CHAPTER 9

People Over Process

The Key Traits of Emotionally Intelligent Sales Cultures

THE GOAL of sales organizations is to grow profitable, sustainable revenues. To make this happen, CEOs and sales managers watch trends in the market to learn where to invest future time and energy. They analyze existing customers to determine account penetration and up-selling opportunities. They compile prospect lists, develop pursuit strategies, study the competition to expose gaps in their offerings, and evaluate marketing and sales collateral to make sure messaging statements are on target.

These are all best practices that will increase sales. But there is also another way to increase sales that is often overlooked or undervalued. If you want to dramatically and permanently change your sales results, change your sales culture.

The relevant definition in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines culture as “the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or an organization.” A culture determines how you treat your employees, serve your clients, and contribute to the community at large. A good sales culture will make you money.

Strong, emotionally intelligent sales cultures share three common traits: they promote learning, value collaboration, and encourage generosity.

To promote learning, they practice self-actualization, always encouraging members of their team to engage in personal and professional improvement. They offer employees education and training and treat this training as an investment, rather than as a line-item expense. They believe that an educated salesperson is more successful and fulfilled in his work.

GE is probably the most famous example of a learning culture. GE’s John F. Welch Leadership Center, better known as Croton-ville, is built on a fifty-three-acre campus. It’s the leading edge of organizational development, leadership, innovation, and change. At GE, the employees know that the learning never stops. Three times a year GE’s Corporate Audit Staff from sites around the globe gather to attend a two-week Leadership Training program where, for twelve hours a day for five days each week they do case study work in addition to receiving training in technical writing, branding, and communication skills. The company invests about $1 billion every year on training and education programs. Not coincidentally, GE finished with revenues of $147.3 billion in 2011.

Continued training not only leads to bigger revenues, but also to improved employee retention. Most pundits today tell business owners that long-term retention of employees is unattainable. “You can only expect a person to stay with your company two years—then they will leave,” they claim. “People are just not loyal to their employers anymore.” This isn’t the case with our clients who have built strong sales cultures. One of the reasons they hold onto their salespeople is their investment of time and money in their staff. Educated salespeople bring in more revenue. Nice commission checks in addition to a pleasant environment make for happy salespeople and increased retention.

Collaboration is another common trait in high-performing sales cultures. Teamwork is a core value in these cultures; they work hard to make sure that each member of the sales team is helping other members. Self-centered salespeople need not apply at these organizations.

Emotionally intelligent sales cultures recognize that it takes a “sales village” to compete in today’s competitive business environment. They are aware that departments such as accounting, legal, fulfillment, customer service, and marketing are just as important as the sales department in helping the company achieve its revenue goals. Everyone plays a role in acquiring and retaining clients. And that contribution is recognized and appreciated.

Generosity is the final common trait found in emotionally intelligent sales cultures. They are givers, not takers. Socially responsible, they give back to each other and their communities. These companies have discovered that giving generates goodwill that seems to add to both the top and bottom line.

Up to this point in the book we’ve focused on how emotional intelligence skills impact a salesperson’s ability to open and close business effectively and profitably. We’ve discussed specific attributes that are important to use during certain selling stages.

In this chapter, we shift the focus to how these skills can help companies build winning cultures that motivate salespeople and other employees. Whether you are a salesperson or a sales leader, you can make a difference in creating and supporting an emotionally intelligent sales culture.

Skills such as self-actualization, self-awareness, social responsibility, interpersonal communication, and empathy help companies and their employees build effective teams. They promote collaboration and encourage the kind of community involvement that enhances an organization’s profile and success. Let’s look at how emotional intelligence helps to build a winning sales culture.

Are You Learning or Lagging?

“How’s business?” Due to the recession that began in 2008, we’ve been asked this question more than once in the past few years. We are always happy to answer, “It’s very good.” The next question we’re asked is, “Well, how about your clients?” And the answer is similar: “Our clients are doing pretty well.”

