Builders: Here’s How You Can Grow a Professional Sales Team #4 - Expect Discomfort

A super high performing salespeople is likely to challenge the way your building business has been selling and going about delivering its services. Do you want that challenge? Is it worth the risk?” Yes!

Especially when you look with envy at the larger companies that employ high performing salespeople (who are not even builders!!) and dream about what could happen in your renovation business if you had similar people on board.

But you’re afraid that high performing salespeople will push you beyond your comfort zone. Great!In this article I will outline how to prepare yourself for the challenges you will face with a high performing professional salesperson growing your business.

1 Allow Risk

Truly great salespeople need to try out new ideas. Some of them work and some of them flop. But it’s worth risking the flops to get the benefits of the successes. You will need to give your salespeople some rope to work with. Experienced professionals develop an instinct about something being unworkable and move on quickly to the next idea. But not all are so experienced and will make mistakes as they develop their experience. Your best gift to them is to help them minimize their mistakes and learn from them.

2 Encourage Conversation

Create an environment that welcomes discussion about criticism, new and even outlandish ideas. Try not to argue against them, even if you think they are wrong. Rather, learn to ask good questions that encourages the fleshing out of the idea, or the reason behind the criticism. Don’t make any member of your team have to defend an idea simply because they voiced it. Rather help them process it. Together you may discover a truly great innovation. What begins as an outlandish idea could develop into the idea of the year. Many salespeople “think out loud” (i.e. they process their ideas in conversation with others) and will gravitate towards people who are strong enough to help them do this. So, create a conversation where no idea or comment is a silly one.

3 Require Early Reporting

Test and measure any new idea or innovation from current procedures as soon as possible. Encourage low expenditure or small sample trials, and get feedback on effectiveness as soon as possible. You need to shift the focus away from the salesperson needing to defend what he or she believes the outcomes to be, and instead focus on interpreting real data. In your meetings talk about “our” actual results rather than “your” perceived results.Taking on a professional salesperson can be risky, but learning to work with one can be extremely rewarding. Nice.

The (young) owner of a building company I worked with took a biggish risk when adding a professional salesperson (who was twice his age) to his rather small team. Would his company be able to accommodate the changes? But by allowing risk, instituting and maintaining conversation and reporting routines the process has been remarkably smooth, and hugely beneficial.

Talk Back

So, how is your building business going? Would it benefit from an increase in sales?I’d love to hear of your comments.Post your comments below.

Read more in the “How To Grow a Professional Sales Team” series:

• Builders: Here’s How You Can Grow a Professional Sales Team #1 – Create Saleable Products

• Builders: Here’s How You Can Grow a Professional Sales Team #2 – Make Your Production Scale-Able

• Builders: Here’s How You Can Grow a Professional Sales Team #3 – Relegate Retainers

• Builders: Here’s How You Can Grow a Professional Sales Team #4 – Expect Discomfort

• Builders: Here’s How You Can Grow a Professional Sales Team #5 – Step up to Lead

• Builders: Here’s How You Can Grow a Professional Sales Team #6 – Rewrite the Rule Book

Graeme

P.S. Whenever you’re ready….here are 4 ways I can help you grow your building business:

1. Grab a copy of my free book

It’s a road map of a successful 15 minute sales call that’s guaranteed to increase your conversion rate. http://thesuccessfulbuilder.com/book-15-min-sales-call/

2. Join Trade Mates and connect with builders who are scaling too.

It's our new Facebook community where smart builders learn to get more income, time and freedom. View our free business resources for builders. Ask questions of like minded business owners and business coaches. Give your knowledge and expertise to help others. - https://www.facebook.com/groups/TradeMates/

3. Join My New  Group

I’m starting a new group called “OnRamp” to kick start sales and marketing in your business. If this sounds like you, message me with the words, “OnRamp”, and I’ll get you all the information.

4.  Join Loft Members

If you’d like help to get off the tools, make more money and get your life back...just  message me at graeme@thesuccessfulbuilder.com and put “LOFT MEMBERS” in the subject...tell me a little about your business and I’ll get you all the details.