Better Sales Confidence Equals Business Growth

How an empowered sales team drives your business forward.

How best can you build your sales team’s confidence and drive business growth?

It’s a question that’s often front of mind for business leaders. Any good salesperson must have confidence in what they do and how they do it; otherwise, it’s difficult to have meaningful conversations at every step of the customer journey. And that doesn’t do much for conversion rates.

But the source of sales team confidence is much broader than you might think. It stems from the individual, the surrounding departments, the sales leader and the wider business. In this sense, the enterprise is an ecosystem, each element impacting sales to a greater or lesser degree.

Here are three steps you should take to build confidence in your team and lay the foundations for future business growth.

The Salesperson  

Most people can be taught the core skills required to be a good salesperson. But being a great salesperson isn’t just about skillset, it’s about mindset.  

B2BNXT recently took part in an Insights Programme where each MOI employee fell into part of a colour wheel. While creatives were mostly blue/green (denoting their supporting roles and personalities), client services and sales were generally yellow/red, them being communicators and motivators on the front line.  

Profiling is important when bringing in personality types that must fit into and help elevate your team. No matter how well a salesperson knows their role, without key traits they could lack confidence; or worse, impact team cohesion. This also brings into play the IQ vs. EQ debate: do your salespeople have the right intellectual-emotional balance?  

TOP TIP: Conduct a profiling programme to gauge the personalities in your organisation, then consider personality types when adding to your team for a balanced dynamic.

The Marketer 

The old-school sales tactic of ‘picking up the phone to bypass the gatekeeper’ no longer works. Sales confidence is now driven by digital engagement and understanding of the customer, through intent platforms and behavioural insights that define who to target, when, and how. All of which is supported by marketing. 

Marketing equips sales teams with all the right assets and information they need to succeed. So, the closer you can align the two departments—forging a common integrated approach referred to as ‘smarketing’—the greater the levels of collaboration, transparency, and efficiency. 

There are a few obstacles to overcome, however. The two departments don’t traditionally work together, and today’s workforces are distributed. But make this already symbiotic relationship seamless, and you could see a quick surge in growth.  

TOP TIP: Think about how your marketing reports into sales. A hierarchical nature can make or break success, so consider positioning the departments side-by-side, creating a level playing field with synonymous ranks and titles. 

The Sales Leader and the Business 

The sales process often spans different platforms and systems. But the more steps a salesperson has to take, the more administrative tasks they have to do, using time they could spend talking to customers. So how can you make things simple for your people, letting them focus on what they do best—selling?  

The answer is fusion not confusion. When you take stock of your tech stack (intent platforms, portals and CRM), you might be surprised by how complex it is. Find ways to simplify, removing what you don’t need, replacing what’s inefficient, and integrating what works. 

Just as your sales team works better when technology is simpler, they’ll also respond to stronger support from leadership. Salespeople need time to get to grips with parts of their roles, like following certain processes or managing specific accounts. Often, however, leaders shift around their team, nullifying the individual’s ability to learn, adapt, and grow.  

TOP TIP: Remember that your sales team is comprised of humans, not machines. Ensure they have time to master processes and develop strong account-relationships, to the long-term benefit of the entire organisation.  

How do you build confidence in your sales team? Share your experiences below.