One of the reasons we believe that our company and our clients are doing well is that all of us pursue continuous improvement. We are lifelong learners—and so are our clients.

Lifelong learning sales organizations invest in personal and professional development in good times and bad. They believe the Maya Angelou quote we mentioned in Chapter 8: “When people know better, they do better.” When employees learn about exercise and nutrition, for example, they feel healthy and are more productive. When they are trained in techniques to handle adversity, they are prepared when a volatile economy hits. They are ready for battle when tough times appear.

After the 2008 financial disaster, many sales organizations that were not on the path of continuous improvement were ill prepared for battle. They found themselves staring at empty sales pipelines. Their customers had either gone out of business, were ordering fewer products, or, for the first time in years, were sending the business out to bid. Many sales teams had simply gotten out of the habit of consistent prospecting. These teams faced six to eight months of rebuilding their sales pipelines.

This new business environment also found salespeople facing heavy competition. Instead of three companies competing for a project, there were suddenly ten to twenty. Average selling skills and skills that were rusty or just plain outdated were not winning business in this competitive climate. This lack of skills enhancement and sales activity sharply affected these companies’ cash flow and the reps’ commissions. And in more than a few cases, businesses closed their doors.

By contrast, sales organizations that had invested in training all along were disciplined and continued to prospect, even during the prosperous times. They had full sales pipelines because they didn’t fall into the bad habit of waiting for the phone to ring or email to ping. They consistently worked on honing, upgrading, and refining their selling skills so that when tough times hit, they were ready to go, not just starting to prepare for battle.

While it wasn’t always easy, sales organizations that stressed ongoing learning made it through the recession in much better shape than their competitors.

Jerry Stead, CEO of IHS, a global information company based in Denver, Colorado, has experienced enormous success during his business career. We had the good fortune of hearing him speak a couple of years ago. During his presentation, he shared one of his many success philosophies. “If I had only one dollar left to spend,” he told the audience, “I’d invest it in training and development for my people.” This is a man who believes in lifelong learning. And that philosophy has served him well. Under his leadership, IHS has experienced 20 percent compounded growth per year for the last ten years.

Are You Getting Smarter?

In addition to navigating a challenging and volatile economy, your company has probably experienced many changes in recent years that require your employees to learn new information and/or skills. For example, your business has likely been affected by:

  Global expansion, creating a new pool of customers that often require new approaches and selling techniques.

  More companies bidding on the same work, elevating the need for your staff to know how to sell value rather than price.

  New methods for marketing services, necessitating the need to learn the ins and outs of social media.

  New technologies to communicate with prospects and clients, including such tools as desktop video conferencing and texting.

  Shorter deadlines for delivering information and products, demanding quicker response time and results.

Are you and your sales team smarter than you were two years ago? Salespeople who do not possess self-actualization skills will be very frustrated in today’s rapidly changing business environment. Their lack of desire and motivation to learn and improve puts them way behind competitors who aggressively pursue self-improvement.

In his well-known book Future Shock (Random House, 1984), first published in 1970, futurist and bestselling author Alvin Toffler said this in regard to learning: “The illiterate of the future are not those who cannot read or write. They are those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”

This is a great quote to live by. Sales organizations seeking a competitive edge in a tough business environment can do so by creating learning environments. Is your culture one of learning or are you lagging behind in personal and professional development?

We don’t tell you this story to elevate ourselves and say, “We told you so,” but because we see this scenario more than we’d like. We tell our clients that the only time you can afford not to change, grow, or improve is when your competitor has made the same decision.

The Mastery Gap

So why don’t sales organizations and salespeople pursue personal and professional development? Besides denial and aversion to change, there is another reason. We call it the “mastery gap.”

In order to understand the mastery gap, let’s consider a salesperson who is trying to learn new selling skills. The salesperson’s current neural pathways and habits are wired to use old sales techniques she has used hundreds of times. They are familiar and comfortable. When she tries to learn and use new sales skills, however, inevitably her first attempts are uncomfortable. She knows what to do, but is not yet masterful at employing what she has learned. This gap produces an emotional response and she feels frustrated and perhaps even a little embarrassed.

