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✌️ Selling Is A Team Sport: 5 “Embarrassingly Simple” Strategies For Being A Better Teammate
Keith Weightman
February 04, 2023
In this week’s issue, I’m going to cover 5 “embarrassingly simple” strategies to becoming a better teammate.
At the end of a sale, it’s typically the salesperson that gets all the glory.
But what about your solutions consultant, contracts person, sales ops, product marketing, legal, support director, customer success leader, implementation team, etc., etc.??
Without them in your corner - your chances of being a top producer are next to 0.
The problem is that most salespeople think the world revolves around them.
It’s no surprise our coworkers think we’re prima-donnas that only care about money.
So here are 5 strategies to help change that perception.
P.S. Stay til the end to play a little game with a chance to win some 💰
Stop Hitting “Send”
In today’s hyper-connected world we’re conditioned to fire off emails, slacks, WhatsApp, etc. at all hours of the day.
9 pm at night...
Saturday morning at 8 am...
Co-worker has an OOO up...
Live look at the salesperson 👇
Stop. Most things aren’t as “urgent” as you think.
I get you’re in the spur of the moment and don't want to forget OR maybe "late night" is when you have time to “catch up”.
Rather than firing off emails and inconveniencing others with non-emergencies do this instead..
Schedule your messages...
This will allow you to "still send it" but also respect your teammates' time.
Respect Calendars
Who else loves getting calendar invites with no heads-up or details in the description???
Just a big ol’ blank invite with no context?
Please for the love of Michael Scott, don’t do this.
Send a quick note to see if that available calendar spot works for a call.
Send the invite with context on the “why” and a brief agenda for the call.
Practice Reciprocity
Have you been in a pinch and a coworker comes in super clutch?
Say for example - your client is having a major issue after hours (1 ex. of where “sending” maybe be appropriate)
And your coworker goes out of their way and solves their problem like a boss?
Yes… it may be their “job” but show them how much you appreciate them.
Here’s some ideas:
Send them a $25-$100 Amazon gift card.
Send a handwritten thank-you.
Send a message to their leader.
Post it on an All-Company slack channel.
Ask them how you can return the favor.
The next time you’re in a pinch, the chances they go the “extra mile” again just doubled.
Walk In Their Shoes
Not everyone has the same objectives, goals, incentives, etc.
As I said in the beginning most reps feel the world revolves around them.
Stop being a sales donkey.
Take the time to understand what your teammates outside of sales are measured on, what’s important to them, and how you both can work together to achieve a common goal.
So simple, yet so effective and overlooked by most sales reps.
Praise in Public
This is almost dumb because it’s so simple, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ll see a company “win-note” that praises the sales team yet fails to recognize other key players that contributed to the win.
Take the time to publicly call out others no matter how big their part was in the deal.
Guess what?
Without that 2 hour legal call - your deal may not have gotten done.
Without that referral from the SMB rep you typically never work with - your deal may not have gotten done.
Without sales ops doing wizardry to update your dumb contract bundle “asks” - your deal may not have gotten done.
Take the time to call them out and praise them in public.
Never Win Alone. Never Lose Alone.
TL;DR
If it’s not urgent and after-hours “schedule” your messages
Respect your teammates’ calendars and give context
Show your thanks by practicing reciprocity
See things from their vantage point
Praise & thank them publicly
Let's Play a Game
Respond to this email with how many times you think the below button will be clicked.
Guess right? Win the pot.
Nobody guesses right? The pot doubles for next week.
Come back next week to see if you won.