they’re really good at – being trusted, insightful advisors to their customers. AI is transforming the way sales teams identify, nurture and convert leads and is bringing predictive power to play so that sales reps can anticipate customer needs.

And Cloud-based CRM is now a priority for high performing businesses who want the power to make sales anytime, any place with up-to-date data that is fully integrated into their other platforms.

Are you ready for the sales renaissance?

The digital revolution has driven a renaissance in the way sales are conducted. There’s never been a more exciting time to be building sales strategies and developing the teams to execute them.

The 50 Pro Sales Tips for 2020 ebook brings together unmissable insights from the best in their fields to give you a head start on the new decade’s challenges and opportunities. Balancing guidance on how to get the most out of new technologies with advice on how to nurture high-performance mindsets and successful cultures, the eBook gives you the tools you need to become a master of the art of sales in 2020.

Here’s a preview of what you can look forward to.

Five insights from the ebook

Tip #04 on building a great sales culture

In this one, CXC’s Corporate Solutions Director, Paul Chiswick, says their high performing sales team are involved every step of the way in developing and optimising client solutions. Rather than separating the sales team from that process, they’ve become integral to creating the customised models and tailored solutions they know their client needs. Expanding your picture of what your sales team is capable of might be the best move you make in 2020.

Tip #13 on lead prioritisation and growth

Sally Fallow, General Manager at Para Mobility, encourages you to match the passion of your sales team with the insight of your data. All the data in the world is no good if it can’t support the particular needs of each client. Using AI-powered tools to strategically mine your data is just one way data can boost sales revenue. Think lead prioritisation, forecasting and personalisation.

Tip #27 on social selling

Daniel Jurczyszyn, National Sales Director at Destined, cautions businesses to be authentic, or else. Customers won’t stand for inconsistency or perceived hypocrisy from a brand. By showing you believe in your brand and owning mistakes when they happen, you’ll be rewarded with customer loyalty online and off.

Tip #37 on negotiation

If you want to connect with your audience then you need to have empathy, says Kathy Rhodes, Chief Alchemist at the Thought Alchemist. Instead of communicating your value and making it about your brand, understand what your audience needs to hear and communicate that. A great sales pitch is one that offers understanding and solutions.

Tip #47 on building customer relationships

Phil Cleary, Senior Director of Sales Enablement here at Salesforce reminds us that we must know our customer better than they know themselves. Just when you think you’ve got all your personas down pat, drill deeper. With AI-powered tools, sales teams can further refine the customer journey and access personas they didn’t know existed. Step into your customers’ shoes: it’s one piece of sales advice that’s never gone out of fashion.

And what’s my sales tip for 2020? Find out by downloading your copy of the 50 Pro Sales Tips ebook and make 2020 your best sales year yet.

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