Negative self-talk kicks in and the salesperson begins to rationalize reasons for going back to her old ways. “That new sales approach doesn’t work in my world,” she says. “I sound canned and disingenuous.” Even though the old skills resulted in her client’s price-shopping her services while she chased uninterested buyers and met with the wrong decision makers, the techniques felt comfortable. That longing for comfort draws her back into her old way of doing things. She doesn’t work through the gap between knowing and mastering the new approach.

Her sales manager isn’t helpful in pulling her through this. He teaches a new skill once and then expects the sales team to execute it flawlessly. He gets irritated when the salesperson doesn’t learn new selling skills as quickly as he did. He doesn’t have enough time to spend on role-playing and skill drills. He gets frustrated and rationalizes that the old approach was getting decent, if not stellar results. Soon, both the salesperson and sales manager give up and settle for the status quo, hoping that the competitor gets just as frustrated when trying to learn new skills.

When faced with the mastery gap, you need to make a decision as to whether or not you are ready to leave your old, comfortable ways behind. This decision requires the emotional intelligence skills of self-awareness and the ability to delay gratification.

Be aware of the self-talk that persuades you to settle for being average and not achieving your full potential. Evaluate your desire for instant results. Are you giving in to the pull of instant gratification? Apply your delayed-gratification skills and put in the work necessary to achieve the reward of mastery. Close the gap between knowing and doing and continue on your journey of improvement.

There Is No “I” in Team

Sales cultures that encourage self-improvement understand that every member of the company contributes to the whole. They promote the idea that everyone works for the same team. When you study great teams, whether sales or athletic, you find that most of them enjoy success because they practice what Michael Jordan, one of the NBA’s greatest players, preaches: “There is no ‘I’ in team, but there is in win.”

Emotionally intelligent sales cultures promote teamwork and collaboration. Unfortunately, there are still many sales organizations that harbor the belief that top sales producers work outside of the team. They promote the attitude that these salespeople are difficult by their very nature and that they should be forgiven for their high-maintenance behavior. “It just goes with the territory,” management tells itself.

We call these high-maintenance salespeople “Lone Sales Rangers.” These individuals don’t worry about how their actions affect other departments; they are only concerned about getting the deal done. They often overpromise on delivery dates, putting unnecessary strain on other departments. They don’t like to participate or contribute during sales meetings because they are concerned about one thing only: themselves.

Prior to the information age, sales organizations could get by hiring and keeping Lone Sales Rangers, but the Internet has changed the sales game. Today, salespeople face a more competitive environment. Company size no longer matters; small companies appear big with a great-looking website or proactive social media campaigns. Competition is no longer local. It’s regional, national, and international—all accessible online. Finally, as discussed in Chapter 1, prospects are armed with more information than ever before. They research you and your products on the Web before even having a conversation or meeting.

Sales organizations that desire to thrive in this competitive business climate know they can’t afford to have Lone Sales Rangers on their team. They hire and attract team players who are willing to share best practices, mentor new sales reps, and help other members on their team close business. These organizations and their team players understand that it takes a “sales village” to compete and win in today’s business environment.

Delete the “I” and Promote the “We”

There are many ways to eliminate the “I” in your sales culture and promote the team. The first is by encouraging your strongest producers to help fellow members of the sales team. This can be a challenge for some competitive salespeople who secretly don’t want their team members to get better because they like being the top sales dog.

If you have that attitude, allow us to be blunt: stop being stupid! Your team member is not your competition. Your competition is the company down the street, on the Internet, or overseas. The more market share those companies take, the bigger their reputations and the more difficult your job as a salesperson becomes.

Salespeople willing to contribute to a group possess the emotional intelligence skill of social responsibility. As introduced in Chapter 1, social responsibility is the ability to be a cooperative and constructive member of your social group even if you don’t benefit personally.

