Building Resilience in a Sales Team.

​​It's common for everyone in an organization to face challenges and difficulties. Sales teams, in particular, may encounter rejection regularly as they work directly with clients. This is the nature of working in sales. Therefore, it's crucial to have a resilient sales team. As a leader, it's your responsibility to take measures to establish and sustain resilience within your sales team.

When it comes to building resilience in a sales team there are three main elements to focus on.

Mindset:

• Expect setbacks: Sales are like a rollercoaster ride and the highs are brilliant but we all have lows too. It’s important to reframe rejection as a learning opportunity, not a personal failure.

• Embrace a growth mindset: Focus on continuous improvement and make sure you’re celebrating the small wins too.

• Develop self-awareness: Understand your strengths and weaknesses and manage stress effectively.

• Practice gratitude: Appreciate successes and the support network around you. Always celebrate successes and be aware of everything that has gone into achieving either directly or indirectly.

Skills:

• Refine selling techniques: Stay adaptable and learn from each interaction. Moving to New York in November was all about meeting clients and candidates in person to build relationships then Covid changed all that and I needed to pivot my techniques.

• Strengthen problem-solving skills: Think creatively and find solutions to challenges. One of our strengths at Aspire in our New York office is that we have a team from a diverse background which means that people have different experiences and solutions to tackling problems, and learning from them has been great.

• Build strong relationships: Connect with colleagues and clients for support and collaboration. Use your network. People generally enjoy helping others so never worry about burdening someone for asking for their support.

• Prioritize self-care: Maintain healthy habits to manage stress and boost energy. I know in myself that I need to exercise to keep mentally healthy. When I was one person in New York I struggled to find people to share my successes and struggles with. I started running again for the first time since college and this helped reenergize me.

Culture:

• Foster a supportive environment: Encourage open communication celebrate team wins and learn from others. It’s likely your colleagues have been through a similar situation, and they may be able to share their learnings.

• Provide actionable feedback: Help individuals learn and grow from their experiences. Everyone should be open to feedback when given in the right way and being able to provide a subjective viewpoint can help others grow.

• Set realistic expectations: Focus on progress and effort, not just immediate results. Recruitment isn’t about a transactional relationship and being a small business in a city of 8.5 million we have had to set achievable milestones to become the recruiter of choice and build our brands in our sectors.

• Recognize and reward resilience: Celebrate individuals who bounce back from setbacks. Coaching this mindset and letting your team know that you value this mindset will help them develop this too.

• Offer resources and training: Equip your team with tools and strategies to manage challenges. Ask your team what they need and be ready to find external resources if you can’t offer this. Continually evaluate the training that you provide, and update based on the needs of your team

Always remember, that building resilience is a continuous process. By focusing on both individual and team development, you can create a high-performing sales team that thrives in any environment.

To receive advice on building resilience or expanding your sales team to achieve high performance for your organization, speak to one of our consultants.