This type of salesperson understands that their contribution could help their peers elevate their selling skills, become more professional, and become more likeable. As a result, their organization’s reputation will be enhanced. They do it because they are nice people and also because these salespeople want to surround themselves with the best. They know that the best quarterback doesn’t win the Super Bowl; the best team does.

We recently worked with a sales team that was competing against each other more than against their competition. After our “stupid” speech, we helped them rethink their core values and learn the power of teamwork. To their credit, the team understood and bought into this principle. A good example of this involved one of the sales reps who was knocking her quota out of the park. She qualified early for the company incentive trip and was on her way to earning a nice bonus. She was not only a great salesperson but also a great team player and turned over a good lead to a fellow salesperson. He closed the deal, helping him qualify for the incentive trip, too.

In their book The Orange Revolution (Free Press, 2010), bestselling authors and leadership consultants Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton examine breakthrough teams. Their research shows that these teams are sincerely interested in helping each other achieve. They sum it up with a great word: cheer. These teams cheer for one another.

Are members of your sales team cheering for other members, or are they wasting time and energy competing with members of their own team? Are they sharing their brilliance and insights, or are they keeping all the knowledge to themselves?

As a Lone Sales Ranger, you cannot achieve your company’s goal of hitting 10 to 30 percent growth for the next ten years. It takes a group. There is no “I” in team. Cheer for your team and encourage others to do the same.

Working with Your Village

To work effectively as a team, members must understand the challenges other team members face. Salespeople who aren’t familiar with each department’s role in delivering the end product or service are not much value to their company or customers. Companies who don’t encourage this kind of awareness among employees are likely to experience destructive logjams and work blockages.

In many organizations, conflict often arises between Operations and Sales. The salesperson brings in the deal and Operations is frustrated. The deal lacks critical information, overpromises commitments, or contains inaccurate pricing. For his part, the salesperson believes these other departments—which he dubs “the sales prevention departments”—exist just to make sure his deal doesn’t get done. “Those people” just don’t understand the difficulty of getting a deal in the door.

If you identify with this scenario, you need to realize that relationship building starts at home. It’s time to apply soft skills to your internal customers—your team members. Use your interpersonal skills to learn more about your peers in other departments. Good sales teams improve results by learning their prospect’s story; many would experience the same success if they took the same amount of time to learn their fellow team members’ stories.

Take “those people” out to lunch. Ask questions about their lives outside of work. Do they have kids? What do they do for fun? Where did they grow up? When you learn someone’s story, you may discover the reasons behind their behavior or attitude. Maybe they are grumpy because they are caring for aging parents or a sick child. Or perhaps they’re just shy—not aloof or stuck up, as you may have first thought.

Find out what their daily work life is like. Show empathy and interest. What challenges do they face in their job? Are they lacking resources to get their job done? Who else and what else demands their time and energy? What can you do to make their job easier?

When we ask salespeople these questions about their fellow team members, we often hear, “I don’t know. I didn’t think to ask.” What the salesperson is really saying is, “I don’t care.” When you don’t care about others, they don’t go the extra mile to help you achieve your goals. Work as hard on being likeable in the office as you do with your customers.

Take time to uncover your colleagues’ stories. In the process, your peers will also learn your story. Members of other departments often think salespeople have it easy. They imagine days filled with lunches, dinners, and golf. Few understand the grind of travel or the pressure and risk taking required to succeed in a job in which you don’t get paid unless you sell something. Many don’t realize the skill it takes to influence buyers and close business.

One of our clients requires new salespeople to sit in their company’s customer service department for two full days as part of their training. After witnessing nonstop calls, salespeople have a new appreciation for the skill and emotion management required to deal with often-difficult clients.

This client also requires the customer service rep to spend two days in the field with a sales rep. The customer service person quickly sees another side of the business. When he finds himself driving to an early morning appointment at 6:30 A.M. and wrapping up with a prospect dinner at 10:00 P.M., he realizes that the “glamour” of sales is not so glamorous. After these exercises, both the customer service representative and the salesperson have empathy and respect for one another’s roles.

Don’t make assumptions that people are simply out to make your life difficult: walk a few yards in your colleagues’ shoes.

The Power of Gratitude

Once you’ve built these relationships with your co-workers, don’t fall into the bad habit of taking people for granted again. This reminds us of the old joke in which the wife complains to her husband that he never says “I love you” anymore. And the husband replies, “I told you I loved you twenty years ago. Nothing has changed.”

You write thank-you notes to your clients for their business, so why not write notes to members of your internal team expressing your gratitude for their contributions? Though salespeople are the most visible talent in a company and often receive more recognition, employees in other departments contribute significantly to the company as well. You sold it, but someone else is going to ship it, service it, and invoice it.

When you receive an “atta boy” from one of your customers or a thank-you note, share the recognition with other departments. Make it a priority to point out the good work of others in meetings. When a co-worker is particularly helpful to you, send an email to that person’s boss. Buy a small gift of appreciation.

Here’s one thing you can be certain of: no one in your organization goes home complaining about being overappreciated.

There are many people in an organization to whom you can show gratitude. Take time to write a note to your sales manager, thanking him for making you stretch your skills and achieve more than you thought possible, or for helping you set goals and holding you accountable to them. Show appreciation for the tough job a sales manager faces as he wears the multiple hats of coach, trainer, and corporate executive.

Don’t forget about your CEO. It’s lonely at the top and she makes decisions and takes risks every day. Send a note letting her know how much you appreciate the wisdom and hard work she puts in creating a financially stable company, one that feeds many families. Don’t forget to thank her as well for the things many employees take for granted, such as benefits.

Have your sales team pen a note of thanks to the vendors at your company. Could any of you work without office supplies? How about technology assistance? Do you have someone who caters food to your company on a regular basis? Subcontractors? They are all part of your team.

When Nick, our “IT guy,” shared the news of his newborn son, we shipped out a little congratulations package. Nick has helped us during the workweek, even when we didn’t have a scheduled appointment. He has come in on weekends to troubleshoot issues. We appreciate his service because when he keeps our technology up and running, he is helping us be more productive.

Make gratitude a habit in your sales organization. The formula for success here is pretty simple: when people feel valued and part of the big picture, they work harder to improve that big picture.

It’s Better to Give

Not only do emotionally intelligent sales cultures work well as a team, but they also see the value of generosity—of contributing on a larger scale. High-performing businesses have a strong sense of social responsibility. They believe in giving back to the communities that support them.

Are these organizations able to give back because they are doing well? Or are they doing well because they are giving back? We believe it’s the latter. We’ve found that most successful organizations had a spirit of giving before they experienced their current success.

Look no further than your backyard and you will find some remarkable examples. OtterBox®, based in Fort Collins, Colorado, is one such company located near us. OtterBox makes durable covers for technology such as smart phones and tablets. They have enjoyed a 3,179 percent growth over the past three years.

CEO Curt Richardson says, “Giving back is a big part of our culture and belief system. We live by the saying, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’” The company established the Otter-Cares^SM Foundation, focused on helping youth. In 2011, they awarded grants to more than 100 nonprofit organizations and events in northern Colorado. Every employee is also given twenty-four hours of paid time to volunteer and help out the charity of their choice. OtterBox has a great product. They also have a great culture.

PCL Construction Enterprises, with the U.S. headquarters based in Denver, Colorado, posts revenue of $6 billion annually. PCL focuses on relationships within the communities in which it serves and as a result, continues to do well, even when most construction firms have taken a huge economic hit. Each “PCLer” finds unique ways to be involved and support those who are less fortunate.

President and COO Peter Beaupre says, “Giving back to the community and being part of our community is rooted in our culture.” The U.S. division of PCL supported charitable organizations in 2011 by donating approximately $3.5 million in total. This “giving back” mindset takes on a whole new meaning and level of impact because PCL is 100 percent employee owned. This means that donations come directly from employees’ checkbooks. A portion of the dollars that could be directed to personal financial gain are instead donated to charities, with which PCL employees are often personally involved.

You don’t have to be a large corporation with deep pockets to embrace the give-back philosophy. Nonprofits are always in need of volunteers who are willing to donate their time and talent. As part of your compensation plan, give employees one or two days off to devote to helping those less fortunate.

In addition to contributing to your company’s public profile, the gesture will reap other benefits. For example, giving back is a very quick way to put your sales life in perspective. When you are serving dinner to people who have lost their homes, you don’t feel so bad about the sale you lost that day. When you help a person without a job, it’s pretty hard not to be grateful for yours. And cold calling seems like a walk in the park after you hear a child’s story of overcoming abuse by a parent.

It is better to give. Research shows that people enjoy working for companies that pursue profits and purpose. Is your sales culture one of giving or just receiving?

Action Steps for Building Emotionally Intelligent Sales Cultures

You work eight to ten hours every day, so why not aim to create a work environment where people say, “I get to go to work,” rather than, “I have to go to work”?

Cultures that energize people have a buzz and excitement to them. People like what they do, know what to do, get training on how to do it better, and work with people who have their best interests in mind. Sales teams in these types of companies foster cooperative and self-actualizing behavior in their employees. Here are four steps to help you become a valuable member of your team and enhance your organization’s culture at the same time:

1.  Create a learning environment.

2.  Get rid of the “I’s.”

3.  Recognize and appreciate the efforts of others.

4.  Contribute to your community.

Step #1: Create a Learning Environment

Start small and create a book- or audio-of-the-month club with your team. Then choose good sales and personal development titles as the club’s focus. During your weekly sales meetings, discuss key takeaways from these books and how the author’s ideas can be applied to the group members’ professional and personal lives. Think of training and development as an investment, not an expense. Do the math and apply the principle of compounding. Once your sales team has learned a new skill, you will enjoy the benefits of this for many years. Improved sales margins, better cash flow, and repeat business can all be connected to building a smarter sales team.

Step #2: Get Rid of the “I’s”

Time is our most valued asset, which is why many of us are reluctant to share it. As salespeople, we are paid for performance, so why would we want to take the newbie out to lunch? It takes away valuable time that could be spent selling or servicing our clients.

The reasons are many. No doubt someone helped you when you were just beginning your career. Tap into your social responsibility and help others. Take the new kid on the block out to lunch. Share with him some tips that will decrease his ramp-up time. If you have a colleague that has hit a slump, offer to go on a sales call just to observe and/or assist. We’ve all experienced slumps and a “little help from friends” is appreciated.

A sales organization is only as good as its weakest link. Everyone needs to hit their sales goals in order for the company to consistently achieve its larger revenue goals.

Step #3: Recognize and Appreciate the Efforts of Others

Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, says: “Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth a fortune.”

We’ll say it again: it takes a sales village. Even in very small businesses, non-salespeople contribute greatly to the company’s success and reputation. Consider the person answering the phone, for example. This is the first point of contact for your prospects and clients. Thank this person for making a good first impression. Let her know how much you appreciate her warmth in engaging customers and making them feel important and welcome.

Organized and effective salespeople make to-do lists and goals for the week. Put one more item on your to-do list: recognizing and thanking someone every day. Salespeople with good inter personal skills make it a goal to be the “Kudos King or Queen” in their organization. They know that appreciation never goes out of style.

Step #4: Contribute to Your Community

You might be reading this thinking, “Well, my company isn’t that philanthropic; no one wants to hear my ideas about how to help the community.” This may be so, but it doesn’t matter. Quit waiting for someone else to be the change agent. Make it your cause to get your sales organization or company to be generous and get involved in charitable and community work.

Emotionally intelligent sales organizations pursue both purpose and profits. As Gandhi so eloquently said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Start making changes to build a strong sales culture now. Promote learning, teamwork, and giving back to others. When you have an organization that embraces these behaviors, you have people who enjoy each day of selling—and succeed as a result.